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News: HSBC Premier to Avios transfer bonus coming?, Hilton’s Japan / Hong Kong flash sale

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News in brief:

New HSBC to Avios transfer bonus coming?

We may be about to see a new transfer bonus between HSBC Premier credit cards and British Airways Executive Club.

A HfP reader, ZW, found a PDF on the HSBC website.

It shows a 25% bonus on transfers made between 1st December and 31st December.

This could obviously change between now and Sunday, however, so don’t rush out to make a transfer until you’ve seen the offer on the HSBC Premier website.

PS.  Our recent article on the top 10 reasons why you should get the HSBC Premier World Elite credit card is here.

Excellent Hilton ‘50% off’ flash sale for Japan and Hong Kong

Hilton has launched a short flash sale covering its hotels in Japan, Korea, Guam & Hong Kong.

There are some VERY good deals here, particularly for Japan.  I saw in the comments yesterday that a few readers had snapped up a bargain.  Some hotels are only discounting executive rooms or suites, but in these cases it is still worth a look as the prices are often down to the level of the undiscounted standard rooms.

The sale ends at 5am GMT on Friday.  This means, effectively, you need to book before you go to bed tonight, Thursday.

The standard discount is 40% with an additional 10% for logged-in Hilton Honors members.  However, you don’t genuinely get 50% off because the discount is based on the refundable rate.  These sales rates are non-refundable.   You should, however, be saving at least 33% on the usual non-refundable rate.

Stays must be completed by 30th June.

You can find out more on this page of the Hilton website here.   You must book today.

How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards

How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Did you know that the Virgin Atlantic credit cards are a great way of earning Hilton Honors points? Two Virgin Points can be converted into three Hilton Honors points. The Virgin Atlantic cards are the only Visa or Mastercard products in the UK which can indirectly earn Hilton Honors points and they come with generous sign-up bonuses. You can apply here.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

and for small business owners:

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)

Category

British Airways and Avios, Hilton Honors, HSBC Premier Mastercard

Comments (135)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Allan says:
    28 Nov28 November 05:19

    Surely economy and business mixed up for the Cathay value?

    • Erico1875 says:
      28 Nov28 November 06:43

      No. If Economy base fare 100 then 20% is 20. If Business base fare is 1000 then saving is 200

      • David P says:
        28 Nov28 November 08:19

        Exactly. So the article should say something like “This makes a big difference on a Business Class ticket, where the base fare is around 85% of the total, but doesn’t have a big impact on Economy tickets” rather than the other way round.

  • Nigel says:
    28 Nov28 November 05:43

    OT but re Hilton: If you cancel a Hilton points stay thru the website, how long does it usually take for the points to return to your account for reuse?

    • Zara says:
      28 Nov28 November 05:51

      Almost immediately in my experience.

    • meta says:
      28 Nov28 November 07:22

      They advise it can take up to 30 minutes. Last night it took less than 5 minutes.

    • John says:
      28 Nov28 November 08:19

      Either immediately, or 6 to 8 weeks and requiring about 6 to 8 phone calls.

      Chances of the latter are higher if cancelling on weekends or between midnight and early morning UK time.

      Note that in rare cases points reservations will not be cancellable at all

    • Travel Strong says:
      28 Nov28 November 12:27

      And on rare occasions – a month of phonecalls to sort it out!

      If you are using them to do an immediate rebooking, it is safer to call up and get it all done by the call center in one process.

  • Air Miles Andy says:
    28 Nov28 November 06:47

    Hi chums. Down on my luck a bit just now. Haven’t quite the funds I used to. Chanced across this website. Hope you guys can help keep me airborne. Thanks!

    PS Are there any good Pizza Express deals out there?

    • Shoestring says:
      28 Nov28 November 06:54

      Welcome. Stashing away £57m on a £20K Navy pension qualifies you as a top rank poster with no further formalities needed.

    • John says:
      28 Nov28 November 08:20

      You’d better go this week as trains to Woking are on strike in December.

  • Jack says:
    28 Nov28 November 07:12

    Thanks for the heads up about the Hilton flash sale. Perfectly timed for me. Yesterday I redeemed points on a 5-nights-for-4 stay at the hilton tokyo, and now today have got my remaining cash nights for that trip at a nice discount. Not to mention, I got a bigger room for cheaper than the room I would have otherwise bought.

  • Bonglim says:
    28 Nov28 November 07:21

    High five to ZW. Was literally about to transfer 50000 Avios from hsbc today. Will wait a couple of days!

  • Secret Squirrel says:
    28 Nov28 November 07:49

    OT:
    Iberia Groupon promo – How long has people here found its taken for the avios to credit accounts? I’m on day 12 today since purchasing, I have read elsewhere 10 – 14 days but good to hear personal experiences.

    • Anna says:
      28 Nov28 November 08:04

      Last year I had avios credit within a week but another package took 6 weeks! However, I bought some via the Groupon Ireland offer this week and they appeared in my brand new AerClub account within 24 hours so I would recommend this route.

  • JRC says:
    28 Nov28 November 07:56

    OT: BAPP card, have normally churned but due to the rule changes this year have kept. Two questions : (1) Is there any “bonus” for keeping for 1 year with spend target? Eg spend £25k get annual 10,000 bonus Avios (2) once I’ve renewed does the clock for earning a new companion voucher restart – ie. each year I can earn a new companion voucher?
    Thanks!

    • Genghis says:
      28 Nov28 November 08:14

      1. Just the 241 at £10k spend
      2. Yes

    • Spurs Debs says:
      28 Nov28 November 08:14

      The bonus is spend 10k in a year get 241 voucher and yes clock starts again for new voucher.
      Don’t want to be rude but you seem clueless about the credit card you have signed up for. Have you not read t&c at all?

      • JRC says:
        28 Nov28 November 08:21

        Like I said have always churned so have never worried about any annual targets or what happens in 2nd year, does the Amex site even say that? I doubt it. No need to be rude. It took Genghis all of 7 words to clarify.

        • Peter K says:
          28 Nov28 November 08:52

          I think it’s a fair point to suggest that if you are keeping a credit product (or applying for one) that you read the t&c’s to avoid any unexpected surprises etc

        • Spurs Debs says:
          28 Nov28 November 09:34

          Well if you think that was rude you’ve led a sheltered life. But hey you want to sign up for finical products knowing zero about what you are signing for that’s your business.

  • Spurs Debs says:
    28 Nov28 November 08:19

    Considering the site is being sponsored by Hilton I was surprised you hadn’t mentioned this sale on Tuesday when it went live. I saved a considerable amount on my Conrad Tokyo suite cancelled my reward booking, those points will come in handy for something else.

    • Rob says:
      28 Nov28 November 08:39

      Technically the sponsorship is one week on, one off 🙂 We kept it on mobile because we’re lazy …

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