Does Hilton Honors status match?
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In this article I want to show you how to get a Hilton status match and discuss whether it is worth it.
If you have considered switching your hotel stays to Hilton but don’t want to go ‘cold turkey’ because you have status with your main chain, Hilton has a solution.
Via this link, you can match your existing status with another hotel loyalty programme into Hilton Honors. You must be at least ‘mid tier’ although Hilton will define at its discretion what counts from each particular scheme.
You can definitely match from the following programmes:
- Best Western Rewards
- Choice Privileges
- IHG Rewards Club
- Accor Live Limitless (still called Le Club AccorHotels)
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Radisson Rewards
- World of Hyatt
- Wyndham Rewards
It is not clear if other schemes are still accepted. Hilton recently changed the terms and conditions to say:
“Only elite statuses from another hotel loyalty program that are listed in the status dropdown menu are eligible for status matching.”
….. but the dropdown menu still includes an ‘Other’ option!
The match rules are simple:
You will receive Hilton Honors Gold status for 90 days from the date of acceptance (usually 4-5 days after you email your request)
To keep Gold until March 2022, you need to complete 10 nights (cash, not reward) within 90 days
To be upgraded to Diamond until March 2022, you need to complete 18 nights (cash, not reward) within 90 days
Note that, as well as having status in another programme, you must also have evidence of a stay within the last 12 months with that programme. If, for example, you have IHG Rewards Club Platinum status via the IHG Rewards Club Premium Mastercard, you would also need to show evidence of an IHG stay in order to be matched.
Is a Hilton Honors status match worth doing?
Potentially, yes.
Hilton Honors Gold is generally seen as the best mid-tier hotel status because it gets you free breakfast. You don’t get free breakfast with IHG Rewards Club even if you are a top tier Spire Elite member!
Hilton Honors Diamond comes with guaranteed lounge access, where the hotel has a lounge. Again, good luck with that as an IHG elite member.
This page of the Hilton Honors website shows you the elite benefits of each tier. The 80% bonus on base points for a Gold, and the 100% bonus for a Diamond, are also very attractive.
When should you trigger your Hilton Honors status match?
Timing is key, of course.
Once you are accepted, you get the benefits of Gold status for 90 days. This could save you a LOT of money on breakfast if you are heading to a Hilton property this Spring.
If you are planning to do the full 10 or 18 nights (note it is nights, not stays) in order to retain status until March 2021, you also need to be confident that you can squeeze them in.
You might want to do the maths on a mattress run – booking a local hotel, checking in and immediately leaving without telling anyone – to get the extra nights you need. Would you get enough value by March 2021 to justify spending £200-£300 on mattress run nights?
There is one other thing to note. You can only take part in the Hilton Honors status match once. If you are not certain that you can do enough nights, or that you won’t get full benefit from the status before it expires, you might want to leave it for another time. On the other hand, there is no guarantee that Hilton will continue to run this programme – there is nothing similar offered by IHG, Marriott or Hyatt.
You can apply for your Hilton Honors status match here.
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:
- American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
- American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)
and for small business owners:
- American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
- American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)
The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton points is 1:2.
(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.)
