All Hilton Honors status downgrades reversed, and your existing status extended

Hilton Honors has just launched a very impressive response to the coronavirus crisis.  The company has really stepped up to the plate here and put down a marker.  It will be VERY interesting to see how Marriott, IHG and Hyatt respond.

What is Hilton doing about your status due to coronavirus?

Here is the one I didn’t expect:

If your status was due to be downgraded on 31st March 2020 you receive an automatic extension to 31st March 2021

This is really very generous.  After all, people who did not requalify due to lack of nights in 2019 did not do so because of coronavirus.  The only real loss has been the inability to use my status during February and March 2020.

Given that Marriott Bonvoy has just dropped me from Titanium Elite to Gold Elite, I can see Hilton getting more of my business later this year.

If you earned status during 2019, you will keep it until 31st March 2022

If you have status now due to your stays last year, you don’t need to worry about requalifying before the end of 2020.  Your status is locked in until 31st March 2022.

This is a smart move.  People who did make an effort to requalify last year won’t feel let down by the fact that people like me have been gifted an additional year regardless.

There are two other announcements:

All points expiry has been paused until 31st December 2020

This isn’t really a big deal, since it was incredibly easy to avoid expiry anyway.  This article explains how to stop your Hilton Honors points expiring.

For US credit card holders, all free night awards earned by 30th August 2020 will be extended to 31st August 2021.

What are the Hilton rebooking rules due to coronavirus?

Hilton has also extended its coronavirus rebooking policy:

ALL bookings at Hilton hotels, even non-refundable ones, for stays up to 30th June can be changed or cancelled up to one day before arrival

All NEW reservations you make between today (25th March) and 30th June 2020 for ANY future arrival date can be changed or cancelled at no charge, up to one day before arrival

For clarity, this means that there is no reason not to book a cheaper Advanced Purchase room whenever you are booking a Hilton property up to 30th June, for any future date.

If you cannot make the change you need online, you can submit a request via this page of the Hilton website.  This only applies to bookings made directly – if you used a non-Hilton website or a travel agent to book you will need to speak to them.

Taken overall, I don’t think anyone could have expected more from Hilton.  Let’s hope that we see some similar moves from other chains.  With Hilton refusing to drop status for anyone it will put pressure on the other brands to act.

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

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

There are two dedicated Hilton Honors debit cards. These are especially attractive when spending abroad due to the 0% or 0.5% FX fee, depending on card.

You also receive FREE Hilton Honors status for as long as you hold the debit cards – Gold status with the Plus card and Silver status with the basic card. This is a great reason to apply even if you rarely use it.

We reviewed the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card here and the Hilton Honors Debit Card here.

You can apply for either card here.

There is another way of getting Hilton Honors status, and earning Hilton Honors points, from a payment card.

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.

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)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 40,000 Avios. You will receive 4 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. The card is FREE for your first year. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

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.)