Got Hilton Diamond? You can give free Hilton Gold hotel status to a friend

Hilton Honors has launched another special deal to keep its elite members on side. This is on top of the exceptionally (over?) generous measures we have already seen:

• having all nights count as two elite nights for the past few months

• rolling over all elite nights into 2021

• cutting Diamond Elite qualification to just 30 nights in 2021 (and those rolled over nights from 2020 count towards it)

• extending your existing status for 2021

With the new offer, all Hilton Honors members with Diamond Elite status will be able to gift Gold Elite status to a friend.

What is the time frame?

Invitations are meant to be going out next week.

Nominations must be made by 31st January.

Status will last exactly 365 days from the date of nomination.

Doesn’t Hilton already offer this?

Yes, but slightly differently.

If you achieve 60 elite nights in a year, Hilton allows you to gift Gold Elite to a friend. This would also be enough to trigger Diamond Elite status for yourself.

However, it is possible to be Hilton Honors Diamond Elite without having done 60 qualifying nights:

• you could have earned Diamond via the status challenge

• you could have got it free from – for example – an American Express Centurion card or British Airways Gold Guest List

• you could have earned it the hard way last year but not earned 60 nights this year to requalify

• you could have earned Diamond partly on the back of rollover nights from the previous year – but rollover nights do not count for the purposes of calculating the 60 nights needed to gift Gold Elite

If you are in any of these categories, this is an extra bonus.

For people who have done 60 elite nights this year – as I will have done by the end of the year – you will get two Gold Elite nominations. You will probably see mine offered in a HfP competition at some point!

If you have Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond Elite status ….

Lifetime Diamond members will be able to gift Diamond Elite status to a friend. You can learn about Lifetime Diamond in this article.

Is Hilton Honors Gold Elite status useful?

Yes, it is the most valuable mid-tier hotel status in my view. This is because it gives you free breakfast.

You are also meant to receive some sort of upgrade, although this is often just to the best room in the category you booked.

You will also receive 80% bonus base points on every stay.

Elite members, of any level, also receive ‘5 nights for the points of 4’ when redeeming Hilton Honors points for standard reward nights.

You can see the full list of elite benefits on the Hilton website here.

How long does gifted status last?

As far as I can tell, it does NOT follow the usual rules, which sees all status levels being adjusted at the end of February.

If this follows the usual pattern, gifted status lasts exactly 365 days from when the nomination is made.

How do I gift Gold Elite to a friend?

Hilton Honors will be emailing Diamond Elite members in the next few days to explain how the process will work. You need to be patient!

Given that the status is likely to last exactly 365 days, however, it makes sense to make the gift as late as you can, assuming that the recipient has no stays planned.

More details should emerge as the emails arrive.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (June 2025)

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th August 2025, the sign-up bonus on the Hilton Honors Plus debit card is TRIPLED to 30,000 Hilton Honors points. You will also receive Gold Elite status in Hilton Honors for as long as you hold the card. Click here for our full card review and click here to apply.

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 The Platinum Card from American Express in detail here and you can apply here.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• The American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• The American Express Business Gold Card (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• The American Express Business Platinum Card (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton Honors 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.