Hilton Honors puts up redemption prices at top resorts

With no notice to members, Hilton Honors has increased reward pricing at some of its top hotels and resorts. These are primarily hotels under the Conrad and Waldorf Astoria banners.

Hilton Honors moved partially to dynamic redemption pricing a few years ago.

It was a successful move, in my view, because it was a hybrid solution:

• when cash rates were low, reward pricing dropped – this ensured that redemptions were spead out more broadly across all hotels in the network, because the value was similar

• each hotel had a points cap, meaning that it was still possible to get outsized value on peak dates

This structure hasn’t changed. However, Hilton Honors has raised the cap at some of its leading properties. The old cap of 95,000 points – and it wasn’t that long ago when the cap was 50,000 points – has gone and a number of hotels are now over 100,000 points on their most expensive dates.

Here are some examples:

• Conrad Maldives – 120,000 points
• Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam – 110,000 points
• Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills – 120,000 points, photo below
• Waldorf Astoria Grand Waliea (Hawaii) – 110,000 points

To be fair to Hilton, there have been some big cash price increases at luxury hotels over the past year. Arguably the ‘pence per point’ value at these hotels if you redeem is not much different.

Cash rate increases have been driven by many factors – increased demand from people who saved money during the pandemic, reduced supply as hotels close off some rooms to manage guest numbers and distancing, and increased costs, primarily staffing.

The ‘five for four’ promotion remains, so a 5-night stay at any of these hotels will be cheaper than the rates shown above as long as you have Silver status or higher.

You can argue about how much the rest of the world is having to deal with points inflation due to the over-exuberent US credit card market. One of the US Hilton credit cards gives you 150,000 points for signing up, 14 points per $1 spent at Hilton hotels, 7 points per $1 spent on flights and restaurants and Diamond status. The annual fee for the card is offset by equivalent Hilton statement credits.

To put this in comparison, it would be possible for a UK resident to reach top tier Diamond status (60 nights) without earning 150,000 points from all of their annual stays combined.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

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

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 30th April 2025, the annual fee on the basic Hilton Honors debit card is halved from £60 to £30. The sign-up bonus is also easier to earn – you need to spend £1,000 either in the UK or abroad within three months. The usual bonus rule requires you to spend the full £1,000 outside the UK.

NEW: Hilton Honors Plus Debit

10,000 bonus points, Hilton Gold status and NO FX fees Read our full review

NEW: Hilton Honors Debit

2,500 bonus points, Hilton Silver status and 0.5% FX fees Read our full review

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

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)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (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.