New Marriott and Hilton ‘experiences’ redemptions available

It has been great to see the major hotel groups bringing back their ‘experiences’ redemptions in recent months.

My wife and I had a lovely day at the Hurlingham Club recently watching Rafa Nadal and other tennis players in the Giorgio Armani Classic tournament. This was an excellent event with full VIP hospitality which cost us just 27,500 Marriott Bonvoy points for two people.

I also made two trips to the Accor Live Limitless dining experience at Taste of London – one with my wife, one with Rhys (different chefs!) – where we got a champagne reception and a meal with paired wines for just 3,000 Accor Live Limitless points for two. Frankly, the goodie bags alone – packed with high-end foodstuffs – were worth 3,000 Accor points.

The following events came up for booking yesterday at the O2 in London via Marriott Bonvoy:

• Christina Aguilera on 5th August (50,000 points for two people in the Bonvoy suite)

• Diljit Dosanjh on 12th August (30,000 points for two people in the Bonvoy suite)

• Prof Brian Cox on 31st August (30,000 points for two people in the Bonvoy suite)

The Marriott Moments website is here.

Hilton Honors has also added a VIP package auction for the first day of the England vs South Africa test match on 25th August to its current cricket auctions – see here. This is at Old Trafford in Manchester, image above.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (August 2022)

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 Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

EDIT: Until 25th October 2022, there is an exceptionally generous sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card. You will receive 60,000 Membership Rewards points – double the usual amount – and £200 to spend at Amex Travel. You need to spend £6,000 within six months to earn the bonus.

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. 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 (5,000 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.

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.)