News: Kenya Airways adds Heathrow flights, get a 100% bonus buying Hilton points
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News in brief:
Kenya Airways (SkyTeam) adds extra Heathrow services
Kenya Airways has announced that it is increasing the frequency on its route from London Heathrow to Nairobi.
There are currently 10 flights per week. This will increase to 14 flights to week from the start of the winter timetable on 29th October.
The airline uses a modern Boeing 787 on the route.
Kenya Airways is a member of SkyTeam which means that you can earn and spend Virgin Points on the route, as well as earning Virgin Flying Club tier points.
Hilton has launched (yet another) 100% bonus for buying points
Hilton has launched a new offer of a 100% bonus when you buy points.
The Hilton ‘buy points’ page is here.
The offer runs to 23rd November. The minimum purchase to get the bonus is just 5,000 points.
For me, the maximum purchase is 160,000 points. This would double up to 320,000 points with the 100% bonus.
As usual with Hilton, some people also may see a lower bonus of 80% or 90%. This seems to be a long running piece of market testing to see how it impacts take-up rates.
The cost of 320,000 points would be $1,600 (£1,315) which is 0.41p per point. The drop in the exchange rate recently has eroded some of the value of these bonuses, with our target valuation for a Hilton Honors points at 0.33p, but as long as you spend them outside the UK it will net off.
In any event, if you’re smart about it, you should be able to get good value.
The page to buy points is here if you are interested.
How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (December 2023)
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.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th January 2024, you will receive a huge 100,000 Membership Rewards points (convertible to 100,000 Avios) with The Platinum Card. You receive 75,000 points if you spend £10,000 in six months and a further 25,000 points if you hold the card for 15 months. You can apply here.
The Platinum Card from American Express
Crazy 100,000 points (TO 9th JANUARY) 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. 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)
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th January 2024, you will receive 30,000 Membership Rewards points (convertible to 30,000 Avios) with American Express Preferred Rewards Gold. You receive 25,000 points if you spend £3,000 in three months and a further 5,000 points if you hold the card for 15 months. You can apply here.
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.)
