Review: the Hilton Honors Plus debit card
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This is our review of the Hilton Honors Plus debit card issued in the UK.
It is part of our series of articles looking at the major UK loyalty credit and debit cards and discussing whether of not they are worth applying for. These posts are linked to the relevant sections of the ‘Credit Cards‘ area in the menu bar. Our other UK airline and hotel credit card reviews can be found here.
Key link: Hilton Honors Plus debit card application form
Key facts: £150 annual fee
There is no interest rate to show you because this is a debit card, not a credit card. It links to your existing UK current account and money is withdrawn each time you make a transaction.
This article was updated on 1st November 2024, and all of the information is correct as of that date. Ignore the original publication date shown.
About the Hilton Honors Plus debit card
The Hilton Honors Plus debit card is issued by Currensea.
The Hilton Honors loyalty scheme covers 24 hotel brands including Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton, DoubleTree and Hampton.
There is a £150 annual fee. This is not refundable, in part or whole, if you choose to cancel during the year.
There are actually TWO different Hilton Honors debit cards. A cheaper £60 version comes with Hilton Honors Silver status (not Gold), 0.5% FX fees (not 0%) and lower points earning rates.
We think that the Plus version reviewed here is best, primarily because of the strong benefits of Hilton Gold status. However, you can learn more about the £60 Hilton Honors debit card in our review here.
How does the card actually work?
When you sign up, your Hilton Honors Plus debit card is linked to your UK current account. Virtually all banks are supported except for Metro Bank, Co-op Bank and Chase.
There is no hard credit check – only a soft check to verify your identity which does not show on your credit file.
Each time you make a transaction, the payment is taken from your linked bank account. Here is an example of what you will see on your regular HSBC, NatWest, Barclays etc statement:
What is the Hilton Honors Plus sign-up bonus?
The sign-up bonus on the card is 12,000 Hilton Honors points. This is an introductory offer which runs to 30th November 2024.
You need to spend £2,500 in foreign currency in your first six months to trigger the bonus.
What are the rules for qualifying for the sign-up bonus?
As a new card (launched September 2024) there are no rules in place about applying if you have held the card in the past.
EVERYONE who is accepted will qualify for the sign-up bonus. This includes:
- people who have another Currensea debit card – you are OK to apply and get the bonus
- people who still have the closed Barclaycard Hilton Honors credit card – you are OK to apply and get the bonus
You can have this card alongside any existing Currensea or Barclaycard Hilton Honors card. You do not need to close your other card down.
What are the benefits of the Hilton Honors Plus debit card?
There are two key benefits of getting the Hilton Honors Plus debit card, apart from the Hilton Honors points you will earn on all of your spending:
- you receive Gold status in Hilton Honors for as long as you hold the card
- you pay 0% FX fees on your foreign currency spending worldwide – this is the ONLY travel rewards payment card in the UK to offer 0% FX fees globally
What goes Hilton Honors Gold status get you?
There are three levels of elite status in the Hilton Honors programme. Diamond, not available via this route, is the top tier. Gold is the middle tier.
Hilton Gold status usually requires 20 stays or 40 nights or $7,500 of pre-tax spending in a calendar year.
You receive:
- free breakfast for two people (or a cash credit towards any food or drink spend in the US)
- an 80% bonus on base points on every stay
- a ‘preferred’ room of some sort on every stay (often just a higher floor or better view, not necessarily next category up)
Free breakfast is clearly the key benefit of Gold status. It could easily save two people £50 per day in an upscale hotel, meaning that the £150 fee for the Hilton Honors Plus debit card pays for itself very easily.
Does Hilton status from the card get me nearer to Diamond?
Annoyingly, no. You are given Gold status directly and do NOT receive the equivalent number of elite nights.
This means that you will still need to do the full 30 stays or 60 nights or $12,000 of pre-tax spending to become Diamond.
This is the opposite of how the Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit card works. Instead of giving you Silver Elite status, it gives you 15 qualifying nights. This automatically gets you Silver Elite but ALSO puts you 15 nights nearer to Gold or Platinum status, and has become the key selling point of the card.
What do I earn per £1 spent on the card?
The benefits of the card are geared towards foreign currency spending, where you receive a higher earning rate AND pay 0% FX fees.
This is what you earn:
- 1.5 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent in the UK
- 3 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent in Hilton properties in the UK
- 3 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent in foreign currency
- 4.5 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent in Hilton properties outside the UK
Can you withdraw cash from ATMs?
Yes, you can use the Hilton Honors Plus debit card at ATMs abroad.
There are no fees for the first £500 per month of cash withdrawals and a 2.5% FX fee thereafter. The withdrawal is processed at the mid-market exchange rate.
UK ATMs are not supported. You do not earn points on cash withdrawals.
What is a Hilton Honors point worth?
Based on my recent hotel redemptions, I am happy to argue that you should be able to get 0.33p per point without much trouble. Click through for an article where I explain my reasoning.
As well as hotel stays, Hilton runs regular redemptions for top sporting events, both for regular and VIP tickets. We cover the best of these on Head for Points. You can check what is currently available by clicking here.
You can also transfer Hilton Honors points into many airline schemes including Avios, althuough the conversion rate is poor – usually 10 to 1 or 10 to 1.5.
How else can you earn Hilton Honors points from a payment card?
There are two interesting options, one of which is initially free.
The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card offers 20,000 Membership Rewards points for signing up and is free for the first year. These convert to 40,000 Hilton Honors points.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 60,000 Hilton Honors points. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The American Express Platinum credit card usually offers 50,000 Membership Rewards points for signing up. These convert to 100,000 Hilton Honors points.
You also receive Hilton Honors Gold status with The Platinum Card. It has a £650 fee, refunded pro-rata if you cancel.
Whilst this is a substantially higher fee than the £150 for the Hilton Honors Plus debit card, you would also receive Marriott Gold, Melia Gold and Radisson Premium hotel status as well as LOTS of other travel benefits.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 160,000 Hilton Honors points! The spend requirement is increased to £10,000 in three months for this offer. Click here to apply.
The Platinum Card from American Express
Huge 80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Conclusion
There is one group for whom the Hilton Honors Plus debit card is a slam dunk: those who are happy to pay £150 per year for Hilton Honors Gold status.
This could be you!
Hilton Honors Gold is generally seen as the best mid-tier hotel status to have. This is mainly because of the free breakfast benefit, covering two people per room. In the United States this is replaced by a cash credit which can be used against ANY food or drink purchase, although often it is not enough to pay for a full breakfast.
If you and your partner are doing 5+ nights per year in Hilton Honors hotels, paying £150 for Gold to get free breakfast on your stays is a good deal.
This is before you factor in the value of the 80% points bonus on each stay and any upgrades you may receive.
Other people who should seriously consider the card are:
- people with a lot of overseas spend who are still paying 3% FX fees on their existing credit or debit card.
- people who have a 0% FX credit card which doesn’t give any rewards. Switching to a Hilton Honors debit card may be worthwhile.
- people who have a rarely used 0% FX credit card and would like to free up some credit by replacing it with a Hilton Honors debit card
- people who don’t meet the income requirements for other travel rewards credit cards. Students, the retired and other groups may not have the £20,000 income required for an American Express card for example.
If you don’t fall into one of these groups, you need to weigh up:
- how much you spend each year in the UK and abroad
- how much you spend in Hilton properties and
- whether you value Hilton Honors elite status
You can apply for, or find out more about, the new Hilton Honors Plus debit card here.
(Want to earn more miles and points from credit cards? Click here to visit our dedicated airline and hotel travel credit cards page or use the ‘Credit Cards’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)
Disclaimer: Head for Points is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Recommendations are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points. The site discusses products offered by lenders but is not a lender itself. Robert Burgess, trading as Head for Points, is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as an independent credit broker.