Visit the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking with Hilton Honors

Hilton Honors has arranged another tour of the McLaren F1 factory at the Norman Foster-designed McLaren Technology Centre in Woking.

The date is Monday 29th July.  The cost is 110,000 Hilton Honors points for two people.  There were five packages left at 10pm last night.

A further five packages are being auctioned, and come with a stay at the DoubleTree by Hilton Woking hotel on Sunday 28th July.

The main ticket holder must be 18+ and the guest must be 16+.

The factory is not normally open to the public so this is a rare opportunity to take a look inside.

The price has come down on 2023 when Hilton asked for 130,000 points. That said, they were 50,000 points when Hilton started doing these tours about ten years ago!  Given my 0.33p valuation for a Hilton Honors point, you are effectively trading off (110,000 x 0.33p) £360 of free hotel stays by going. For an F1 fan it is definitely worth it.

One upside is that this tour includes a three course lunch. These were a feature of the early tours but were replaced by a more casual lunch until 2023 when it returned.

Those who went to the events with a dinner were very positive about them – above is a picture from a 2017 tour, taken specificially for us, when virtually everyone there was a HfP reader.

No travel or accommodation is included, unless you bid for one of the auction packages which includes the DoubleTree Woking stay. The auctions end on 5th July and there is a minimum bid of 150,000 points per package. I suspect that if there are not enough bids at that price the tickets will be dropped into the ‘buy it now’ pot.

You can redeem via the Hilton Experiences website here – search for UK events. Our full review of Hilton Honors is here.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (September 2024)

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.

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 and they come with generous sign-up bonuses. 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)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 40,000 Avios. You will receive 4 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. The card is FREE for your first year. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

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.)