Whether you're just getting started with Hilton Honors or you're curious about how your benefits work, this complete Hilton Honors FAQ will help.
We'll cover everything from basics of the program to Hilton Honors credit cards, elite benefits, and how to earn and use Hilton points.
Hilton Honors is the rewards program for Hilton hotels. More than 5,600 properties in 100 countries and over one dozen Hilton-owned brands participate in the program, allowing you to earn Hilton points that can be redeemed for free Hilton stays, on-property rewards, and experiences. Points can also be transferred to partners.
You can join Hilton Honors for free by clicking here.
Hilton owns more than one dozen brands ranging from economy to luxury:
Hilton Honors includes three luxury brands:
Upper upscale brands include Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Curio - A Collection by Hilton, and Embassy Suites by Hilton.
Learn more about Hilton Honors brands here.
Hampton is owned by Hilton and it's one of Hilton's largest brands with more than 2,400 hotels, most of which are in the U.S.
No, executive lounges are found at Hilton luxury brands, some upscale brands, and DoubleTree. Hilton hotels with executive lounges include:
Yes, Hilton points expire after 12 months of inactivity.
You can keep Hilton points from expiring by:
Learn more about keeping your Hilton Honors account active and reinstating expired Hilton points here.
You can reach Hilton Honors customer service by calling 1-800-548-8690.
You can check your Hilton Honors point balance by logging into your Hilton Honors account, using the Hilton Honors app, or contacting customer service at 1-800-548-8690.
You can find your member number by:
Base points are earned on Hilton stays and count toward elite status; bonus points can be earned by using a Hilton Honors credit card, through promotions, or through third parties. Other than base points counting toward elite status, there are no differences between the points.
Points Pooling allows you to share points with friends and family members. Points are pooled or combined in a single account to book an award stay. You can pool points with up to 10 other people.
Points Pooling allows you to combine points with up to 10 other Hilton members to book an award stay together; a points transfer transfers your points to someone else's account. With a points transfer, the other member will own the points in their own account.
Yes, you can gift Hilton points to someone else. You can gift 1,000 to 500,000 points per transfer without fees.
If you have multiple Hilton Honors accounts registered under the same name, log into your Hilton Honors account and choose "Combine Accounts." You will need to log in and provide information about the account you want to merge. You can't combine accounts held by different members.
No, but you can book an award stay in someone else's name using your Hilton Honors member number.
If you are missing credit for a Hilton stay, call 1-800-4HONORS. You can also log into your Hilton Honors account and go to "Account Overview" then "Missing Stay" under "My Stays." You can submit an online missing stay request form to claim missing points.
Points transfers to another Hilton account are typically completed in less than 24 hours.
What credit cards earn Hilton points?
There are four Hilton Honors American Express cards:
Learn more about all four Hilton Honors credit cards here.
The best Hilton card depends on your spending habits and how often you travel. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass card with a $5 annual fee is a good choice for most people as it earns 12x Hilton points at Hilton and up to 6x points on other spending with free Gold status. The Hilton Honors Aspire card has a $450 annual fee and is only recommended for frequent travelers. It includes a free weekend night stay every year, Diamond Status, and a $250 Hilton Resorts credit every year.
The Hilton Honors credit cards offer many benefits including automatic elite status, the ability to earn bonus Hilton points at Hilton and everywhere you use your card, and depending on the card, the ability to earn free Hilton weekend night stay certificates. The welcome offers can also be enough for up to one dozen free night stays!
Yes, you can have multiple Hilton Honors credit cards.
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire card is the premium co-branded card with a $450 annual fee.
Yes, the Hilton Honors American Express card has no annual fee and earns up to 7x Hilton Honors points on spending with automatic Silver status.
Yes. You may even receive targeted upgrade offers from American Express to earn a welcome offer when you upgrade your Hilton Honors card to the Hilton Honors Aspire or Surpass card from American Express.
Hilton Honors free night certificates are earned with any Hilton Honors American Express card with an annual fee. You can earn a certificate on your card anniversary and/or by reaching spending thresholds within a calendar year. Learn more about Hilton free night certificates.
For each night spent in a Hilton hotel, you can earn 10 points per $1 that’s spent. Guests staying at Tru and Home2 Suites can earn 5 points per $1. If you are using a Hilton credit card, they can earn 7x to 14x points on top of this as well as an additional 20% - 100% for Elite Status members.
There are a few ways that Hilton Honors members are able to earn Hilton Honors points:
Learn more about ways to earn Hilton Honors points.
You can earn Hilton points for all spending with a Hilton Honors credit card with bonus points at Hilton properties and bonus categories like gas stations and supermarkets. All spending with your credit card will earn points.
If you sign up to one of the Hilton Honors credit cards you can earn Hilton Honors points for each dollar you spend. You can also earn Hilton points for shopping at a few partner retailers or by taking advantage of Amex Offers through your Hilton credit card.
By signing up for Hilton Honors Dining, you can earn points at thousands of participating locations across the country. For each dollar spent you can earn up to 8 Hilton Honors points.
As a Hilton Honors member, you can exchange your Hilton Honors points for miles with airline and rail partners. Exchanges work both ways: you can also transfer miles from partners to Hilton.
If you only need a small number of points to redeem for a free stay or there's a bonus offer, it may be worthwhile to buy Hilton points. Hilton Honors members can purchase as many as 80,000 points each year.
There are many great ways to earn Hilton Honors points quickly, such as:
Hilton Honors members can earn points for up to two rooms per each stay in a Hilton hotel as long as all charges are paid for together on the same bill.
As a general rule, an eligible stay at Hilton is one booked directly through Hilton, not through a third party like a discount travel site.
Not only can you use your Hilton Honors points for free nights at any Hilton hotel, but you can also spend them on Hilton Experiences, at Amazon.com, or transfer them to rail and air travel partners. It’s also possible to donate your Hilton points to charities such as the American Red Cross or even to local churches or memorial funds. Learn more about ways to redeem Hilton points here.
You can book a reward stay either through the Hilton.com website or over the phone at 1-800-4HONORS. You can use all points for an award stay or a combination of points and cash. You can also redeem Hilton points for other things through your Hilton Honors account.
The number of points needed to redeem a free night with Standard Room Rewards will vary depending on the property, the type of room and the dates. Award stays start at 5,000 Hilton points per night.
While Hilton properties are broken down into categories, each requiring a different amount of points for a free stay, Hilton no longer publishes an award chart and uses dynamic pricing instead. You can use their Points Explorer tool to get an idea of how many points you will need for a property.
When it comes to rewards programs, Hilton Honors points are one of the lower valued ones when compared to other hotel reward programs. As a general rule, Hilton points are worth about 0.5 cents each.
Yes, you can use Hilton Honors points with Amazon. All you need to do is link your Hilton Honors account to your Amazon account and select Hilton Honors from your choice of payment options and how many points you wish to use when checking out. You won't get a good value, however.
When you choose to use your Hilton Honor points as your method of payment on Amazon, 500 Hilton Honors points will equate to $1.
To redeem your Hilton free night certificate you’ll have to do so over the phone by calling 1-800-548-8690 or 1-877-444-9847 if you’re a Hilton Honors member with Diamond status. Learn more about redeeming Hilton free night certificates here.
Yes, you can book any type of room, whether it’s a standard room, a premium room or a suite with your Hilton Honor points. Even the most luxurious suites at locations all around the world are available. Premium rooms and suites cost more points, however.
Yes, Hilton Honor points can be transferred to another Hilton member so long as it’s in increments of 1,000 points.
Yes, Hilton Honor points can be transferred to airlines. Hilton has partnered with several airlines, but the transfer ratio depends on the airline. Keep in mind you usually get a poor value when transferring miles.
Converting your Hilton Honors points into miles with Hilton’s travel partners couldn’t be easier. Just log into your Hilton Honors account and select the "Exchange" option under "My Points."
Yes, you can use your Hilton Honors points to book a Hilton hotel award stay for someone else, however the rules and the process can differ depending on the hotel chain. Usually you will be able to use the guest’s own name, but depending on where you’re booking, you may need to make the booking under your own name and add the other person as a guest.
No, Hilton points can no longer be redeemed for gift cards.
If you’re a member of Hilton’s Grand Vacations Club, you can redeem your Hilton Honors points towards Hilton Grand Vacation stays.
Silver, Gold, or Diamond Elite Hilton Honors members who book a 5-night award stay, including both peak and off peak nights, receive a 5th night free. The 5 nights must be consecutive to reeive one night free.
Hilton Upgrade Rewards aren’t really a thing anymore, having been folded into the Hilton Points & Money Rewards. You can now book an upgraded reward by using points and selecting a premium room reward. You can also use Points & Money to book an upgraded award room.
The Points & Money rewards perk allows you to book award stays with a combination of points and cash. You may even get a better value for your Hilton points when booking a stay partially in cash.
Yes, although you can't wait until the last minute. Different Hilton chains will have different cancellation policies, ranging from 7 days in advance to 24 hours in advance to receive a refund of your points.
Hilton Honors free night certificates are valid for 12 nights from the date that they were issued. Any date booked with a Hilton Honors free night certificate has to both be booked and the stay completed within the 12 months before the certificate expires.
Hilton Honors free night certificates can be redeemed against a standard room in participating Hilton hotels worldwide. Learn more about using Hilton free night certificates here.
There are three elite tiers for Hilton Honors members: Silver, Gold, and Diamond. Hilton Honors members start at Blue status and work their way up through Silver, Gold, and finally to Diamond.
Earning Hilton Honors elite status breaks down as follows:
Hilton Honors Silver members receive the following elite benefits:
Hilton Honors Gold members receive the perks of Silver status plus these additional Gold benefits:
Hilton Honors Diamond members receive the same perks above plus additional Diamond benefits:
You can maintain elite status automatically when it's granted through a Hilton Honors American Express card. Otherwise, you must meet the eligibility requirements for your elite status to maintain your benefits.
Hilton Honors Gold and Diamond members receive free breakfasts at all Hilton hotels worldwide.
You can use Hilton points for a free room upgrade at any Hilton property when available. Hilton Honors Gold and Diamond members also receive a free room upgrade on any booking, depending upon availability. You can request a room upgrade when you check in, but it's generally done at the discretion of the hotel.
Hilton Honors Silver, Gold and Diamond members receive 2 free bottles of water with each stay at a Hilton hotel.
At the Hilton Executive Lounge, Hilton Honors Gold and Diamond members can enjoy the following benefits:
Hilton Honors members with Diamond status, and an additional guest staying in the same room, receive complementary access to Hilton’s Executive Floor Lounge.
Hilton Honors members can check in early should rooms be available. Members of the Hilton Honors program can also take advantage of digital check in at all U.S. Hilton locations.
Complimentary parking is not available to any Hilton Honors members.
Resort fees are waived for all Hilton Honors members on award stays.
Hilton Honors Diamond members can achieve lifetime Diamond status in two ways:
The Diamond Status Extension benefit allows Hilton Honors Diamond members to extend the term of their Hilton Honors Diamond status for an additional year.
Hilton Honors members can take advantage of MyWay benefits to choose a custom package of benefits based upon their personal preference. MyWay benefits vary by Hilton brand but allow you to choose between bonus points and perks like complimentary breakfast, a space-available upgrade, or a snack and beverage.
Yes! All reward nights and stays will count towards your Hilton Honors elite status qualification. Reward stays will not count towards Lifetime Diamond status, but Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond status is not its own elite tier.