Hilton HHonors in ‘very small devaluation’ shocker
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Following from IHG’s announcement that there would be a general reduction in points levels required for redemptions from April 15th, Hilton HHonors has published its annual list of category changes.
(This will, apparently, be the last annual Hilton list of category changes. Moves up and down will now be posted on the Hilton website on an on-going basis.)
This page on the Hilton website has all the information. The changes kick in on April 15th.
Of note:
New openings
Hampton by Hilton Sheffield opened March 12th and is Category 2. This is laughably cheap for a new-build hotel which also includes free breakfast and free internet for everyone. You pay just 10,000 points per night.
The Hampton in Waterloo (already open) is Category 7 which means 30,000 – 60,000 points per night. With such a huge range (and the hotel can change pricing month to month) it is hard to say if it is decent value.
The Concorde Opera in Paris is a Category 9 (50,000 – 80,000 points per night)
Doubletree The Point in Edinburgh is a Category 4 (20,000 – 30,000 points). This could be good value but I don’t know anything about the property or its location.
Decreases
Of the few hotels falling in price, the only ones of interest are three hotels in Barcelona.
Increases
Of the hotels going up, the biggest jump is one of the most useful to a UK audience. The Conrad Algarve in Portugal (picture above) jumps from Category 7 to Category 9, which sees it at a maximum of 80,000 points per night. You might remember that this hotel was in the ‘Avios 50% sale’ in January, when a week in peak season was reduced to just over £1,000 – astonishing value.
All in all, not much is happening. However, as Hilton is now using ‘pricing bands’ for most categories, it is very easy for hotels to sneakily increase in price. A hotel which was Category 7 charging 30,000 points per night can double in price to 60,000 points per night for the corresponding month of the year and still call itself Category 7. Clever, eh?
How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (December 2021)
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.
The Platinum Card from American Express
30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel 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 points), the American Express Rewards Credit Card (5,000 bonus points) and – for small business owners – American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus points) and Business Platinum (40,000 bonus 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.)
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