Bits: Hilton status match working, 30%-50% off non-flight Avios redemptions inc wine

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News in brief:

Hilton status matches working OK

I wrote about Hilton HHonors offering to match your status in another existing hotel programme last week.

The good news is that Hilton is now processing the matches successfully. I sent in a screenshot of my IHG Spire Elite status and my account was upgrading to Diamond. This is the first time that I have ever had top tier Hilton status, albeit that the extra benefits over Gold are not huge.

The main one, apart from better upgrades, is guaranteed club lounge access. Click here to see Hilton status benefits in full.

I also sent over my wife’s Accor Platinum status. This account shows no stay activity. She got a slightly bizarre response that said a) she could have a match if she verified the telephone number on her account (?) and then said b) she can’t have a match but if she sent a statement showing stay activity with a competitor she would get a ‘fast track’ offer. I have no interest in a Fast Track challenge for her – I may well wait until nearer the 11th January deadline for matches and simply re-apply.

Hyatt, on the other hand, has had an about-turn on its own status match. After offering Diamond to anyone who showed top tier status with a competitor, they are now restricting it to SPG Platinum members only. Everyone else will only receive Hyatt Platinum which only requires five stays to earn anyway – the list of Hyatt Platinum benefits is here.

Hyatt hasn’t even processed this for me yet, despite sending me an acknowledgement of receiving my match request. This will cost them some business as I would have moved my upcoming Istanbul trip to the Park Hyatt if I had been able to use a guaranteed Diamond suite upgrade.

30% to 50% off some avios.com ‘non flight’ redemptions

If you move your Avios points from British Airways Executive Club to avios.com, using ‘Combine My Avios‘, you can advantage of some interesting non-flight bargains.

Full details are here.

There are some wine selections reduced by 30%, quite a few ‘experience’ or ‘pampering day’ vouchers and a few annual memberships. These include the RHS, English Heritage, Tastecard, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and the National Trust for Scotland.

The biggest discounts are on spa days, helicopter rides, indoor karting, indoor skydiving and supercar driving, all reduced by roughly 50%.

These offers run to 14th December.

How to earn Avios points from UK credit cards

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways BA Amex American Express card

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways BA Premium Plus American Express Amex credit card

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

(Want to earn more Avios? Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)

Category

Hilton Honors

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

RogerWilco says:

6 Dec6 December 20:55

Both Hyatt and Hilton Diamonds came thru the same week, mathcing SPG Plat (with lots of activity) Hyatt came with 4 suite upgrades 🙂
mark2 says:

6 Dec6 December 21:36

So, having got Hilton Gold what can it be matched to?
- Rob says:
  
  6 Dec6 December 22:17
  
  Look at statusmatcher.com
- Tariq says:
  
  8 Dec8 December 20:56
  
  I matched to Club Carlson Gold some months ago when I had some stays with them planned and was only the basic (red?) at the time following the advice on statusmatcher.
Andi says:

6 Dec6 December 22:26

Hilton matched from IHG Spire Elite within days, over the weekend, no questions…
Swiss says:

7 Dec7 December 08:07

Flabbergasted this worked – just been upgraded to Diamond. Sent copy of my IHG Spire status (earned with no stays – when bonus points counted towards tier) and they confirmed back last night. Been Hilton Gold for years, but again not really stayed there much. Don’t know why they want my custom (I’ll now be using points at both….).

Slightly off subject, but recently stayed at Hilton in London on AA points (earned from credit card sign up by my wife). Then Gold, but my status still honoured at check-in. Always worth an ask for a couple of free breakfasts and a room upgrade.
FIRSTclstraveller says:

7 Dec7 December 09:41

Any ideas whether they’ll match GHA Platinum?
- Rob says:
  
  7 Dec7 December 15:35
  
  I know they have matched it for at least one person because he emailed to tell me.
  - FIRSTclstraveller says:
    
    7 Dec7 December 16:14
    
    Thanks
  - FIRSTclstraveller says:
    
    8 Dec8 December 21:21
    
    I received a reply in 24hrs saying I had been upgraded from my current Silver level to Gold so not a bad result all told.
David says:

7 Dec7 December 11:41

Are there any offers/referral bonuses available for joining HHonors for the first time?
- Rob says:
  
  7 Dec7 December 15:27
  
  There is a 1,000 refer a friend bonus (Google will find it) but I have had real trouble getting the website to work properly for the last couple of months.
  - David says:
    
    7 Dec7 December 19:24
    
    Not to worry, I found it via google and you have to make a stay before the end of the year to get the bonus. I doubt this will happen so I just signed up without a referral and have now sent off my match request email.
alan says:

7 Dec7 December 11:57

I just sent off my Spire Elite for matching today with Hilton.

I am staying at the Waldorf Astoria in Edinburgh in Jan.

I am currently only a blue member and I booked this on the BA site when they had a holiday’s sale a few months back. My room didn’t include breakfast. Any idea if I will be entitled to an upgrade? And if I will have breakfast included for one or two people during the stay?

Thanks
- Nick says:
  
  7 Dec7 December 12:09
  
  I was treated very well at the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh in September being Gold. I got free breakfast and a room upgrade to a suite as I told them it was my birthday weekend away. Always got and miss at any Waldorf Astoria though if only Gold. Ask for a room with a view of the castle. Or ask how much a room upgrade with lounge access would be at check in if your not platinum by then.
  - alan says:
    
    7 Dec7 December 12:47
    
    Thanks Nick. Sounds like I should be as people are being matched in just a few days.
- Alan says:
  
  7 Dec7 December 14:06
  
  Hi Alan (not speaking to myself here!) – the only caveat would be that it sounds like you booked it via a 3rd party website (ie BA) and earlier this year Hiltons officially stopped awarding benefits on 3rd part bookings. Now of course the property may still give you some recognition of it, but sadly it’s not as good as it used to be (where you wouldn’t get points but would get all the status benefits)
- YL says:
  
  7 Dec7 December 21:02
  
  Complimentary continental breakfast is for the Gold/Diamond member and up to one additional guest registered to the same room. However, this benefit is excluded at WA.
  
  Sounds like Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh is currently treating elite members well and decided to offer breakfast for now. However, like the other Alan has mentioned, unfortunately, 3rd parties bookings are now also officially excluded from receiving Elite benefits, so you may or may not receive elite recognition, it depends on the individual hotel.
Bitter customer says:

7 Dec7 December 13:47

Accor platinum only got matched to hilton gold ……
- Fenny says:
  
  7 Dec7 December 20:41
  
  Demand a recount!
  - YL says:
    
    7 Dec7 December 21:06
    
    Based on the reports here, it looks like Hilton kind of match Accor Plat if you already have status with Hilton?
    - Dave H says:
      
      7 Dec7 December 21:55
      
      I have just got Diamond, I was Gold and asked for a match to my Accor Plat which was granted