Get Hilton Honors Diamond hotel status to March 2023 for just 15 nights

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Hilton Honors has just announced further changes for members, protecting your status and points until 2022.

Changes were initially announced in March this year, when we expected covid to be over by Christmas! With those extensions coming to an end, Hilton has decided to go further.

Due to these changes, there is an amazing opportunity to earn Hilton Diamond Elite status FROM SCRATCH by doing just 15 nights. You would keep your status until March 2023.

Before I explain how you can get Hilton Honors Diamond Elite status in 15 nights, let’s look at all of the changes Hilton has just announced.

Full details are on the Hilton Honors covid website here.

What is Hilton doing about your status due to Covid-19?

Hilton is implementing a range of measures to protect your status and points whilst travel remains subdued.

Status extensions

Any Silver Elite, Gold Elite or Diamond Elite members who were set to be downgraded this year or in 2021 will have their status frozen until March 2022. This was already the case for some members but not all – everyone now has the same cut-off.

Points expiry extensions

No Hilton Honors points will expire before December 2021. This was previously December 2020.

Status qualification reduced by 50%

Here is the big change. Status qualification requirements are being reduced by 50% in 2021.

This is a huge move. The changes apply across the board – including stays, nights and base points. This will let you achieve status in half the time you would normally need.

	Previous requirements	Requirements in 2021
Silver	10 nights, 4 stays or 25,000 points	5 nights, 2 stays or 12,500 points
Gold	40 nights, 20 stays or 75,000 points	20 nights, 10 stays or 37,500 points
Diamond	60 nights, 30 stays or 120,000 points	30 nights, 15 stays or 60,000 points

You can read about the different status benefits in our full review of the Hilton Honors programme here.

Lower Milestone Bonus night thresholds

In addition to lowering the status thresholds, the Milestone Bonus threshold is also being reduced. You will now earn 10,000 bonus points after 20 nights (previously 40) as well as an additional 10,000 bonus points for every 10 nights thereafter.

The additional 30,000 points Milestone Bonus at 60 nights remains unchanged.

Note that elite nights rolled over from 2020 do NOT count towards these totals.

Status gifting threshold reduced

Diamond Elite members are able to gift Gold Elite or Diamond Elite status to a friend or relative.

The threshold for this benefit will also be reduced. Any Diamond Elite member who stays 30 nights (previously 60) in 2021 will be able to gift Gold Elite status. Alternatively, stay 60 nights and you can upgrade the gift to Diamond Elite. This was previously set at 100 nights.

Note that elite nights rolled over from 2020 do NOT count towards the 30 or 60 nights required.

How can doing 15 nights in 2020 get me Diamond Elite until March 2023?

In itself, halving the qualification requirements for status in 2021 would be an exceptional deal.

However, there is MUCH more. Remember what Hilton has already promised – all 2020 elite nights will automatically roll over into 2021.

This means that anyone who ends 2020 with 30 elite nights will automatically trigger Diamond Elite status in January when the rollover nights hit. This status would be good until March 2023.

But there’s more, which is why this is such a crazy deal ….

At the moment, Hilton is offering double elite night credits via their current promotion – see here – for stays until the end of 2020.

Every night you stay during the current offer counts for TWO elite nights. These elite nights, remember, will roll over in 2021.

What does this mean when you put it all together?

You can earn Diamond Elite until March 2023 with just 15 nights.

Let’s recap why:

If you do 15 nights (nights, not stays) before 31st December, you will end 2020 with 30 elite nights. This is because, under the current Hilton Honors promotion (register here), each night counts double.

In January 2021, Hilton will add your 2020 elite nights to your 2021 total. This means that you will immediately have 30 nights.

Because the Diamond Elite threshold is being reduced to 30 elite nights, you will immediately acheive Diamond Elite. You will have this for the rest of 2021, all of 2022 and until the end of March 2023.

And don’t forget the American Express cashback deals ….

Many Head for Points readers will have been targetted for a Hilton cashback deal as we explained here. Many will receive £50 cashback on £200 of cumulative Hilton spend.

When you factor this in too, it is worth seriously thinking about pushing for Diamond Elite.

Here’s a worked example

Here is an example to show you what an exceptional deal this could be.

Assume that you currently have 16 Hilton Honors elite night credits for 2020. If you can get this up to 30 nights by 31st December, you will earn Diamond Elite status until March 2023 as soon as your 2020 nights are rolled over in January.

As you earn two elite night credits per stay until the year end, as long as you opted in to the ‘Double Rewards’ promotion, you would need (30-16/2) seven additional nights to hit the 30 you need for Diamond Elite.

Outside London, you should be able to get stays for £40 per night if you include a weekend. In Central London, £50-£55 is easily achievable. Let’s assume you do seven nights at £40 = £280. (You don’t need to STAY at the hotel of course – just check in and check out a week later.)

American Express will give you £50 cashback if you were targetted for their offer, so you pay just £230.

If you currently have no status, £280 of spending will earn you (£280 – 5% VAT = £267 = $340 x 20 points per $1 with ‘Double Rewards’) 6,800 Hilton Honors points. At my valuation of 0.33p, that’s worth £22.

Your net cost to earn Hilton Diamond Elite status until March 2023 would be £280 – £50 Amex cashback – £22 of points = £208. This works out at £7.70 per month for the 27 months that you would be Diamond Elite!

Obviously the numbers will be different for everyone but you can see here how nicely this could work out.

Remember that you MUST register to earn double elite night credits for your 2020 stays. It is not automatic. You can register here.

PS. Don’t forget Hilton’s status match if you already have status elsewhere

There are some excellent opportunities to bump up your status relatively easily here.

It gets even more lucrative if you have a status you are able to match to Hilton via their status challenge. As outlined in this article, you only need NINE nights to achieve Diamond Elite via this route and there is no need to go through the process above. Your status only runs to March 2022 instead of March 2023 however.

PPS. Hilton is still offering a 100% bonus on points purchases until the end of the year if you want to top up your balance.

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).

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.)

Category

Hilton Honors

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

David says:

28 Oct28 October 05:33

Just making sure I understand this correctly, all nights will roll over to 2021? I will most likely end 2020 with around 20 nights, does this mean I’d only need to earn 10 nights in 2021 to be diamond until 2023? If that’s the case I’d rather accrue the 10 nights over the course of 2021 than to force a 5 night stay that I don’t need in the remainder of 2020
- Steve says:
  
  28 Oct28 October 06:31
  
  Yes to the above to be fishing until March 2023
  - Steve says:
    
    28 Oct28 October 06:32
    
    Diamond, not fishing!
    - David says:
      
      28 Oct28 October 12:58
      
      I’d much prefer to be fishing until Mar 2023, but I’ll take diamond as a runner up prize!
- Rob says:
  
  28 Oct28 October 07:47
  
  Correct.
Vistaro says:

28 Oct28 October 06:33

Diamond for life member and didn’t know I could gift Diamond status to a family member – was it just me?
- Save East Coast Rewards says:
  
  28 Oct28 October 09:08
  
  Normally you need 100 nights to gift diamond, 60 to gift gold. They should send an email when you hit the 100 mark.
Tom says:

28 Oct28 October 06:33

Zero benefits for anyone who has earned Diamond this year.

Not good.
- Andrew says:
  
  28 Oct28 October 06:46
  
  And the whole world will be Diamond by the end of next year so upgrades etc will be less likely – it will be like Gold is now – reception are like yeah, and?
  - The real John says:
    
    28 Oct28 October 06:53
    
    That’s what Diamond is like now
    - SwissJim says:
      
      28 Oct28 October 07:04
      
      Remember points stays also count. And with 5 nights for the price of 4 achieving/retaining Diamond now looks a little silly. 12 nights (+ 3 free) if booked in groups of 5 nights in 2020.
    - Alan says:
      
      28 Oct28 October 09:14
      
      Certainly in the USA, not so much elsewhere IME.
  - SwissJim says:
    
    28 Oct28 October 07:01
    
    Yes I was flabberghasted when I read this last night. Lounges may become a little jammed….
    - Andrew says:
      
      28 Oct28 October 07:10
      
      I stayed at Hilton Union Square SF and the hotel is so large and they have so many gold and diamonds that they give you a $10 daily food credit rather than free breakfast (breakfast was $40) and the in-house coffee shop sold you a coffee and a muffin for your $10.
      - davef says:
        
        28 Oct28 October 18:39
        
        I stayed there as well, the $10 voucher is an insult against the coffee shop prices (there is no exec lounge at all at the property) but I got a fully comped breakfast after my stay was ruined by party going on in the suite next door. Had to call security twice before it got sorted.
        
        I actually didn’t complain at reception, I just asked if they’d checked out because if not I’d demand a room switch. She saw my distress and offered the breakfast as a sweetener, so I cant fault that part of the service.
- The real John says:
  
  28 Oct28 October 06:53
  
  OK, don’t stay with Hilton any more, that will teach them.
  - Mr(s) Entitled says:
    
    28 Oct28 October 07:52
    
    Starting from zero it is about £600 or about 120,000 points.
    
    I am struggling to see how I would get £600 worth of value. I don’t travel enough these days to drink £600 of free beer in an exec lounge. Even if I did, I think I would spend my time outside the hotel with £600 in my pocket.
    
    Seems like a no brainer if travel plans are extensive or if you have long stays in the Maldives in mind. Maybe I need to consider that long resort stay somewhere.
    - Cat says:
      
      28 Oct28 October 08:25
      
      Hi Mr(s) Entitled, what are the perks that Diamonds have over Golds in the Maldives, just out of curiosity?
      - Mr(s) Entitled says:
        
        28 Oct28 October 09:33
        
        Maldives in the example could be replaced with any expensive resort whereby you can’t readily leave and so are ‘stuck’ with resort prices.
        
        You could easily save the £600 over a long stay at such a resort with a few complimentary drinks or an afternoon tea that saves the cost of a lunch.
        
        The value proposition of Diamond in a big city is markedly less in my opinion.
    - The real John says:
      
      28 Oct28 October 10:58
      
      Yes, unlikely to be worth it starting from zero, but most people aren’t starting from zero.
      
      I intend to do 30 nights in 2020-21 anyway – now I don’t have to move hotel every night to get 30 stays, so the incremental cost is however much Hilton hotels are more expensive than the next best hotels.com alternative
- Save East Coast Rewards says:
  
  28 Oct28 October 09:14
  
  They do need a tier above diamond, last year I had over 200 nights and this year was over the 60 nights (I’m not including the rollover in this) before covid hit. It feels like they’ve forgotten about the ones who actually have had significant numbers of stays this year.
  
  On the other hand I’ve benefitted from BA’s more generous tier policy – although in the case of BA if my flights hadn’t been cancelled I’d be almost at GGL now.
  - Harry T says:
    
    28 Oct28 October 09:19
    
    200 nights is impressive! I’m sure you have thought of this, but why not spend some nights at another chain to acquire multiple top tier statuses? You could easily hit Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum/Titanium and maybe even Hyatt Globalist with those numbers.
Mark Nowak says:

28 Oct28 October 07:00

Rob, you last point about status match, why will that finish in march 22 as originally stated and not march 23 please? What happens when I’m matched to platinum and stay 30+ nights before the end of this year please?
- Rob says:
  
  28 Oct28 October 07:45
  
  The status match page says it expires in 3/22. This may not happen but all I can do is quote it.
Peter1704 says:

28 Oct28 October 07:01

Would you not be able to do the status match to say Gold and then do what the article says, or is it either or?
- The real John says:
  
  28 Oct28 October 10:54
  
  If you do a status match to Gold and want diamond, you effectively start from nothing (but you have gold benefits) – the criteria are not incremental
Hardpack says:

28 Oct28 October 07:27

I’m on 36 nights / 15 stays now, and have another 18 nights/9 stays = 36 nights booked by end dec. so there’s no point doing these; I should switch to another chain if I’m going to get Hilton diamond anyway and improve status in something else, just not sure which one!
- Dubious says:
  
  28 Oct28 October 08:26
  
  Wouldn’t you want to enjoy the benefits of your new status once you have a achieved it?
  - Hardpack says:
    
    28 Oct28 October 12:45
    
    I was thinking of enjoying my diamond status after it hits in January anyway, but before then, achieving something with another brand in the meantime. Silver Accor, basic in bonvoy I think, plat ambassador IHG.
- James says:
  
  28 Oct28 October 09:26
  
  Or enjoy the benefits you’ve built up !
Harold R says:

28 Oct28 October 07:28

If already gold are the requirements less?
- Rob says:
  
  28 Oct28 October 07:44
  
  Not if Gold via a credit card
Cheshire Pete says:

28 Oct28 October 07:28

15 stay nights is still a lot when the world is still more or less closed! Anyone in a Tier 3 area is technically locked to their area, who wants to even pay £40 ( as an example) x 15 nights, so £600 to earn Diamond, without travelling anywhere! Anyhow I’m already Diamond so perhaps I just think it has the potential to really dilute my benefits over the next 2-3 years! Very over generous of Hilton, wonder how much actual thought went into it!
- meta says:
  
  28 Oct28 October 07:44
  
  +1 Everyone keeps forgetting that travel will still be at a minimum next year and probably in 2022. Lounges will therefore not be crowded and upgrades are likely too. So those who are able to travel now can actually benefit really well. This is true for any chain group, not just Hilton. In the last 3-4 months of traveling, I’ve been upgraded each time. Sometimes even four categories up.
  - Harry T says:
    
    28 Oct28 October 07:49
    
    Yes, exactly. 2020 is a brilliant time to travel with status. I’ve made three stays as Marriott Platinum and been upgraded to a suite every time, which is often four or five categories above the base room I booked.
  - Oh! Matron! says:
    
    28 Oct28 October 08:55
    
    Came here to say this. Whilst in the US, travel seems to have reduced a little (some idiot was boasting about having stayed over 200 nights so far in hotels this year on LoyaltyLobby yesterday), my company doesn’t envisage offices opening until at least July next year, and even that is a fluid date right now, along with the ban on business travel staying for the foreseeable future. It’s amusing (and sad) to see people expecting the virus to promptly disappear 1st Jan
    - Rhys says:
      
      28 Oct28 October 09:05
      
      Do you work for Facebook/Google?
- Kai says:
  
  28 Oct28 October 10:16
  
  In the UK yes, but there are other countries in the world where the pandemic is much more controlled. Domestic travel is already pretty much revived in many Asian countries.
- The real John says:
  
  28 Oct28 October 10:55
  
  Not really, only in Wales are you actually prohibited from leaving