How to earn and use Hilton Honors points

Hotel loyalty programs can open doors – literally. By Hilton Honors, you can earn rewards to use towards future stays and upgrades plus enjoy additional benefits, like mobile check-in, late-check-out and the hotel knowing your preferences in advance (extra pillows, please!).

With more than 7,000 Hilton properties worldwide, there’s a property to suit nearly any lifestyle, preference and budget. In this detailed guide, we’ll break down the best ways to earn and redeem Hilton Honors points. 

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The Platinum Card® from American Express

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Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

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Earn 5 Membership Rewards® Points per $1 on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel and on flights booked directly with airlines or AMEX travel. The airline benefit is limited to the first $500K in purchases per calendar year. Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on other eligible purchases.

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What are Hilton Honors points?

Hilton Honors points are the reward currency for the Hilton Honors program. As a Hilton Honors member, you can earn two types of points: base points and bonus points. When you stay at eligible Hilton properties, you’ll earn base points. When you make purchases using Hilton credit cards, have Hilton elite status or spend money with one of Hilton’s many partners, you’ll earn bonus points. 

How to earn Hilton Honors points

Here’s how you can earn Hilton Honors points:

Stay at properties within the Hilton Portfolio

For most properties, you’ll earn 10 base points for every $1 spent on your room rate and other eligible room charges. But when staying at At Home2 Suites by Hilton™ and Tru by Hilton™ hotels, you’ll earn 5 base points for every $1 spent on your room rate. Loyalty members who achieve elite status through the Hilton Honors program will earn even more points on qualifying stays.

Make purchases with a Hilton credit card

You can earn Hilton Honors points by using Hilton credit cards. New cardholders can earn bonus points after meeting the minimum spend requirements for a welcome bonus. You can also earn bonus points when using Hilton credit cards to pay for everyday purchases. 

Currently, you can apply for any of the following Hilton credit cards (terms apply):

• Hilton Honors American Express Card.
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. .
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. .
• The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card * The information for the The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. .

Book with a rental car partner

You can earn up to 5,000 bonus points per qualifying rental when you book with Alamo, Enterprise or National (terms apply). 

Earn points at eligible restaurants 

You can earn up to 8 bonus points per $1 spent on dine-in, takeout and delivery orders from participating U.S. restaurants through the Hilton Honors Dining program. You must link your debit or credit cards to track your spending. 

Ride with Lyft 

You can earn points when you use Lyft (in the U.S. and Canada) after linking your Hilton Honors and Lyft accounts. You’ll earn 3 points per $1 on Lyft rides and 2 points per $1 on shared Lyft rides.

Ways to redeem your Hilton Honors points

You can redeem your Hilton Honors points by logging into your Hilton Honors account. Your account will show you valuable information, such as your current points balance and recent rewards activity. Once logged in, you can search for hotels to book or redeem your points in other ways. Here are some of the best options.

Book free nights at eligible Hilton properties 

The most valuable use of your Hilton Honors points is for hotel stays. You can use them for free nights at eligible properties within the Hilton Portfolio. Redemptions range from 5,000 to 120,000 points per night for a standard room and vary by property and date. A high-demand booking will require more points. Select properties may require up to 150,000 points per night, even for a standard room.

Transfer points to airline partners

You can redeem your Hilton points for flights by transferring them to one of Hilton’s 27 airline partners to book flights. Minimum point transfer amounts and transfer ratios vary by partner. Here’s an overview of some of the most popular participating airline partners and the minimum points transfer amount and transfer ratio for each: 

Reserve car rentals

You can redeem your Hilton points to pay for rental cars when booking with Alamo, Enterprise or National. Rentals start at 12,000 points. You’ll need to search for a rental to see how many Hilton Honors points your booking will cost before making a redemption.

How to maximize your Hilton Honors points

Here are a few tips to make the most of your Hilton Honors points:

Use the point explorer tool 

Hilton redemption amounts are dynamic, meaning they can vary based on supply and demand. Hilton’s points explorer tool is an excellent resource if you want to use your points to book an award night. You can use this tool to find properties with affordable redemptions. 

Get a Fifth Night Free on reward stays

Elite status members can utilize Hilton’s Fifth Night Free perk to get more value from their points. Silver, Gold and Diamond members can get their fifth night free when booking Standard Room Reward Stays of five nights or more. With one of the best credit cards for hotel elite status, you can achieve elite status faster. 

Earn and use free night rewards 

Stretch your Hilton Honors points further by using free night rewards. The Hilton Aspire Card offers a yearly free night reward with card membership. Plus, you can earn an additional free night award after making $30,000 in purchases and another after making $60,000 in purchases on the card in a calendar year. The Hilton Surpass allows you to earn a free night reward by meeting the annual spending requirements of at least $15,000 in a calendar year. 

Best credit cards to earn Hilton Honors points

Having one of the best hotel credit cards in your wallet can be a good move if you travel often and are loyal to one hotel brand. These are the best credit cards to have on hand if you want to earn more Hilton points: 

• Hilton Honors American Express Card. For a $0 annual fee (terms apply, rates & fees), the card earns 7 Hilton Honors points per $1 on eligible purchases charged directly with hotels or resorts in the Hilton Portfolio, 5 points per $1 on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations and 3 points $1 on all other eligible purchases. New cardholders can earn 100,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $2,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership. The card also comes with complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status. 
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . For a $150 annual fee (terms apply), the card earns 12 Hilton Honors bonus points per $1 on eligible purchases at participating hotels or resorts within the Hilton portfolio, 4 points per $1 on eligible U.S. online retail purchases, 6 points per $1 on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations and 3 points per $1 for other eligible purchases. New cardholders can earn 170,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership. Offer ends 1/17/24. The card also comes with complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status.
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card * The information for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . For a $550 annual fee (terms apply), the card earns 14 Hilton Honors points per $1 at hotels or resorts in the Hilton Portfolio, 7 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and U.S. restaurants and 3 points per $1 on other purchases. New cardholders can earn 180,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Offer ends 1/17/24. The card comes with complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status, a Free Night Reward every year after renewal and hotel, flight and trusted traveler application fee statement credits.
• The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card * The information for the The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . For a $95 annual fee (terms apply), the card earns 12 Hilton Honors points per $1 on eligible purchases at hotels or resorts in the Hilton Portfolio, 6 points per $1 at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, U.S. purchases for shipping, U.S. restaurants, flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel, and on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and 3 points per $1 on all other purchases. New cardholders can earn 130,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first three months of card membership. You’ll earn complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status with this card, but you can achieve top-tier Hilton Honors Diamond status by spending $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year on the card. You can also earn a Free Night Reward by spending $15,000 on eligible purchases on the card in a calendar year and a second Free Night Reward after you spend $60,000 on eligible purchases on the card in a calendar year.

If you don’t want to pledge loyalty to one brand, a general travel card may be a better fit. Review our list of the best travel rewards credit cards to learn more.

^{For rates and fees for the Hilton Honors American Express Card please visit this page.}