The second hotel reward program under examination is Hilton HHonors. No, that’s not a typo. The Hhonors program is spelled with the letter H twice. Aside from the grammatical issues, their bonus structure and VIP program is outstanding and I will show you a way to earn a minimum of 20 points per dollar spent and a 15% point bonus at any of the Hilton brand hotels!

Read the table below according to this example: Getting 7,500 points requires spending $375 on Hilton Hotel stays assuming 20 points/dollar spent. A free night at an $80/night hotel generally costs 7,500 points. $80 divided by $375 is about 21%.

This method is used to create a range of savings. Note that the range is based on 20 points per dollar and does not include the 15% bonus that you will receive with automatic Silver VIP status provided by the Hilton Honors credit card. The information provided below is a low estimate!

1 Night at:	Points Required	Dollars Spent (assume 15 points/dollar)	Typical Room Cost per Night	% Rebate
Opportunity to Class 2 Hotels	7,500-20,000	$375-$1,000	$80-$130	13%-21%
Class 3 to 4 Hotels	25,000-30,000	$1,250-$1,500	$80-$240	7%-16%
Class 5 to 6 Hotels	35,000-40,000	$1,750-$2,000	$130-$440	7%-22%
Most Waldorf=Astoria Collection Hotels	40,000 to 80,000	$2,000-$4,000	$400-$600	$15-20%

The Review Method

Here is an excerpt from the first hotel reward program article explaining the process I went through to determine the benefits of each reward program:

“I searched for properties and point redemption values in Houston, Las Vegas, New York City, Chicago, and Orlando during the month of November (no holidays) in order to get a general idea for the cost of a typical room.

The programs I have chosen to review offer the most perks (room upgrades, free stays, etc.), the best point structures (converted into dollar amounts), and thousands of locations to stay at worldwide. All of the programs featured will be considered with their corresponding credit cards as additional point accumulation and benefits can be earned this way.

The Actual Cost of a Free Stay

The cost of free stays can range from 5,000 points/night at a less expensive brand to upwards of 60,000 points/night at a posh luxury resort. This makes it difficult to calculate the actual value of the rewards because point redemptions vary so greatly among the different hotel brands.

I will use a percentage rebate amount to determine the actual benefits of each reward program. This will make for easier comparison between reward programs and give you a more realistic perception of what you actually get.”

Hilton Hhonors

Rate this hotel!

3 + 1 Ways to Earn Points The first 2 ways to earn points with Hilton hotels involves earning frequent flier miles and the 3rd way gives you additional Hilton Hhonors points. When you break it down, the extra points for Hilton stays is clearly worth more than airline miles. Earn 10 HHonors Base points + 1 airline mile per eligible U.S. dollar spent* Earn 10 HHonors Base points per eligible U.S. dollar spent + 500 miles per stay (100 miles per stay at Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites and Homewood Suites by Hilton.**) Earn 10 HHonors Base points + 5 bonus points per eligible U.S. dollar spent

Note: For those of you who have not read any of my previous articles, I think that airline miles and their associated credit cards are a big rip off. In fact, credit cards are just a big rip off unless you have very strict spending habits. I suggest going with the extra points whether or not you use the Hilton credit card described below.

The optional 4th way earns you over 20 points per dollar spent on your Hilton Stays. This can be accomplished with the Hilton HHonors Platinum Card from American Express which will give you an extra 5 points for every dollar spent on your hotel visit and a free upgrade to Silver VIP status. The Silver VIP status will give you another 15% point bonus on top of everything else!

The American Express Hilton Honors card can earn you points and upgrades by a few other means. Here are the specifics:

• 3,000+ hotels to chose from
• 10,000 points with your very first purchase
• 2,500 bonus points for your first 4 stays
• No blackout dates (this is important!)
• No annual fee
• 5 points per dollar spent on Hilton Hotel stays, supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations, dining establishments, the U.S. Postal Service, and wireless phone bills
• 3 points per dollar you spend everywhere else
• American Express retail, travel, and insurance benefits

Automatic VIP Status

Consider the credit card if you are interested in the automatic upgrade to Silver VIP status with the ability to attain Gold status when you spend $20,000 annually on the card. Last but not least you can have it all with Diamond VIP status if you accumulate 100,000 points per year. Another great feature is the additional point bonused available for different VIP levels. Each level is summarized below.

Silver VIP

• 15% point bonus
• Complimentary health club privileges
• VIP only vacation packages 6 to 14 night resort stays for 150,000 to 410,000 points

Gold VIP

• 25% point bonus
• All Silver VIP Benefits
• Choose from a room upgrade w/ free breakfast (may entitle you to executive lounge access), free internet access, or 1,000 bonus points per stay (options vary between hotel brands)

Diamond VIP

• 50% point bonus
• No need to choose a bonus, get them all including executive lounge access!

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