How Many Hilton Points for a Free Night?

hilton points for a free night

Hilton is one of the market leaders in the hospitality industry. Catered to premium guests, Hilton has around 18 distinct hotel brands that offer accommodation for various budgets and occasions. 

Hilton Honors is a loyalty program that offers guests more flexibility in choosing their accommodation by combining points and cash for their stay. Eligible at more than 6,000 properties around the world, collecting points through Hilton Honors can give you a free night to stay at any Hilton property.  

In this post, I will share some snippets about Hilton Honors and tips to earn points and redeem them for free accommodation at the Hilton property of your choice. 

How Many Hilton Points for a Free Night Up Front

You can redeem your points for a free night at Hilton with a minimum of 5,000 points per night and usually no more than 95,000 points for a standard room. However, the minimum points don’t apply to their high-end hotel brand, Waldorf Astoria, where the minimum will be around 150,000 points per night. 

What You Need to Know About Hilton Points 

Sign up for your Hilton Honors membership through their website, and you can start collecting points as soon as you make your first hotel booking through their apps or websites. 

There are a few perks you can get from Hilton Honors membership, including: 

  • The guarantee of getting the lowest price across Hilton properties. You’re eligible for an extra 25% off if you can find a lower rate elsewhere. 
  • Earning and using points for your stay and other perks. 
  • Take advantage of the Hilton Honors exclusive app features, including choosing your room, booking your stay, and checking in and out via the app. 
  • More access to more points and rollover night for elite members. 

Once you’re a member, you can start planning your stay and collecting points to get your Hilton Honors membership benefits.  

How to Earn Hilton Points 

There are many ways to earn Hilton points for your Hilton Honors membership. The easiest way is through hotel stays, where you can start collecting two types of points for your membership: base points and bonus points

You can earn your base points for every stay at any eligible hotels and resorts, and these points can help you upgrade your membership tier status in the process. Depending on your tier status, you can collect up to 100% Hilton Honors bonus points, which will be redeemable for a free hotel stay. 

Alternatively, you can transfer points to your Hilton Honors membership through several outlets. The first option is transferring your rewards from either Diners Club International or American Express Rewards to Hilton points. 

For every 1,250 points Diners Club reward, you can get 2,000 points on your Hilton Honours membership. Meanwhile, the transfer ratio from AmEx to Hilton points is 2:1, so you can get 2,000 points on your Hilton Honors for every 1,000 AmEx points.

The number accumulates depending on how many points you’ve earned in both respective outlets. However, this policy applies to U.S residents only. If you live outside the U.S, you may want to check the change of policy accordingly. 

Various Ways to Earn Hilton Points

Earn Hilton Points

Apart from collecting points through hotel stays and transferring your points from other rewards, you can earn points on your Hilton Honors membership in different ways. 

Hilton Honors points are transferrable from frequent flyers program for various airlines, including: 

  • Aeromexico Club Premier – 6,500 premier points are equivalent and transferrable to 25,000 Hilton points.
  • AirFrance-KLM Flying Blue Miles – 1,000 Flying Blue miles are equivalent and transferrable to 10,000 Hilton points.
  • ANA Mileage Club – 1,000 Mileage Club miles are equivalent and transferrable to 10,000 Hilton points. 
  • Asiana Club – 1,000 Asiana Club miles are equivalent and transferrable to 10,000 Hilton points. 
  • British Airways Avios – 1,000 Avios are equivalent and transferrable to 10,000 Hilton points.
  • Cathay Pacific Asia – 1,000 Asia miles are equivalent and transferrable to 10,000 Hilton points. 
  • Delta Airlines SkyMiles – 1,000 SkyMiles are equivalent and transferrable to 10,000 Hilton points. 
  • Etihad Airways Guest – 1,000 Etihad Guest miles are equivalent and transferrable to 10,000 Hilton points. 
  • Malaysia Airlines Enrich – 1,200 Enrich points are equivalent and transferrable to 10,000 Hilton points. 
  • Qantas Frequent Flyer – 1,500 Qantas Frequent Flyer miles are equivalent and transferrable to 10,000 Hilton points. 
  • Qatar Airways Privilege Club – 1,000 Privilege Club Qmiles are equivalent and transferrable to 10,000 Hilton points. 
  • United Airlines MileagePlus – 1,000 MileagePlus miles are equivalent and transferrable to 10,000 Hilton points. 
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club – 1,500 Flying Club miles are equivalent and transferrable to 10,000 Hilton points. 
  • Virgin Australia Velocity – 1,500 Velocity points are equivalent and transferrable to 10,000 Hilton points. 

In addition, you can collect bonus points from merchants with special offers. You can earn bonus points through CruisesOnly by booking Cruises for Hilton Honors, or you can easily connect your Hilton Honors and Lyft accounts to earn extra points for every ride with Lyft.

How to Redeem Hilton Points for a Free Night

Except for Waldorf Astoria, which may price as high as 150,000 points per night, we can redeem Hilton points for a free night at other selected Hilton properties for at least 5,000 points and a maximum of 95,000 points per night. 

Each Hilton point is worth around 5 cents, so you can get a free night at some properties for up to $475 per night for a standard room. The good news is that you can combine your points with cash to get a discount rate with your Hilton Honors membership. So even if you don’t have enough points for a free stay, you can always use them to get a lower price from the actual night rate. 

Alternatively, Hilton Honors also has a points pooling system, where different members can combine their respective points and use them for a free night’s stay. Any Hilton Honors members can transfer their points to another member at a 1:1 ratio for free, up to six times per year. 

How to Maximize Hilton Points Redemptions

Hilton Points Redemptions

One way to get a free night with Hilton Honors is by maximizing your Hilton points redemptions. With Hilton’s expansive portfolio, upgrading your elite status is the easiest way to maximize your points redemptions. Hilton Honors status is split into four tiers, including: 

  • Hilton Honors membership for guests staying for 0-3 nights. They’re not eligible for bonus points, but they can get their digital key through the app with online check-in and check-out eligibility. 
  • Hilton Honors Silver membership for guests staying up to 14 nights. Eligible for 20% bonus points earned for every stay. 
  • Hilton Honors Gold membership for guests staying from 14 to 28 nights. Eligible for 80% bonus points earned for every stay, with the privilege to select their preferred room at their chosen property and daily food and beverage credit. 
  • Hilton Honors Diamond membership for guests staying for 30+ more nights. Eligible for 100% bonus points earned for every stay, with the privilege to select their preferred room at their chosen property, daily food and beverage credit, and access to the executive lounge. 

As with many loyalty programs, earning the highest status for your Hilton Honors membership comes with easy perks to maximize your Hilton points’ redemptions. You can get a complimentary Diamond status on your Hilton Honors membership by signing up for Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Credit Card

For members holding the other elite status, we can still enjoy the perks of getting a free stay for our fifth night at our chosen Hilton property. While it’s only valid for a standard room hotel, I think it’s a great way to redeem your loyalty points for a free night’s stay, even for a staycation in my hometown!

Alternative to Hilton Points

Hilton Honors may offer some perks that benefit their loyalty program members, but they’re not the only hotel chain offering a free night staying at their properties for each point earned through the membership. 

In this section, I will highlight a few alternative hotel loyalty programs that you can consider, in addition to Hilton Honors points. 

Marriott Bonvoy

With perks similar to Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy has the advantage compared to Hilton as they have a more extensive portfolio with more than 7,000 properties across 131 countries and six continents. 

They have extensive hotel brands under their loyalty programs, from the mid-range hotels like Four Points by Sheraton or AC Hotels Marriott, premium ones like Le Meridien or Westin, to the luxury properties like Ritz-Carlton or JW Marriott. 

Apart from using your Bonvoy points for a free night’s stay at one of the Marriott properties, Marriott also has a “Staying for 5, Pay for 4” promo at any of your chosen hotels to get a complimentary stay for every stay in 5 nights at the same hotel with Marriott Bonvoy.

World of Hyatt

World of Hyatt

World of Hyatt is the loyalty program under the Hyatt group, which includes more than 1,000 hotels and all-inclusive resorts across 70 countries. While their portfolio may not be as extensive as Hilton or Marriott, Hyatt points’ value is slightly higher than the other hotel loyalty programs, with each point typically valued at around 1.7 cents. 

Another advantage of being a member of the World of Hyatt loyalty program is the rewards given to all members. Even the members in the lowest tier are eligible for some exciting perks, including early check-in, late check-out, and even room upgrades. 

Although the quantity of Hyatt hotel networks isn’t as extensive as their competitors, the World of Hyatt includes 19 hotels under the Hyatt group, including Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt, and Park Hyatt. 

Hotels.com Rewards

Hotels.com Rewards

Hotels.com is a third-party booking platform that offers more than a million properties worldwide. While the perks of Hotels.com rewards may not sound as extravagant as the hotel chains like Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, or the World of Hyatt, there are also some advantages you can’t get in any other loyalty programs. 

As a booking platform, Hotels.com doesn’t have its own properties. However, the disadvantage of not owning their properties can benefit you as a member if you like varieties. Hotels.com has listed more than a million hotels and other types of accommodation on their platform, and you can get rewards from booking your stay at hotels with Hotels.com.

You’re also eligible for a free night for every 10-night stay you book through the platform. After booking the 10th-night stay at Hotels.com within a year, you’ll earn a Silver status membership, giving you priority customer service and other exclusive perks like complimentary breakfast or airport transfers from and to the hotels. 

After your 30th night stay, you’ll be upgraded to Gold status membership on Hotels.com. With this status, you are eligible to enjoy some perks at their VIP properties, including early check-in, late check-out, and room upgrades at various hotels under Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt hotel chains. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: How many Hilton points do you get per night?

Answer: Typically, the points you get will depend on the night rates of the property you book through their website or app. Hilton Honors members will earn ten base points for every dollar they spend on the booking, except for Tru and Home2 brands, where they will get five base points instead. 

Additional bonus points will be rewarded if you increase your membership status. Silver will earn 20% of the base points, Gold 80%, and Diamond 100%. 

Question: How much are 50,000 Hilton points worth?

Answer: One Hilton point values around 5 cents, so 50,000 Hilton points are worth approximately $250. 

Question: Which hotels take Hilton Honors points? 

Answer: Hilton Honors points are redeemable across 18 hotel brands, from mid-range to luxury hotels, including: 

  • Waldorf Astoria
  • LXR 
  • Conrad 
  • Canopy
  • Signia by Hilton
  • Hilton
  • Curio Collection
  • DoubleTree
  • Tapestry Collection
  • Embassy Suites
  • Tempo
  • Motto
  • Hilton Garden Inn
  • Hampton
  • Tru
  • Homewood Suites
  • Home2 Suites
  • Hilton Grand Vacations

Conclusion

You need at least 5,000 points on your Hilton Honors membership to earn a free night at your selected Hilton properties. The good thing about being a member of Hilton Honors is their pooling system which allows you to share and transfer points from friends and family to use collectively.

Apart from earning and collecting points from staying at the hotel networks, I can also get bonus points from transactions with merchant partners, including various airlines around the globe. This is especially beneficial as I’m a member of some airlines’ frequent flyer programs.

However, I personally don’t bother much about transferring points from my other loyalty program since it can take a while to process, and I don’t think it’s worth the hassle. 

Collecting points on Hilton Honors membership is beneficial if you’re a frequent guest of hotel chains under the Hilton group. However, since I prefer staying at various hotel chains and not only Hilton, it may take a while for me to collect points for a free night at Hilton. 

Hilton Honors membership is a bit redundant because Hilton points expire 24 months after the last transaction. I rarely book my accommodation at the Hilton property, so there’s a chance that my points expire long before I even use it. 

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