Several revised adjustments to policies of the Hilton Honors frequent guest loyalty program were released yesterday to provide maximum flexibility and value to greater than 118 million of its members due to the current 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic — including the extension of the expiration date of points and the reduction of the qualification requirements for earning elite status for next year.
Hilton Honors Again Extends Expiration Policies, Reduces Elite Status Qualification Requirements, and Increases Flexibility
Starting with the extension of elite level status…
All members whose current elite status was scheduled to be downgraded will automatically be extended through Friday, March 31, 2023 — which means that you will continue to enjoy all the Diamond, Gold or Silver elite status level benefits to which you have access today for the next 18 months.
Extension of Expiration of Points
The expiration date of Hilton Honors points has been extended to Saturday, December 31, 2022 — and no points will expire until at least then, no matter when they were earned.
Reduction of Qualification Requirements to Earn Elite Status
The qualification requirements to earn elite status across all tiers continue to be reduced — including stays, nights, and base points earned in 2022 — to allow you to achieve elite status in half the time.
In order to earn Silver elite level status:
| Minimum Requirements to Earn Silver Elite Level Status |
Temporarily Revised |
Original Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Nights to Complete | Seven Nights | Ten Nights |
| Minimum Stays to Complete |
Three Stays | Four Stays |
| Minimum Hilton Honors Points to Earn |
17,500 Hilton Honors Points | 25,000 Hilton Honors Points |
In order to earn Gold elite level status:
| Minimum Requirements to Earn Gold Elite Level Status |
Temporarily Revised |
Original Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Nights to Complete | 28 Nights | 40 Nights |
| Minimum Stays to Complete |
14 Stays | 20 Stays |
| Minimum Hilton Honors Points to Earn |
52,500 Hilton Honors Points | 75,000 Hilton Honors Points |
In order to earn Diamond elite level status:
| Minimum Requirements to Earn Diamond Elite Level Status |
Temporarily Revised |
Original Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Nights to Complete | 42 Nights | 60 Nights |
| Minimum Stays to Complete |
21 Stays | 30 Stays |
| Minimum Hilton Honors Points to Earn |
84,000 Hilton Honors Points | 120,000 Hilton Honors Points |
Also, all 2021 nights will automatically roll over to the 2022 calendar year to help you upgrade your elite tier status even faster.
Milestone Bonus Night Thresholds at Reduced Levels
The Milestone Bonus Night thresholds are as follows:
- 10,000 bonus Hilton Honors points at 30 nights.
- 10,000 bonus Hilton Honors points for every ten additional nights after the first 30 nights.
- 30,000 bonus Hilton Honors points at 60 nights. This bonus occurs only one time.
Gifting or Upgrading Elite Status by Diamond Members
One-time gift of Gold elite status for a friend or family member at 40 nights, which can be upgraded to Diamond elite status at 70 nights.
Extension of Weekend Night Rewards Earned on Eligible Hilton Honors American Express Cards
All Free Weekend Night Reward certificates which were — and will be — issued through 2022 will continue to be valid for use during any night of the week instead of only on weekend nights.
Free Weekend Night Reward certificate expirations have been extended and can continue to be used any night of the week, as certificates issued:
- Before Friday, May 1, 2020 which were set to expire on Tuesday, August 31, 2021 are now valid until Monday, January 3, 2022.
- From Friday, May 1, 2020 through Friday, December 31, 2020 are valid for 24 months.
- Between January 1, 2021 and Friday, December 31, 2021 will expire on Saturday, December 31, 2022.
Additionally, the flexibility of certain benefits for Hilton Honors American Express Card Members in the United States continue through Saturday, December 31, 2022. Those benefits have not been specified at this time.
Bonus Points Continue to Count as Base Points on Eligible Hilton Honors American Express Cards
Bonus Hilton Honors points will continue to count as base points on eligible purchases through Saturday, December 31, 2022 on all eligible Hilton Honors American Express cards; and they will also count toward the qualification of elite tier status — including Lifetime Diamond Status.
Final Boarding Call
If you are not already a member of the Hilton Honors frequent guest loyalty program, you can join now free of charge.
Most of the revised adjustments to policies of the Hilton Honors frequent guest loyalty program is good news — although not as good as those which were announced last year. For example, the reduced requirements to earn elite level status this year have actually increased from a flat reduction of 50 percent across the board last year.
I initially wrote, “However, I believe that the flexible change policy and cancellation policy should have been extended as well — but perhaps I am asking for too much…”; but the policies do remain flexible at this time.
All photographs ©2018 and ©2019 by Brian Cohen.
