The American Express Membership Rewards program has just launched a new targeted points transfer bonus, which is one we’ve seen several times in the past. This could potentially represent a good value, but I wouldn’t say it’s a slam dunk.
In this post:
Transfer Amex points to Hilton Honors with 40% bonus
Through Friday, May 31, 2024, the Amex Membership Rewards program in the United States is offering a 40% bonus when you transfer points to Hilton Honors. The catch is that this offer is only available to those with The Platinum Card® from American Express (review), as this offer seems to be available in conjunction with the card’s 40th anniversary.
Points ordinarily transfer between the programs at a 1:2 ratio, meaning that during this promotion, points transfer at a 1:2.8 ratio. In other words, you get 2,800 Hilton Honors points for every 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards points transferred.
There are lots of great credit cards in the US that earn Amex Membership Rewards points. When it comes to transferring Amex points, you can expect that conversions to Hilton Honors are typically instant. Make sure that you see the bonus at the time that you make the transfer — it’s possible that not all members will be eligible for this.
On average we see a few transfer bonuses every year from Amex Membership Rewards to Hilton Honors. Last year we saw both 25% and 30% transfer bonuses, so this offer is quite a bit better.
Should you transfer Amex points to Hilton?
Personally I value Amex points at ~1.7 cents each, while I value Hilton Honors points at ~0.5 cents each. Based on my valuation of points and the 1:2.8 transfer ratio, you’re getting about 1.4 cents of value per Amex point. While not the most exciting offer, it’s also not bad, and for many it could prove to be worthwhile.
It’s worth noting that my valuation of points is intended to be conservative, and there are always ways to get hugely outsized value by using points properly.
Hilton does often sell points for 0.5 cents each, and I’ve written about some of the best ways to redeem Hilton Honors points. If you don’t otherwise have easy ways to earn Hilton points, I think there are circumstances where it could make a lot of sense to transfer Amex points to Hilton with a specific use in mind.
For example, this could be worth it if you’re able to find standard room award availability at one of Hilton’s top properties, like the Waldorf Astoria Maldives, Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, or Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam.
Earn points with Hilton Amex Cards
There are so many great uses of Amex points, so personally if at all possible I’d try to earn Hilton Honors points through other methods. In addition to being able to buy points outright, it’s worth being aware of the co-branded Hilton Amex credit cards, including the following:
- Hilton Honors American Express Card (review)
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (review)
- Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (review)
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (review)
Those are some great ways to rack up Hilton points, especially with the bonuses currently available.
The information and associated card details on this page for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
Through May 31, 2024, Amex is offering a targeted 40% bonus when you transfer points to Hilton Honors, meaning the transfer ratio is 1:2.8. This has the potential to be a good deal with a specific use in mind, though personally I’d rather acquire Hilton points in other ways, and save my Amex points for something else.
Do you plan on transferring Amex points to Hilton with a 40% bonus?
I have both personal and business platinum Amex cards, and no bonus shows up
"Counselor", could you factually support your claim that "Hilton points are worth the least of any chain", and then edify the masses about what, if anything, the "value" of a point has to do with whether or not transfers of points from another currency are favorable or worth it?
Inquiring...
"Counselor", could you factually support your claim that "Hilton points are worth the least of any chain", and then edify the masses about what, if anything, the "value" of a point has to do with whether or not transfers of points from another currency are favorable or worth it?
Inquiring minds wanna know and will be waiting to be enlightened with bated breath.
Part 1: copy-pasted from my own comment below.
Part 1: copy-pasted from my own comment below.
Part 2: your question: "what, if anything, the 'value' of a point has to do with whether or not transfers of points from another currency are favorable or worth it?"
The answer: The reality of how points are earned.
Now these facts are laid bare for all others to see. Nothing else needs to be said. G'day!
Your cut and paste is garbage. No one can dig through it and find factual support for your claim that "Hilton points are worth the least of any chain", which is also just garbage, because "garbage in, garbage out!"
My extensive modeling of hotel points currencies takes into account how hotel loyalty is designed to work, especially how members are supposed to earn their points, which...
Your cut and paste is garbage. No one can dig through it and find factual support for your claim that "Hilton points are worth the least of any chain", which is also just garbage, because "garbage in, garbage out!"
My extensive modeling of hotel points currencies takes into account how hotel loyalty is designed to work, especially how members are supposed to earn their points, which I call their "base earn rate" and consists of base points, elite bonus points, and bonus points from each program's co-branded CC. The consistency of results, which I have posted in this space many times, supports the validity of the modeling and that no sources additional points are needed. In fact, other sources of points, like promo or transferable points are just the "icing on the cake". They are too variable to include in any rigorous modeling of hotel points currencies. However, even including such other sources points won't support your thesis because the law of averages says that their high variability will lead to no program getting a net advantage. It will be essentially be a wash...
Surprisingly, your response to Part 2 of my interrogation that it's "The reality of how points are earned" is actually quite close to the truth. You see, unlike World of Hyatt, whose members have the weakest base earn rate of any program and runs almost no promotions that would enable members to earn enough points to afford award stays, members of Hilton, IHG and, to a lesser extent, Marriott loyalty programs do not need to waste highly coveted transferable points currencies (e.g., Chase UR) on award stays because the latter programs make it super easy for members to earn loads of their points to redeem for free nights at their respective hotels. IMHO, it is nothing short of heretical to transfer Chase UR or AMEX MR points to the points currency of any hotel loyalty program because such transferable points are best spent on securing premium cabin airline tickets on some of the world’s best airlines. Me, I transfer my UR points to Singapore Airlines to book business-class seats on SQ22 and SQ23, the world longest RT flights between JFK and SIN. That WoH members have to rely on UR points transfers to be able to afford award stays emphatically stresses just what a truly weak program WoH is.
So, the reality is indeed about "how points are earned". To try to gaslight the masses into thinking that one of a hotel program’s major limitations (reliance on highly coveted transferable points to afford award stays) is actually a strength is really something…
To be clear I agree with Biglaw V10 partner that 1 Hilton point is worth less than most other hotel points.
The value of the Hilton program vs other hotel programs depends on individual circumstances and can be greater or less than other hotel programs
Fine, but you must put up some numbers or whatever to support that claim, which...
...you, in fact, contradict in your very next sentence by saying that the value...
Fine, but you must put up some numbers or whatever to support that claim, which...
...you, in fact, contradict in your very next sentence by saying that the value of a Hilton point "can be greater or less than other hotel programs."</b If that is true, then what you are saying is that a Hilton point is worth as much as any other point, which is exactly what I said (and I can prove it mathematically as well) !
Look, this is not that complicated at all. Here are considerations of so-called "individual circumstances" that blow up to pieces BigLaw 10's thesis and, hence, yours:
Circumstance 1) Members of World of Hyatt who rely significantly on transfers of UR or Bilt points to Hyatt points to book award stays at Hyatt hotels will never make Globalist -- the program's only status that is worth anything -- because it would mean that they do not spend enough on revenue or paid at Hyatt hotels. To patronize World of Hyatt when one does not have the Globalist status is a losing proposition.
Circumstance 2) On the other hand, if members of World of Hyatt spend enough money on paid stays at Hyatt hotels to earn the Globalist status, but still rely on transfers of UR or Bilt points to Hyatt points to book award stays at Hyatt hotels, then that would emphatically establish World of Hyatt as the weakest and least rewarding of any hotel loyalty program.
Let me know if I left out any "individual circumstances" in which transferring UR or Bilt points to Hyatt points strengthens the value the world of the Hyatt point or its loyalty program.
Inquiring minds wanna know and will be waiting to be enlightened with bated breath.
unbolden
Amex Personal Plat cardholder and no 40% HH offer received. :-(
Same here
For WA Maldives can get about 4 cents per Amex point for standard award rooms that go for 150k Hilton points/night and saw available this week and cash rate Inc of taxes is just over $2200 so 2200 divided by (150k/2.8) gives just over 4cpp!
Hilton points are worth the least of any chain. It would take a 300% bonus before I consider a transfer.
DCS is gonna get BigAcademic V10 Faculty on you.
Popcorn time!
DCS presumes that guests of Hilton, Marriott, etc. earn points wholly internally. If Amex, Chase, etc. are irrelevant to your accrual of points, then it's true enough that every hotel chain's points scheme is a 15% rebate program.
The average Hilton charges 50,000 points for a free night for which the average Hyatt would charge 10,000 points. But Hilton gives you 5x as many points per stay, so, for people earning points entirely through hotel...
DCS presumes that guests of Hilton, Marriott, etc. earn points wholly internally. If Amex, Chase, etc. are irrelevant to your accrual of points, then it's true enough that every hotel chain's points scheme is a 15% rebate program.
The average Hilton charges 50,000 points for a free night for which the average Hyatt would charge 10,000 points. But Hilton gives you 5x as many points per stay, so, for people earning points entirely through hotel stays, Hilton and Hyatt points are equal. What DCS chooses to neglect is the vast sums of points earned through Amex, Chase, etc. which transfer 1-to-1. Again I'm simplifying, but this is broadly true. We just saw Bilt launch their partnership with Hilton. Bilt also partners with Hyatt. Bilt members can transfer 10,000 Bilt points to 10,000 Hilton points or to 10,000 Hyatt points.
If your employer asked would you like your salary as 100,000 US Dollars or 100,000 Japanese Yen - would you say USD and JPY are equal?
Idk, I booked the new Waldorf Astoria in Costa Rica at 96k points/night (after 5th night free benefit) when the room was $2,500/night. 2.6cpp isn't half bad.
I hope you are exaggerating. If not, your math is as bad as your lawyering.
I'd require at least a 100% bonus to transfer speculatively. But if I had a specific redemption I wanted and didn't have the points it's very possible I'd take this transfer.
I'm an equity partner, Jim. My clients love me. I take home $8.5 million a year.
You keep playing in your Hilton yard while my wife and I are chilling in our penthouse at the Four Seasons.