Historically, Hilton Honors has done an amazing job with its global promotions. The program has constantly runs bonus offers, meaning that points earning rates are typically excellent. But is that about to change?
Hilton Honors has just unveiled the details of its newest promotion, and two things stand out — for the first time in years, there’s a gap between promotions, and on top of that, this is the worst promotion we’ve seen from the program in years. It fits into the “why bother” category. So is this a blip, or is the company cutting back its invest in promotions?
In this post:
Hilton Honors Points Plus Promotion details
Hilton Honors’ new global promotion is called Points Plus, and with this offer, members are able to earn 1,000 bonus points on every stay. It doesn’t matter how long you stay, what brand you stay or, or how much you spend, it’s the same no matter what.
There are some details to be aware of:
- The promotion is valid for stays between June 1 and August 15, 2025 (you must check-out by August 15 to be eligible); the last promotion ended on April 30, so that means there’s a one month gap between offers
- Registration is required prior to your first eligible stay, though it’s fine if you booked prior to registration
- There’s no limit to how many bonus points you can earn, you start earning rewards with the first stay, and there’s no minimum stay required
- It can take up to six to eight weeks for bonus points to post, though they’ll typically post much faster than that
- All stays booked directly with Hilton, including award stays, are eligible for this promotion
- You can find promotion FAQs here
How generous is Hilton Honors’ promotion?
How generous is Hilton Honors’ second promotion of 2025? The math on the Points Plus promotion is straightforward. Personally I value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents each, and you’re earning 1,000 bonus points per stay, which is a $5 incremental return. That’s better than nothing, but barely.
This is of course in addition to standard points earning rates. Under normal circumstances:
- Hilton Honors members earn 10x Honors points per dollar spent at most brands
- Hilton Honors Gold members get an 80% points bonus, and Hilton Honors Diamond members get a 100% points bonus
On top of that, you can maximize your Hilton Honors points earned from hotel stays by paying with a co-branded Hilton American Express card. These cards earn points at the following rates on eligible Hilton purchases:
- Hilton Honors American Express Card (review) — 7x points per dollar
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (review) — 12x points per dollar
- Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (review) — 12x points per dollar
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (review) — 14x points per dollar
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
Hilton Honors has just revealed the details of its new global promotion. Between June 1 and August 15, 2025, members can earn 1,000 bonus points per stay.
This is the weakest promotion that we’ve seen from Hilton Honors in years, as this offers an incremental $5 return per stay, by my valuation. On top of that, it’s the first time in years that we’ve seen a gap in Hilton Honors promotions. I have to imagine that Hilton is conducting a bit of an experiment, and seeing what impact weaker promotions have on hotel bookings.
I’d love for Hilton Honors’ lifetime Diamond unofficial blog spokesperson to chime in with his views on the matter. 😉
What do you make of Hilton Honors’ new global promotion?
The gap and low promo is there perhaps to limit points handed out during peak travel season when Hilton can fill its hotels without promotions. Still, not as bad a blunder as handing out Diamond status to all and sundry with an AX card. I have lifetime Diamond status and fing the only places where it’s worth anything are Europe and Asia. Even at Waldorf in London the reception clerk told me that they rarely...
The gap and low promo is there perhaps to limit points handed out during peak travel season when Hilton can fill its hotels without promotions. Still, not as bad a blunder as handing out Diamond status to all and sundry with an AX card. I have lifetime Diamond status and fing the only places where it’s worth anything are Europe and Asia. Even at Waldorf in London the reception clerk told me that they rarely upgrade because 90% of their guests are Diamond….there you have it!
At least I can start booking IHG for some of my my 270 nights a year, this promotion, and the clumsy roll out, and dressing high rate 2X points up as a promotion, is pure incompetence
It is still better than nuthin'.
So, to their credit, Hilton at least they did roll out an offer, unlike Hyatt.
I will redeem a targeted offer for 3,000 points, for a total of 4,000 bonus points, and that's on top of 100% Diamond elite bonus points and 14x for paying with the Aspire card...still far better than World of Hyatt, which is the stingiest program when it comes to earning points..
Hyatt points...
It is still better than nuthin'.
So, to their credit, Hilton at least they did roll out an offer, unlike Hyatt.
I will redeem a targeted offer for 3,000 points, for a total of 4,000 bonus points, and that's on top of 100% Diamond elite bonus points and 14x for paying with the Aspire card...still far better than World of Hyatt, which is the stingiest program when it comes to earning points..
Hyatt points are NOT "the single most valuable points currency" as bloggers have continued to claim, even long after the SPG AMEX was superseded by much more valuable loyalty/travel cards.
Most Hyatt fan boys clearly drank that kool-aid. You have no clue what you are talking about and I am not likely to change that, but more to the point is that I am done discussing a program that's gone belly up precisely because it was not structurally sound.
I am done here.
G'day!
Not the real DCS. Not without a parting shot!
Also DCS would never claim that a program that allowed him to feast like a king in Asian breakfast buffets has gone belly-up.
Oh, mate, you’re waving that Hilton Honors flag again like it’s the only loyalty program in town, but your math is giving us a proper chuckle! Bragging about scraping 4,000 bonus points while Hyatt’s quietly dishing out free nights at properties that make Hilton’s finest look like budget motels is peak comedy.
Your “Diamond elite” flex and 14x Aspire card obsession sound like you’re trying to convince yourself more than us—Hyatt’s points consistently outvalue...
Oh, mate, you’re waving that Hilton Honors flag again like it’s the only loyalty program in town, but your math is giving us a proper chuckle! Bragging about scraping 4,000 bonus points while Hyatt’s quietly dishing out free nights at properties that make Hilton’s finest look like budget motels is peak comedy.
Your “Diamond elite” flex and 14x Aspire card obsession sound like you’re trying to convince yourself more than us—Hyatt’s points consistently outvalue Hilton’s in every major valuation, and even your beloved bloggers know it.
Calling Hyatt “stingy” while you’re counting pennies on a targeted offer is like calling a Michelin-star chef stingy for not slinging fast food. Maybe step away from the Hilton kool-aid and check the real-world redemption rates before you “G’day” yourself into another rant. Cheers for the laugh, though!
Odd timing for them to get stingy with the looming recession and soft travel demand heading into the (usually) busy season. You'd think they would do just the opposite.
The looming recession is going to hit working families, the gig economy and the hourly wage class (i.e., the poor). The salaried folks who use points intelligently (middle class or higher, with financial literacy) are going to weather all of it.
I was in my late 20s, single and working a decent job in Manhattan during the Great Recession and I didn't feel a damn thing. It wasn't until later in my life that I realized how bad it really was.
I'm disappointed! I have been a loyal Hilton customer for years and this promotion is really poor! May be time to start using my Marriot Bonvoy membership!
This is the equivalent of double points on your first $100 of spend on each stay. A truly bad promotion.
There is no “investment”. Hilton are just a brand with next to no costs. The points you earn, including bonuses and promos are paid by the hotels to Hilton.
The Offer is pretty disappointing and miserable.
Whatever the reason behind it, cutting back, tightening their belt, recession, tariff uncertainty or just testing the water to gauge reaction, from a PR perspective it isn’t great.
Folks have many choices on where to stay and are creatures of habit. Hilton make a big thing about ‘thank you for choosing Hilton and your loyality’. It cries out as taking guests for granted. This move will...
The Offer is pretty disappointing and miserable.
Whatever the reason behind it, cutting back, tightening their belt, recession, tariff uncertainty or just testing the water to gauge reaction, from a PR perspective it isn’t great.
Folks have many choices on where to stay and are creatures of habit. Hilton make a big thing about ‘thank you for choosing Hilton and your loyality’. It cries out as taking guests for granted. This move will not have gone unnoticed.
For the first time in many years, I have made a number of non-Hilton bookings for stays between now and August; I always!! stay in a Hilton.
Let’s see how many other loyal guests do the same; I suspect I will not be alone. Loyalty works both ways. Hilton may well be about to find that out.
When times get tough, folks tend to change their habits - COVID taught us that; once changed many don’t go back. Loyalty works both ways. Hilton may well be about to find that out!
The gap is new/worrying. The weak promo isn't really - there were couple of promos in recent years that were 2000 points per stay, this isn't all that much different than that (5€ vs 10€ when I'm paying 800€ for the stay... whatever).
What's interesting is that there's likely gonna be a gap at the end of August too, so part of the holiday season will not have a promo? Or maybe they will come up with something better for that?
Honestly I am more bummed about the lack of a promo for a month, because I feel like that starts a precedent for the future. I think back in 2020 there was a time where they delayed announcing a new promo because of economic uncertainty, but they just extended the current promo in the meantime, so there was no gap.
In addition to cheap Hampton stays mentioned by others, these types of promos (set amount...
Honestly I am more bummed about the lack of a promo for a month, because I feel like that starts a precedent for the future. I think back in 2020 there was a time where they delayed announcing a new promo because of economic uncertainty, but they just extended the current promo in the meantime, so there was no gap.
In addition to cheap Hampton stays mentioned by others, these types of promos (set amount of points) can be nice for award stays. But 1000 points is so low that the recently expired double points promo is better after just $100 in qualifying spend on incidentals on property.
Bad downgrade indeed. We all vote with our wallets. Hilton is likely about to find that out.
I agree with Blake given that most of my stays are for a single night in the lower tier brands. But I do agree this seems a little cheap, like someone almost missed the due date on their deliverable and threw something together at the last minute!
Big win for those of us whose stays at Hiltons are at single nights at Hampton Inns along the highway — we come out ahead here over promos that require multiple nights (or even double points promos given the relatively common sub-$100 rates at Hampton Inns off the beaten path)
@ Blake -- But even if you prefer these kinds of promotions, this one is especially cheap. For example, the Points Plus promotion last year offered a minimum of 2,000 points per stay, plus 500 points for using the digital key feature.