Hilton has launched a new bonus on buying points that runs from now till 8 June 2018 at 11.59am Singapore time. Under this promotion, you can buy Hilton points at a 100% bonus, or at an equivalent price of 0.5 US cents each. A 100% bonus is the largest public offer we see for buying Hilton points.
You can buy a maximum of 80,000 points per calendar year, pre-bonus, so if you max out this promotion you’d be buying 160,000 points for US$800. Remember that the cap on points bought per year isn’t really a hard one, as there are plenty of legit ways to circumvent the limit. For example, if you have family members with Hilton accounts you can transfer points across accounts with 0 fees using the Points Pooling function.
Buying points through the links in this article supports the running of The Milelion through an affiliate commission.
Possible redemption ideas
I mentioned during the Masterclass presentation on hotels that there can be some significant savings obtained by buying points for stays instead of paying the revenue rates.
I gave a specific example of the Conrad Maldives, where the cheapest non-refundable rate can be about US$1,100 after tax, whereas if you redeemed points and got the fifth night free, you’d be paying the equivalent of US$380 a night (without fifth night free you’re paying US$475, which is still a heck of a deal). Remember that points reservations are generally cancellable, so if you’re comparing this to a non-refundable rate you’ve got an even better proposition on your hands .
Louis has put together some other ideas for redemption opportunities (prices assume you don’t get the fifth night free benefit).
Budget
- Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon (20,000 points; US$100 per night)
- DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru (10,000 points; US$50 per night)
- DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur (10,000 points; US$50 per night)
Mid-range
- Conrad Bali (40,000 points; US$200 per night)
- Conrad Bangkok (40,000 points; US$200 per night)
- Conrad Macao (40,000 points; US$200 per night)
Luxury
- Conrad Koh Samui (95,000 points; US$475 per night)
- Conrad Tokyo (95,000 points; US$475 per night)
- Conrad Maldives Rangali Island (95,000 points; US$475 per night)
In order to get the fifth night free benefit, you need to have at least Hilton Silver status. Fortunately, that can be easily obtained by anyone who has the AMEX Krisflyer Ascend card, and if you’re planning to go down the route of buying points for a stay at a top tier Hilton property you should really ensure you get this status before making your booking.
Points purchases are processed by Points.com, which means that you can earn 4 mpd by using the Citibank Rewards, the DBS Woman’s World Mastercard or the UOB Visa Signature (which requires you spend a minimum of S$1,000 FCY in a statement period). I value miles at about 2 cents each, so paying with one of these cards is to me the equivalent to getting a further 8% rebate, although obviously this depends on what your personal valuation is.
I would not buy Hilton points speculatively, but if you already know that you want to travel this can be a great way of saving more.
I’ve always dreamed of taking the MRT and staying at Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon
AND SOON IT CAN BE REALITY.
Lol
Not sure about some of those prices… I have a mostly pointless hobby of monitoring luxury hotel prices in Bangkok and the Conrad is never over S$200. Right now I am getting 148 (+25 taxes/fees) for non refundable bookings in May and June. This obviously affects calculation of points value….
They’re not meant to be good options… more a quick sample of current rates for comparison. Myself, I only find the budget (e.g. for mattress runs) and luxury properties (e.g. the resorts) really worth considering.
Hi Louis, I used to have Hilton Blue and I booked my Tokyo trip rooms with the ebates cashback link. Then I upgraded to Hilton Silver using Amex and plan to upgrade to Hilton Gold by making two short stays in Malaysia. Do you know if I will qualify for 12% rebate (for Blue and non-members) or 1% rebate (Silver and above members)? Thank you.
I can’t say I have personal experience here, but going by how cashback websites typically work (need validation from the merchant, which will probably be sent only after you check out) I’d guess that it’ll only hit 1%, based on your status upon check out.
Indeed Hilton.com “Members’ Getaway” rate is at S$148 a night now.. and yes, in recent times, Conrad Bangkok is almost never above S$200 a night.. age and location, I think..
US$800 for 3 nights (buying points and getting bonus) at Hilton Tokyo (Shinjuku) also seems much.. those with decent corporate rates would be looking at about US$220ish a night there, and that would earn stay points..
I could select 160k + 160k from the drop down
Do point stays count towards elite stays and nights? Trying to qualify for diamond this year…
yes
Citibank rewards get 4mpd for only bags, shoes, clothes online shopping websites or also for other online purchases like this?
I’d always been confused….
appreciate your advice
Thanks!
Hi so max is get 160k points, not enough to go for Conrad Maldives as 1 night alr need 95k points…correct? Thanks.
read what the article says about points pooling.
Max possible for my in a single transaction was 320k (160k + 160k), no idea why the drop down selection available to me is different from the screenshot above.
Best value for money is Hilton Garden Inn Bali at 5,000 points!