With all the Hilton sales currently going on (though points and Southeast Asian sales end today), this might a great time to initiate a fast track towards earning Hilton Honors Gold, if you’ve got a Visa Signature or Infinite card. The promotion currently ends on 30 Jun 2018, but it’s been extended for many years so hopefully it continues to be available after this.
A quick recap – if you’re holding a Visa Signature/Infinite card issued in “Asia Pacific (except Taiwan), Central Europe, Middle East & Africa” (i.e. Singaporean cards should qualify), you can register for the fast track, clock 2 stays (or 4 nights) within 90 days and get upgraded to Hilton Honors Gold, which normally requires 20 stays, 40 nights or US$7,500 spend within a year to achieve.
I’ve previously posted an evaluation of how much I value Hilton elite status – in short, I find that having a Gold is akin to having a 19-26% cashback card for Hilton properties. A 2-stay / 4-night requirement is a really low requirement for unlocking such a privilege.
Registering
You can enroll your Hilton Honors number here to kickstart the fast track process. It’s a pretty straightforward process:
As far as I recall, after clicking ‘Submit’ you’ll be told that you’ve successfully registered. There’s no email confirmation, but if you check on the Hilton app you might see the status ring saying that you’re 2 stays / 4 nights away from qualifying for Gold (update: I’ve seen mixed reports of whether this appears. Recent reports seem to indicate that you won’t see it reflected; I wouldn’t worry about it, especially if you get written confirmation). If you want to be extra-certain that your fast track has been successfully registered, you can always drop Hilton Honors an email to seek confirmation.
Qualifying
The terms & conditions for the promotion can be viewed here, but some quick points:
- After registering, there’s no need to use a Visa card to book/pay
- Bookings need to be made via official channels (e.g. Hilton website)
- Reward stays are eligible
- Consecutive nights booked separately will still be counted as a single stay
- Once you’ve qualified, your status should be good until Mar 2020
The easiest path towards qualifying would involve either doing a single 4-night stay, or doing two 1-night stays.
Some suggested properties
It makes the most economic sense to clock those 2 stays / 4 nights on trips you were going to enjoy already; but if you’re not doing much travelling anytime soon (or really want to have achieved Gold status by then) here’re some convenient options for the Singapore-based traveller:
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Johor Bahru
Located about 10min past the causeway (by car), this staycation vacation option offers great value at MYR368 (sale rate inc. taxes; about S$124) or 10,000 Hilton points (US$50 at Honors point sale prices).
Plus, you know, with the recent removal of GST you now effectively get a 6% discount.
Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon
Not quite my first choice of a staycation option, this is still the cheapest Singaporean Hilton property available and will do in a pinch, especially if you don’t have the time to deal with making the trip across the causeway. At S$152 (sale rate inc. taxes) or 20,000 Hilton points (US$100 at Honors point sale prices), a 1-night stay here is relatively affordable.
Conrad Centennial Singapore
This is hardly a budget option, but if you’re going for something luxe (especially if you don’t have status in the initial 90 days) you can check out Conrad Centennial Singapore – Mention ‘SG75’ when making reservations by email at [email protected] or by phone at +65 64327192 to access this special rate of $380++ for Friday, Saturday and Sunday bookings. This rate guarantees access to the Level 31 Club as well as $75 F&B credit that can be used at the property’s outlets during the stay. Rooms are subject to availability; offer valid till 2 Sep.
Alternatively, S$250 (sale rate inc. taxes) is pretty attractive too; I wouldn’t bother with the 60,000 point redemption rate (US$300 at Honors point sale prices).
Alternatives & Combos
It’s almost over now, but the 100% bonus Hilton points sale Aaron had written about here could be useful for making those qualifying stays – you can click here to purchase some points for yourself.
If you’ve got top tier status at another chain you might want to check out Hilton’s official status match option – if you qualify, you can instantly get Gold/Diamond for 90 days and confirm the status until Mar 2020 if you clock 4/8 stays within that period.
If that stay requirement seems too high for you, it’s also possible to activate the status match option for 90 days of free status as well as the Visa fast track so you can clock your 2 stays / 4 nights while enjoying complimentary status.
You can also consider getting instant Hilton Silver via KrisFlyer Ascend for a slight increase on points earned while qualifying; you’d also want the double points promo that Hilton is running until 31 August 2018. Finally, if you’ve got the Citi Prestige Card, you can aim to get a further discount by making use of the complimentary night feature – just nice for four nights!
