The Complete Guide to Earning Hilton Honors Points

Hilton offers a number of easy and rewarding ways to earn points to use for upgrades and free stays.

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Updated · 4 min read
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Written by Sam Kemmis
Senior Writer
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Edited by Meg Lee
Assigning Editor
Fact Checked
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Co-written by Josh Garber

Hilton Honors points get a bad rap because of their relatively low value. NerdWallet values them at just 0.6 cent per point. Though the points aren’t worth much, it’s relatively easy to amass them. Hilton hands out plenty of points through hotel stays, credit card welcome bonuses and other promotions.

Here are all the ways to earn Hilton points, starting with hotel stays.

🤓Nerdy Tip

The “points” we’re talking about in this article refer to redeemable points, which are the kind that can be used to book award nights. These are not elite-qualifying points. Read our guide to Hilton elite status for more details.

Book hotel stays through Hilton

To earn Hilton Honors points on your hotel stays with Hilton, you’ll need to be a Hilton Honors member and book your room directly through Hilton.

The number of points you earn will be based on your Hilton status level:

  • Members (no elite status): 10 points for every eligible $1 spent.

  • Hilton Honors™ Silver members: 12 points for every eligible $1 spent.

  • Hilton Honors™ Gold members: 18 points for every eligible $1 spent.

  • Hilton Honors™ Diamond members: 20 points for every eligible $1 spent. 

For example, a Hilton Honors member with $800 in eligible spending would earn 8,000 Hilton Honors points for their stay, while a Hilton Honors Silver member would earn 9,600 points, a Hilton Honors Gold member would earn 14,400 points, and a Hilton Honors Diamond member would earn 16,000 points for the same stay.

As a result, obtaining Hilton Honors status is a great way to supercharge the number of Hilton Honors points you’ll earn throughout the year.

Overwater villas at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort and Spa. (Photo by Josh Garber)

Note that eligible spending is defined by Hilton as money spent on room rate, food and beverages, telephone, laundry, pay-per-view movies, entertainment and recreational facilities, and incidental charges to your room during your stay.

Some charges that do not count as eligible to earn Hilton points include:

  • Federal, state and local taxes. 

  • Dining room and other charges not billed to your room during your stay.

  • Incidental charges by non-affiliated entities that are not owned and/or operated by Hilton, like gift shops, food and beverage outlets, and clothing stores (even if located inside a Hilton).

  • Charges in connection with banquets or other catering functions unless purchased through the Hilton Honors Event Planner Program.

If you’re a high spender, you’re in luck as there is no limit to the number of points you can earn during your stay.

Spend using Hilton co-branded credit cards

Hilton Honors members can earn Hilton points by making purchases on a Hilton co-branded credit card.

Cards that earn Hilton points
Hilton Honors American Express Card
Hilton Honors American Express Card
NerdWallet Rating
Apply now

on American Express' website

Rates & Fees
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
NerdWallet Rating
Apply now

on American Express' website

Rates & Fees
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
NerdWallet Rating
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
NerdWallet Rating
Apply now

on American Express' website

Rates & Fees
Annual fee

$0.

$150.

$550.

$195.

Earning rates

• 7 points per $1 on eligible purchases with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.

• 5 points per $1 at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations.

• 3 points per $1 on all other eligible purchases.

Terms apply.

• 12 points per $1 on eligible purchases with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.

• 6 points per $1 at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations.

• 4 points per $1 on U.S. online retail purchases.

• 3 points per $1 on all other eligible purchases.

Terms apply.

• 14 points per $1 on eligible purchases with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.

• 7 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or AmexTravel.com and car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies.

• 7 points per $1 at U.S. restaurants.

• 3 points per $1 on all other eligible purchases.

Terms apply.

• 12 points per $1 on eligible purchases with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.

• 5 points per $1 on other purchases made using the Hilton Honors Business Card on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3 points per $1 thereafter.

Terms apply.

Other noteworthy benefits (see reviews for full rundown)

• Complimentary Hilton Honors Silver Status, which gives you a 20% bonus on Hilton Honors base points as well as a fifth night free whenever you use points to book five or more nights at a Hilton property.

• Path to Gold Status. Get an upgrade to Gold if you spend $20,000 or more on the card in a calendar year.

Terms apply.


Learn more about elite status levels with our guide to the Hilton Honors program.

• Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status, which gives you an 80% points bonus, as well as complimentary breakfasts at select hotels and room upgrades at select properties where available.

• Path to Diamond Status. Get an upgrade to Diamond if you spend $40,000 or more on the card in a calendar year.

• $200 annual statement credit for eligible Hilton purchases on your card (doled out in $50 statement credits per quarter).

Potential free night. Earn a weekend night reward after you spend $15,000 on purchases on your card in a calendar year.

Terms apply.

• Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond Status, which gives you such perks, such as double bonus points on all base points you earn, room upgrades when available, premium Wi-Fi, late checkout and more.

• Free nights. Get one free night reward with the card each year. Earn an additional night after you spend $30,000 on purchases in a calendar year and another after you spend $60,000 in a calendar year.

• Flight credit. Get up to $50 in credit each quarter on flight purchases made directly with an airline or through American Express.

$200 annual resort credit. Get up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually for eligible purchases at participating Hilton Resorts.

Terms apply.

Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status, which gives you an 80% points bonus, as well as complimentary breakfasts at select hotels and room upgrades at select properties where available.

• Path to Diamond Status. Get an upgrade to Diamond if you spend $40,000 or more on the card in a calendar year.

Welcome offer

Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025. Terms Apply.

Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025. Terms Apply.

Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first six months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 1/8/2025. Terms Apply.

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To maximize the number of points you earn during a Hilton hotel stay, we recommend paying for your stay using a Hilton co-branded credit card.

For example, let’s say you’re staying at a Hilton property and you pay for the stay with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. Since the card comes with Hilton Honors Gold status, you’ll earn 18 points per eligible $1 spent on your stay, and by paying with your card, you’ll earn an additional 12 points per eligible $1 spent, adding up to 30 points per eligible $1 spent on your stay.

If you paid $1,500 for the room (not including taxes and fees) and paid with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, you’d earn 45,000 Hilton points just for the room alone.

The private garden at the Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam. (Photo by Josh Garber)

NerdWallet values Hilton Honors points at 0.6 cent per point, which is a return of roughly $225 (or 15% of the amount you paid for your Hilton room). Terms apply.

Buy points from Hilton

Buying points from Hilton directly is another way you can accumulate Hilton Honors points, although we generally recommend buying points only if you have a specific stay in mind and need to top-up your account to reserve it, or if Hilton is offering bonus points for purchasing points.

To buy Hilton points directly through Hilton, you'll need to log in to your Hilton Honors account and select the number of points you want to purchase.

Tropical landscaping at the Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort. (Photo by Josh Garber)

Note that Hilton limits the number of points you can purchase online to 80,000 each year, so you can’t count on being able to purchase points to cover all of your stays. We discourage purchasing points because the cost generally outweighs the benefit, but in select circumstances, it might make sense.

Pool and transfer points among friends

Hilton allows you to pool and transfer points with friends and family, which can help you get to the number of points you need for an upcoming stay.

You can pool Hilton points with up to 10 people who can transfer their points to the pool.

Frankly, this is more complicated than it should be.

In addition to being able to pool your Hilton Honors points, you can transfer points to a friend or family member. Transferring points lets you simply move your points from one account to another. For most situations, including booking a group trip, this is likely the simpler solution.

Note that you’re limited to transferring 500,000 Hilton Honors points per year and receiving 2 million Hilton Honors points per year from transfers, and that you have to wait 30 days after opening your Hilton Honors account to pool, receive or transfer points.

Private plunge pool and seating area at the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal. (Photo by Josh Garber)

Transfer points from partner rewards programs

The option above lets you transfer between friends and family, but you can also convert points and miles from other programs into Hilton Honors points. Hilton calls this “exchanging” on its website to avoid confusion.

Below are Hilton Honors’ current transfer partners. A ratio of 1:2 means that for every 1,000 points transferred, you’ll earn 2,000 Hilton Honors points.

American Express will sometimes offer bonus points for transfers to Hilton, so we recommend checking your American Express Membership Rewards account on occasion to see if there are any transfer bonuses available.

In general, the juice ain’t worth the squeeze on these points transfers (you can get better value elsewhere). That said, if you need a few more Hilton points for a redemption, consider dipping into your rewards points from these other programs.

Earn bonus points

  • Hilton bonus points promotions. Hilton regularly offers bonus promotions in which you can get additional Hilton Honors points for Hilton stays. Check on current Hilton bonus promotions.

  • Lyft. You can earn up to 3 Hilton Honors points per $1 spent for Lyft rides. To earn Hilton Honors points for Lyft rides, log in to your Lyft app, tap “Rewards” and add your Hilton Honors account as your Lyft loyalty rewards partner.  

  • Car rentals. Hilton partners with Alamo, National and Enterprise, so you can earn up to 5,000 Hilton Honors points on your car rental, which you can book directly on the Hilton website.

  • Hilton Honors Dining Program. You can earn up to 8 Hilton Honors points for every $1 spent at eligible restaurants by signing up for the Hilton Honors Dining Program and paying for the meal on a registered credit card.

  • AutoCamp. A newer partnership for Hilton, Honors members will be able to earn on stays at AutoCamp properties.

The bottom line

Hilton offers a number of ways to earn Hilton Honors points, including earning points on hotel stays and on credit card purchases made with Hilton co-branded credit cards, by purchasing Hilton Honors points, by pooling and transferring points between friends and family members, by transferring rewards points earned on other programs to Hilton, and through bonus points programs and offers.

To view rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, see this page.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024:

Cards for Hilton from our Partners
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-5x

5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

60,000 Points + $300 Travel Credit

Get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel℠ value. Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

on Capital One's website

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
4.7
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

2x-5x

Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options

Miles

Intro offer

75,000

Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Miles
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

on Capital One's website

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
4.9
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

2x-10x

Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel, Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases.

Miles

Intro offer

75,000

Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Miles
See more cards for hilton
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