The Complete Guide to Hilton Honors

Hilton Honors is the loyalty program covering Hilton's sprawling empire of more than 8,000 properties across 139 countries. The Hilton Honors program is free to join, and you'll earn points that can be redeemed for hotel stays.

The program stands out for a few reasons: It's relatively easy to earn elite status (provided you're willing to open a credit card), Gold and Diamond members get genuinely useful perks like daily food and beverage credits, and there are multiple paths to free hotel nights. But let's be honest — Hilton points have become one of the weakest currencies in travel rewards, valued at just 0.4 cent each by our analysis.

Relative to other hotel loyalty programs, Hilton points aren't worth much. NerdWallet values Hilton Honors points at 0.4 cent each, making them the least valuable points currency we track. To put that in perspective, a 100,000-point sign-up bonus is worth just $400 in real-world value.

That doesn't mean Hilton points are useless — they're just inflated. You earn them easily (10 points per dollar at most properties), but you need mountains of them to book anything worthwhile. After multiple devaluations in 2024 and 2025, luxury properties that once cost 95,000 points per night now run 200,000 or even 250,000 points. Mid-tier hotels have crept up by 5,000-10,000 points per night.

The good news? Hilton points are abundant. You can rack them up quickly through credit card spending, sign-up bonuses, and hotel stays. Just don't expect them to stretch as far as they once did.

Signing up is straightforward and free. Head to Hilton.com and create an account. Once you're enrolled, you can track points, book stays and manage reservations through the website or mobile app. It’s free to join, and you can register here.

To log in to your Hilton account, visit Hilton.com and select “sign in” from the menu at the top.

» Learn more: How to become a Hilton Honors member

You'll earn two types of points with Hilton: base points and bonus points. The distinction matters only for elite status qualification — base points count toward status, bonus points don't. Both types can be redeemed for hotel stays.

Base earning rates:

• 10 points per dollar at most Hilton properties.

• 5 points per dollar at Home2 Suites and Tru by Hilton.

• 5 points per dollar at Homewood Suites and Spark by Hilton (effective January 8, 2026 — a 50% cut from the current 10 points per dollar).

• 3 points per dollar at LivSmart Studios.

Elite status adds bonus points on top of base earnings:

• Silver: 20% bonus.

• Gold: 80% bonus.

• Diamond: 100% bonus.

• Diamond Reserve (launching January 2026): 120% bonus.

Even when you're not booking stays, there are many other ways to earn Hilton Honors points.

Do Hilton points expire?

Yes, but it's easy to keep them alive. Hilton Honors points expire after 24 months of account inactivity. Any earning or redemption activity — even something small like shopping on Amazon with points — resets the clock.

The easiest way to earn Hilton points (and elite status) is through American Express co-branded cards. Here are a few of your options:

» Learn more: Hilton credit cards — which one should you get?

There's also the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.

• Annual fee: $550.

• Welcome bonus: 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.

• Earning rates: 14x points at Hilton properties, 7x on select travel, 7x at U.S. restaurants and 3x everywhere else.

• Status: Automatic Diamond status.

• Perks: $200 airline fee credit (doled out as $50 per quarter), $400 Hilton resort credit (doled out as $200 semi-annually) and free weekend night reward annually.

Good Hilton points redemptions

• Hotel stays: This is the only redemption worth pursuing. Award prices fluctuate based on demand, season, and property, so comparison shopping is essential. Look for stays that deliver at least 0.4 cent per point in value — ideally more.

• Points & Money bookings: If you're short on points, Hilton lets you combine points and cash in flexible increments starting at 5,000 points. This can occasionally be more cost-effective than buying points outright, though you're still not getting great value.

• The Fifth Night Free perk: If you have any elite status (Silver or higher), every fifth night is free when booking a standard room entirely with points. This is one of the program's best features and can effectively boost your redemption value by 20% on longer stays.

» Learn more: Hilton Honors points — sweet spots for redemptions

Terrible Hilton points redemptions

• Amazon shopping: Points are worth just 0.14 cents each when used on Amazon — less than half their hotel redemption value. Unless you're sitting on a pile of points you'll never use, skip this option.

• Transfers to airline partners: Hilton transfers to airline partners at a dismal 10:1 ratio (10 Hilton points = 1 airline mile). Given that Hilton points are already worth just 0.4 cent each, this tanks their value even further. Only consider this if you're a few miles short of a valuable award flight and have no other way to top up your account.

Hilton Honors offers four elite status levels (plus a fifth, lifetime tier). Starting January 1, 2026, the program is getting a significant overhaul with easier qualification for mid-tier status and a new ultra-premium Diamond Reserve tier.

2026 Elite status requirements

Member (free): You get this just by signing up.

• No resort fees on reward stays.

• Late check-out when available.

Silver (10 nights, 4 stays, or $2,500 spend):

All of the above, plus:

• 20% points bonus.

• Free bottled water.

• Fifth night free on award stays.

Gold (25 nights, 15 stays, or $6,000 spend — down from 40 nights):

All of the above, plus:

• 80% points bonus.

• Space-available room upgrades.

• Daily food & beverage credit or continental breakfast (varies by brand and region).

Diamond (50 nights, 25 stays, or $11,500 spend — down from 60 nights):

All of the above, plus:

• 100% points bonus.

• Executive lounge access.

• 48-hour room guarantee (if you book at least 48 hours in advance, they guarantee a room).

Diamond Reserve (80 nights or 40 stays AND $18,000 spend — new in 2026):

All of the above, plus:

• Confirmable Upgrade Reward: Lock in premium room upgrades (up to one-bedroom suites) at the time of booking for stays up to 7 nights. You get one reward when achieving status, plus a second at 120 nights (or 30,000 points instead).

• Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout on every stay (no exceptions for resort properties).

• Premium Club access (exclusive lounges at select luxury properties, beyond standard executive lounges).

• Highest priority for space-available upgrades.

• 24/7 dedicated customer service line.

Lifetime Diamond: Requires 10 years of Diamond status plus either 1,000 nights or $200,000 in spending (changed from 2 million base points). This status is permanent and cannot be revoked.

Major changes coming in 2026

Easier qualification: Gold status drops from 40 to 25 nights, while Diamond drops from 60 to 50 nights. This makes mid-tier status significantly more accessible for frequent travelers.

New top tier: Diamond Reserve requires both 80 nights AND $18,000 in annual spending — you can't hit it through credit card spending alone. Hilton estimates only "thousands, not millions" will qualify.

Rollover nights eliminated: Currently, excess nights roll over to help you qualify the following year. That ends in 2026. Any rollover nights earned in 2025 will count toward 2026 status, but after that, the benefit disappears entirely.

Points devaluation at budget brands: Starting January 8, 2026, Homewood Suites and Spark by Hilton will earn just 5 base points per dollar (down from 10), matching the earning rate at Home2 Suites and Tru by Hilton.

The credit card shortcut

You can bypass nights-based qualification entirely with the right Hilton credit card:

• Silver status: Hilton Honors American Express Card, which has an annual fee of $0 (see rates and fees).

• Gold status: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card ( $150 annual fee) The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card ($195 annual fee), or American Express Platinum Card® ($895 annual fee) (see rates and fees).

• Diamond status: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card ($550 annual fee) (see rates and fees).

For most travelers, the credit card route is cheaper and easier than earning status through hotel stays. Even with the 2026 changes making organic qualification easier, you'd need to spend at least 25 nights at Hilton properties to earn Gold — far more expensive than a $150 annual fee.

The good:

• No blackout dates for award stays.

• No resort fees when booking with all points.

• Fifth night free on point redemptions (with any elite status).

• Easy to earn elite status through credit cards.

• Genuine value from Gold and Diamond status perks (free breakfast/credits, lounge access).

• Massive hotel footprint with 8,000+ properties.

The bad:

• Points are worth just 0.4 cent each — one of the weakest currencies in travel rewards.

• Award prices have increased significantly over the past two years.

• "Space-available" upgrades often don't materialize, especially at popular properties.

• Lower-tier status benefits (Silver) are nearly worthless.

• Points devaluations at budget brands starting 2026.

The ugly:

• Recent devaluations have pushed luxury properties to 200,000-250,000 points per night.

• Rollover nights being eliminated in 2026 removes a valuable benefit for frequent travelers.

• More people qualifying for Gold/Diamond could mean increased competition for upgrades and lounge access.

Hilton Honors is worth your attention if you're a frequent Hilton guest or willing to get a co-branded credit card for elite status perks. The program's strength lies in accessible elite status and useful benefits like free breakfast and lounge access, not in point value.

The 2026 changes are a mixed bag: easier qualification for Gold and Diamond status is genuinely positive, but the new Diamond Reserve tier effectively creates a "haves and have-nots" divide in the elite ranks. Meanwhile, the elimination of rollover nights and points devaluations at popular budget brands chip away at the program's value.

If you're chasing elite status for perks, consider applying for a credit card and save yourself the hotel spending. If you're collecting points for redemptions, set realistic expectations. Hilton points are plentiful but weak, and you'll need a lot of them for meaningful rewards.

Hilton offers a variety of different contact methods, which can vary depending on what country you're in. To call Hilton, dial 800-446-6677 if you’re in the U.S. and Canada.