Purchase Hilton Points for 0.5 Cents Apiece
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature Card, Hilton Honors Surpass Card from American Express
If you missed last month's promotion for buying Hilton points with up to a 100% bonus, you currently have another chance to stock up on Honors rewards. The hotel chain's running a "50% Off for the Holidays" sale on points purchases, which brings the cost down to the same 0.5 cents-per-point rate available through the October promo. You have until 11:59pm EST on December 5 to take advantage of this offer.
Hilton Honors points typically cost 1 cent apiece, so this sale provides a good opportunity to stock up at a discount. TPG pegs this rewards currency at 0.5 cents per point, so you won't be paying more than the points are worth based on our conservative valuations. Note that you must purchase at least 10,000 points to get the 50% discount, and you can buy up to 160,000 points if you haven't purchased any yet this year.
If you're short on Honors points and need to boost your account balance ahead of an award redemption, now could be a good time to do so since you'll be paying less. While you can stretch your rewards quite far at lower-level Hilton properties that go for as few as 5,000 points per night, redeeming points for a stay at higher-tier hotels can also yield solid value. For example, a stay at the Category 8 Conrad Miami in early February costs about $429 or 70,000 Honors points per night — equal to about 0.6 cents per point. It's not an earth-shattering value, but it'll cost you $700 to buy the 140,000 points required for two nights, vs. the $858 you'd pay out of pocket for the same reservation.
Keep in mind that you can also stock up on Honors points by signing up for a co-branded credit card. Now through November 30, you'll earn 100,000 points with the Hilton Honors Surpass Card from American Express ($75 annual fee) after you spend $3,000 in the first three months. Plus, the no-fee Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature Card is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 75,000 points after you spend $2,000 in the first three months — it's unclear when this offer will end, so act sooner than later if you're interested.
Bottom Line
If you have a Hilton redemption in mind — especially one with high cash rates — this current buy-points offer could help you save on your stay. You'll be paying half the usual rate for these rewards, which is definitely a nice discount, but it's probably not worth jumping on this sale if the points will just be gathering dust in your Honors account.
Will you be buying Hilton points with this current promo?