by Carly Helfand, Director of Points, Miles and Credit Cards Content
Earlier this week, Hilton raised points prices yet again on some of its top properties around the world. As a result, aspirational hotels like the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal — which happens to be my all-time favorite — now have Standard Room Rewards priced at a whopping 250,000 points per night instead of the 120,000 points Hilton was charging this time last year.
But while the news certainly stings, I’m not panicking. That’s because I’ve long been using an ultravaluable credit card perk, not my points, to book top-tier Hiltons: the free night certificate.
Unlike competitor certificates, Hilton’s free night certificates aren’t restricted to certain categories or point values. That means you can use them on a Standard Room Reward at almost any property worldwide, whether it costs 120,000 points or 250,000.
There’s just one catch: Finding standard availability has gotten more difficult over the years, particularly at coveted properties. But using a couple of trusty hacks, I’ve been able to redeem my certificates at luxury resorts like the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, the Conrad Bora Bora Nui and Maui’s Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort.
Read more about my strategy for finding Standard Room Rewards, earning enough certificates to cover a multiday trip and protecting yourself from devaluations in the future.
Want to learn more about Hilton’s free night certificates and how they can still help you stay at bucket-list hotels? Check out these stories:
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