Strategizing Hilton cards, credits, and free nights | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep255 | 5-17-24
May 17, 2024
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Discussing Hilton credit cards, credits, and free nights. Citi's accidental leak of card details. Earning Delta MQDs with hotel bookings. Strategizing Hilton cards for free nights. Maximizing card benefits and rebates. Navigating rental car insurance and elite status. Tips on maximizing Hilton business cards and point diversification.
Hilton cards offer various free night certificate opportunities based on spending thresholds and annual fees.
Utilize quarterly rebates on Hilton spend to offset or reduce annual fees on Hilton credit cards.
Strategically aligning free night certificates from multiple Hilton cards requires synchronized application timing for optimal usage.
Assessing spending strategies across Hilton cards aids in maximizing free night certificates based on individual travel preferences and redemption goals.
Deep dives
Opportunities for Free Night Certificates
The Hilton business card offers a short-term opportunity to earn a free night certificate with $15,000 or $60,000 spent by June 30, providing up to 75,000 points alongside the certificate. Whereas the Surpass card requires a $15,000 spend annually, yielding 90,000 points and a free night certicate. The Aspire card offers an automatic annual free night certificate, and spending $30,000 or $60,000 additionally on the card can provide extra free nights. Both the Surpass and Aspire cards offer possibilities for essentially free nights.
Rebate Strategies for Card Annual Fees
The Hilton business card, with a $195 annual fee, offers quarterly $60 rebates usable on Hilton spend. Utilizing these rebates involves purchasing Hilton gift cards online to trigger the credits. The Surpass card's $150 annual fee includes quarterly $50 rebates, allowing members to effectively reduce or offset the annual fee using the credit on Hilton purchases. The Aspire card, with a $550 annual fee, offers up to $400 Hilton Resort credit semi-annually and $200 flight credit per year, potentially covering the entire annual fee.
Maximizing Hilton Resort Credits
To maximize Hilton Resort credits, consider charging deposits for future stays exceeding the $200 credit limit to trigger the credit return. Another approach involves prepaying part of your stay by requesting to make a deposit towards your reservation. Additionally, creating a house account at a nearby Hilton resort can enable you to charge expenses like meals, potentially qualifying for the resort credit while settling the bill at the front desk for the credit rebates.
Aligning Free Night Certificates
When aligning free night certificates across multiple Hilton cards, timing your applications is crucial to synchronize certificate expiration dates. Aspire cardholders can obtain their first free night certificate upon approval, ensuring immediate access to the benefit. Strategically planning certificate expiration dates facilitates smoother redemption transitions and maximizes usage opportunities for the certificates across various properties.
Evaluating Spend Strategies for Free Night Certificates
Assess the most suitable spending strategy to earn free night certificates, considering factors like spend thresholds, point value equivalences, and redemption goals. Comparing the effectiveness of spending for free night certificates on various Hilton cards can aid in determining the optimal approach based on individual travel preferences and anticipated value from redeeming the certificates across Hilton's diverse properties.
Exploring Credit Options with Hilton Cards
One key aspect discussed in the podcast is the various benefits offered by the Hilton credit cards, such as resort credits and flight credits. The speaker highlighted how the flight credits can be utilized efficiently by purchasing low-priced tickets and making changes to accumulate credit with airlines. They also mentioned the significance of aligning card benefits with individual travel patterns, like focusing on specific airlines for optimal use of credits.
Strategizing for Free Night Certificates
The podcast delved into strategic planning for maximizing free night certificates offered by Hilton cards. The speakers shared their personal plans to optimize the certificates by timing card applications and spend to align with the issuance of certificates. They discussed the importance of planning travel around certificate expiration dates to ensure effective utilization and highlighted the flexibility required when locking points into specific bookings to explore better redemption options in the future.
Hilton's SLH partnership is stirring up some excitement over Hilton, even for people like Greg who haven't bothered with Hilton cards for awhile, so this week we're discussing Hilton credit cards, credits, and free nights.
(02:07) - We forgot about Qpoints last week... (Mail Bag)
(05:10) - Citi Strata Premier (Card Talk)
(10:33) - Citi accidentally made Strata Premier details public (Crazy Thing)
(11:56) - Citi accidentally published FAQ showing that it may be possible to upgrade to Prestige card (Crazy Thing)
(14:10) - Earn Delta MQDs on hotel bookings & car rentals (Mattress Running the Numbers)
(16:58) - AutoCamp now bookable with Hilton points
Main Event: Strategizing Hilton credit cards
(20:40) - Hilton is the only major hotel program with easy to get, uncapped free night certificates
