Hilton Honor's new promotion: 2k Every Day
When I saw last month that Hilton had extended its "Double Up"/"Triple Up" promotion for an additional month through the end of the January, I thought that was unusual. Normally, the major hotel portfolios' promotions are largely in sync. However, that move now makes sense with the rebranding of Hilton Honors last week.
Hilton Honors
Hilton HHonors is now Hilton Honors
No that is not a typo; the second H is gone, much to the happiness of my spell checker. Personally, I find the changes to the program to be fairly minor so I do not want to do a full breakdown. (You can find a more in-depth discussion of the rebranding here.) The biggest positive change for me is the ability to pool points with other Honors members. I also like the option to combine a variable number of points with cash to pay for a stay, though I don't generally use points/cash awards at any chain.
Details on the new Hilton Honors (click to enlarge)
Some won't like changes to award charts, but I don't generally get upset about this type of thing. Whether they change or whether I can see them just doesn't matter to me like it does to some bloggers. When I search for award nights (or flights) I consider the price in points or miles and decide whether or not it's a good value. Yes, having a frame of reference to know whether the point rate is close to the possible minimum would be useful, but I rarely check that now so this change won't impact me much.
The final change that will absolutely not benefit me is the ability to shop with points at Amazon.com. Several years ago, before I learned about the potential value of reward points, I routinely accumulated - inefficiently - Citi ThankYou points and used them for purchases at Amazon.com. Let me be absolutely clear, as would almost every points and mile blogger - using your reward points for shopping is a very, very bad idea. To do so would surely result in you receiving less value for those hard-earned rewards currencies than you would by redeeming them for travel.
2K Every Day
2K Every Day allows you to earn 2,000 bonus points for each eligible night until April 30.
The Hilton Honors update was announced via email on February 1. "Double Up"/"Triple Up" expired January 31. Now that makes sense. No point in starting a new multi-month promotion, only to revise the entire Honors program shortly thereafter. And now, we have the new winter/spring Hilton promotion: 2K Every Day (register here).
The promotion is very simple: "Earn 2,000 Points EVERY day when you stay between February 1 and April 30, 2017." To be eligible, your stays must be booked at Hilton.com or on the Hilton app. The question is whether this is better in its simplicity than Hilton's recent offers to double or triple base points for each stay. That depends on your rate.
You earn 10 base points per dollar on eligible stays. Under previous double point schemes, you would need to be on a $200/night rate to earn 2,000 bonus points. If you stay mainly in lower-priced Hampton and Hilton Garden Inns, then 2K Every Day will be more lucrative for you. However, if you frequent upscale Hiltons, Conrads, etc. then you would likely prefer that Hilton return to the 2x multiplier in May.
Conclusion
Hilton has revised its Honors loyalty program. The changes, for me, are fairly minor but generally positive. In conjunction, we are now able to register for the new bonus point promotion, 2K Every Day, and earn 2,000 bonus points per night for each eligible stay.