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Written by Jasmin Baron, CEPF; edited by Sarah Silbert
2021-08-24T21:33:11Z
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- The new Hilton Honors Power Up promotion is offering up to 3x bonus points on paid stays.
- Hilton credit card holders can earn 3x bonus points when they use their card to pay for a stay.
- All other Hilton Honors members can earn 2x bonus points — and registration is open now.
- Read Insider's guide to the best travel rewards credit cards.
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If you have paid Hilton stays coming up before the end of the year, be sure to register for the new Hilton Honors Power Up Your Points promotion — especially if you're an Amex Hilton credit card holder.
Once you've registered, you can earn double (2x) base points on paid stays from September 7 through December 31, 2021. If you use your Hilton credit card to pay for your stay, that bonus is bumped up to 3x points.
Read more: The best Hilton credit cards of 2021
If you don't yet have a Hilton credit card, you can still participate in the promotion. As long as you register for the promotion and open a Hilton card prior to check-out, and use your card to pay for the stay, you'll earn 3x base points — on top of the bonus points you'd earn from using the card at a Hilton hotel.
Here's what to know about Hilton's latest promotion.
Hilton Honors Power Up promotion: Earn up to 3x bonus points
Hilton Honors American Express Card
4/5
$0
Annual Fee
Intro offer
70,000 Hilton Honors bonus points and a Free Night Reward after you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months of card membership
Rewards
Earn 7x Points on hotels & resorts at eligible purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio. Earn 5x Points on dining at restaurants worldwide, and for takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 5x Points on groceries at U.S. supermarkets. Earn 5x on gas at U.S. gas stations. Earn 3X Points on all other purchases.
Learn more
Hilton Honors American Express Card
4/5
$0
Annual Fee
Intro offer
70,000 Hilton Honors bonus points and a Free Night Reward after you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months of card membership
Rewards
Earn 7x Points on hotels & resorts at eligible purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio. Earn 5x Points on dining at restaurants worldwide, and for takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 5x Points on groceries at U.S. supermarkets. Earn 5x on gas at U.S. gas stations. Earn 3X Points on all other purchases.
Hilton Honors American Express Card
Learn more
Details
Rewards
Earn 7x Points on hotels & resorts at eligible purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio. Earn 5x Points on dining at restaurants worldwide, and for takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 5x Points on groceries at U.S. supermarkets. Earn 5x on gas at U.S. gas stations. Earn 3X Points on all other purchases.
Annual Fee
$0
Intro offer
70,000 Hilton Honors bonus points and a Free Night Reward after you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months of card membership
Recommended Credit
Good to Excellent
Regular Annual Percentage Rate (APR)
20.74% - 29.74% Variable
Intro Annual Percentage Rate (APR)
N/A
Editor's Rating
4/5
4 out of 5 Stars
Pros & Cons
Pros
High welcome bonus
No annual fee
Complimentary Silver elite status with Hilton
Cons
Limited benefits beyond earning Hilton points
Highlights
More Information
- Earn 70,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points and a Free Night Reward after you spend $1,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
- Earn 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
- Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status with your Card. Plus, spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
- No Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
Additional Reading
To earn bonus points with the Hilton Power Up promotion, you'll have to register before you complete your first stay. Once you've activated the promo, you'll earn 2x base points if you're not a Hilton cardholder, and 3x points if you have a Hilton credit card and use it to pay for your stay.
Stays at most Hilton brands usually earn 10 base points per dollar (except Home2 Suites and Tru by Hilton, which earn 5x points). With this promotion, Hilton cardholders earn 30 base points per dollar when they pay with their card, and other members can earn 20x base points.
Read more: How to earn, redeem, and maximize Hilton points
Base points are separate from elite bonus points and the category bonus points you'll earn from using your Hilton card at Hilton properties. Depending on the card you have, you could earn up to 54 points per dollar spent at Hilton during the promotion.
For example, if you have the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card , you'll automatically get top-tier Hilton Honors Diamond elite status, which comes with a 100% bonus on paid stays — and in addition, you'd earn 14x points for using the card at Hilton properties.
On a $100 stay, the math works out like this at most Hilton brands:
- 10 base points per dollar = 1,000 points
- 10 bonus points per dollar for having Diamond status (100% bonus) = 1,000 points
- 20 bonus points per dollar from the Power Up promotion = 2,000 points
- 14 bonus points per dollar from the category bonus on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card = 1,400 points
- Total earnings = 5,400 points
Here's another example if you hold the no-annual-fee Hilton Honors American Express Card. With this card, you receive automatic Hilton Silver elite status, which comes with a 20% points bonus on paid stays and 7x points at Hilton hotels.
Here's what you'd earn on a $100 stay at most Hilton brands:
- 10 base points per dollar = 1,000 points
- 2 bonus points per dollar for having Silver status (20% bonus) = 200 points
- 20 bonus points per dollar from the Power Up promotion = 2,000 points
- 7 bonus points per dollar from the category bonus on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card = 700 points
- Total earnings = 3,900 points
Read more: 11 credit cards that get you hotel elite status just by having them in your wallet
Keep in mind that eligible stays for this promotion must be booked directly with Hilton (and not a third-party site like an online travel agency) and that it can take six to eight weeks for bonus points to post to your account. Here are the full terms and conditions for more information.
Which Hilton cards are eligible?
American Express issues four Hilton credit cards, and they're all eligible to earn 3x points through Hilton's new promotion.
Here's a quick summary of your options:
| Hilton card | Welcome bonus offer | Rewards rate and elite status | Annual fee |
Hilton Honors American Express Card | 70,000 Hilton Honors bonus points and a Free Night Reward after you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months of card membership | 7 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels 5 points per dollar spent at eligible U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases Automatic Silver elite status (20% points bonus on paid stays) | $0 |
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card | 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points and one Free Night Reward after you spend $2,000 in purchases in your first three months of card membership | 12 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels 6 points per dollar spent at eligible U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases Automatic Hilton Gold elite status (80% points bonus on paid stays) | $95 |
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card | 150,000 Hilton Honors bonus points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of card membership (offer ends 7/19/23) | 12 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels 6 points per dollar spent on select business purchases: U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchases directly from U.S. service providers, and U.S purchases for shipping 6 points per dollar spent on select travel purchases: U.S. restaurants, flights booked directly with airlines or Amex Travel, and car rentals booked with select car rental companies 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases Automatic Hilton Gold elite status (80% points bonus on paid stays) | $95 |
| Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | 150,000 points after spending at least $4,000 in the first three months of account opening | 14 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels 7 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or Amex Travel, and on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies 7 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases on at U.S. restaurants 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases Automatic Hilton Diamond elite status (100% points bonus on paid stays) | $450 |
Editor
Jasmin Baron is an editor at Insider, responsible for credit card coverage on Personal Finance Insider. She is also a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF).Before joining the Insider team, she was a senior editor at The Points Guy and Million Mile Secrets, covering credit cards, points and miles, and loyalty programs. Her expertise in maximizing travel rewards grew from over two decades of experience in the aviation industry, including 18 years working as a pilot and flight instructor in her native Canada.You can reach Jasmin atjbaron@insider.com. Learn more about how Personal Finance Insider chooses, rates, and covers financial products and services »
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, please click here.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
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For rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, please click here.
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