How to save on Hilton stays by buying points -- and why I've just bought 40,000 Hilton Honors points

Until 7 June 2018, you can buy Hilton Honors points with a 100% bonus via this link here. This can be very lucrative--especially at (former) Category 1 and 2 properties.

I'm going to Austria next month for a conference. With the revenue rate at 134€ (£120) a night for the dates that I need, I'd be paying £600 for the five-night stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Vienna.

A (former) Category 2 hotel, a standard room redemption costs only 10,000 Hilton Honors points. Hilton Honors Silver, Gold and Diamond members receive every fifth night absolutely free on award stays. So the cost for the five nights is actually 40,000 points. 

And here's the thing: I've just bought the required 40,000 points for a mere £147 ($200) in the current sale--meaning that I am effectively paying £29.40 a night rather than the advertised cash rate of £120. 

To sweeten the deal, Hilton Honors redemptions count towards elite status re-qualification -- in my case towards the 30 stays or 60 nights needed for Diamond.

You should be able to bag a similar bargain at most Category 1 and 2 hotels, i.e. those costing 5,000 or 10,000 points a night respectively.

Buying points seems less lucrative for high-end redemptions. A standard room reward at the excellent Conrad Algarve is 69,000 points a night, which you can currently buy for £260 ($350). But the same room is actually selling for £230 (265€) a night later this month, so always check revenue rates!

Here's my review: My excellent stay at the impressive Conrad Algarve.



Full terms and conditions for the '100% bonus on points purchases' promotion:

"Points purchased do not count towards elite tier qualification. Points.com and Hilton Honors reserve the right to terminate bonus promotions at any time. All purchases must be made through the Purchase page on HiltonHonors.com. The 100% Points bonus with a minimum 5,000 Points purchase is available for purchases made between April 20, 2018, at 12:01am ET and June 7, 2018, at 11:59pm ET. Members may purchase a maximum of 80,000 points per calendar year. All purchases are non-refundable. Offer is subject to change. Offer cannot be combined with any other offer. Points will be posted to the recipients Hilton Honors account within 24 hours of the completed transaction. All Hilton Honors program Terms and Conditions apply. Hilton HonorsTM membership, earning of Points are subject to Hilton HonorsTM Terms and Conditions, available at HiltonHonors.com/terms.

Price includes all applicable fees. GST/HST will be charged to Canadian residents. Email address is required and will only be used for transaction and marketing communications related to this purchase. Purchased points do not count towards Honors status upgrades."