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Who wouldn’t want a free night stay at a hotel during their trip, right? Hilton operates the Hilton 5th Night Free program, where if you stay for five consecutive nights, the 5th night requires zero points. Your stay must consist of five consecutive nights or more, and you can redeem the Hilton 5th Night Free for up to 20 nights per stay, meaning your fifth, 10th, 15th, and 20th nights will be free. The benefit is exclusively applicable to standard room rewards, which means you cannot make a cash payment for the remaining four nights.
So, how does it work? Does it mean that your fifth night will be 0 points? No, instead of offering a free 5th night, Hilton takes a different approach. They calculate the average value of each night for award stays that are over 5 nights in duration and then deduct the cost of one night from the total stay.
Here we can see booking a five-night stay where each night costs 36,000 Hilton points, So you will receive a discount of 36,000 points for the 5th night. However, it is important to note that the 5th night will not be shown as having zero points. Instead, the points will be deducted evenly across all five nights, resulting in an average deduction from each night’s points.
Ways To Boost Your Hilton Honors Points
There are various ways to earn Hilton Honors loyalty points. The most basic method is by staying at Hilton properties, where you can earn points based on your stays. You can earn points through dining at participating restaurants or with travel partners, or another option is to purchase Hilton Honors points directly. However, one of the easiest ways to accumulate a significant number of Hilton points is by utilizing Hilton-Amex Co-branded credit cards.
Here are some of the credit cards that you can use to accumulate Hilton Honors points:
- Hilton Honors American Express Card
- Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Transfer Partners
If you don’t want a Hilton Credit Card, don’t worry. Hilton has a transfer partner American Express. You can utilize your Membership Rewards. This means you can transfer your Membership Rewards points to Hilton Honors points, allowing you to accumulate Hilton Honors points without necessarily having a Hilton credit card.
However, when transferring your Amex points, you may not receive a good redemption value. But if you have a specific redemption in mind, you can still use this method. Also, if you are looking to take advantage of the Hilton 5th Night Free benefit and have a shortage of points, you can transfer points and redeem them for your stay.
You can use points earned from all of the following cards can be used towards your next Hilton Hotels booking.
- The Platinum Card from American Express.
- The American Express Gold Card.
- The American Express Green Card
- Blue from American Express card
- Amex Everyday® Preferred Credit Card
- The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
- Business Green Rewards Card from American Express
- American Express® Business Gold Card
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Ways To Maximize Your Hilton 5th Night Free
1. Redeem Points At a High-End stay
As you book your hotel stay with points, you naturally want to extract the maximum value from them. So, it is worth considering a stay at high-value properties that offer a variety of amenities and benefits. Since Hilton Honors points are valued at approximately 0.5-0.6 cents per point, booking your stay at a more expensive property can considerably enhance the value of your points. You have the option to book a stay with more than 100,000 points per night, allowing you to redeem them at high-cost properties.
Here are a few examples of high-end hotels within the Hilton portfolio that typically require a significant number of points for booking:
- Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
- Conrad Bora Bora Nui
- The Beverly Hilton (Los Angeles, USA)
- Conrad Tokyo (Japan)
- Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa
- Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah (United Arab Emirates)
- Conrad Centennial Singapore
- Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort (Honolulu, USA)
- Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Conrad Algarve (Portugal)
Please keep in mind that the number of points needed to book these properties can vary depending on factors like room type, season, and availability. So, it is advisable to Make sure to plan your trip well in advance to ensure you have the best chance of securing a five-night award stay and maximizing your 5th Night Free benefit.
2. Plan Longer Stays
As I mentioned earlier, you can redeem the Hilton 5th Night Free benefit four times during a stay on the 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th nights. To maximize this benefit, look for opportunities to extend your trip to five nights or more. By doing so, you can fully take advantage of the 5th Night Free offer and effectively receive a complimentary night, resulting in significant savings of valuable points.
Booking longer stays at Hilton properties can also provide additional advantages, including the opportunity to fully explore the local area or enjoy the various amenities and services offered by the hotel. Also, Hilton rewards its loyalty program members with bonus points for extended stays, enabling you to accumulate more points and expedite your progress toward earning valuable rewards.
3. Optimize Hotel Award Availability
It’s very important that the hotel you are planning to stay at has award availability because only with points you are gonna get the Hilton free night. Some hotels may have limited availability for award bookings, especially during peak travel periods. Plan your trip accordingly to ensure you secure a five-night stay at the property of your choice.
Also, some of the Hilton properties tend to experience high demand, particularly during peak travel seasons or popular events. So, you must plan your trip well in advance to increase your chances of successfully securing a Hilton Honors awards stay and maximizing the benefits of the 5th Night Free promotion.
4. Pool Points With 10 Other Members
If you find yourself a few points short of booking your Hilton stay, there is a solution. You can pool points from the accounts of your friends or family members to complete your booking. Hilton Honors Members have the advantage of Points Pooling, which enables them to combine their points with those of their family and friends for booking a stay.
This perk allows a member, along with up to 10 others, to pool their points together. By pooling points, you can unlock new redemption opportunities and expand your overall booking options.
Rules And Restriction Of Hilton 5th Night Free
The Hilton 5th Night Free benefit is subject to certain rules and restrictions. Here are some key points to keep in mind:
- The most important point is that the 5th Night Free benefit applies only to stays booked using Hilton Honors points. It does not apply to cash bookings or cash + points. Also, you can book a standard room only.
- Obviously, to qualify for the 5th Night Free benefit, the stay must be a consecutive five-night booking at a participating Hilton property.
- 5th Night Free benefit is contingent upon the specific terms and conditions of each hotel. It’s important to be aware that not all hotels may participate in this promotion, and the availability of award nights may vary.
- The Hilton 5th Night Free benefit can be redeemed up to four times within a single stay, occurring on the 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th nights.
- The deduction will be in the average nightly points cost from your account for the entire stay.
- You can’t combine the fifth night free with any other Hilton promotion offer.
Bottom Line
If you want to maximize the value of your Hilton Honors Points, the Hilton 5th Night Free benefit is an excellent program to consider. By taking advantage of this benefit, you can stretch your points further and enjoy additional nights of complimentary accommodations.
To maximize the value of your Hilton Honors Points with the 5th Night Free benefit, plan longer stays, choose high-value properties, optimize award availability, pool points with others, be flexible with travel dates, and plan in advance. By following these strategies, you can make the most of your points and enjoy complimentary nights at Hilton properties.
Interest in traveling around the world using credit card points? Check out our site to learn the basics, and follow our blog for more tips on how to make your dream vacation a reality. You can also sign up for our travel concierge and get unlimited credit cards and travel assistance for one full year.
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