This is pretty phenomenal.
If you don’t already have Hilton Diamond status via the Hilton Aspire credit card, I’ve never seen a better shortcut than this to top tier Hilton Honors Diamond status.
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Hilton Diamond Status
Diamond status includes complimentary breakfast, access to executive lounges (even if not upgraded to the executive floor) a 100% bonus on earned points, and complimentary room upgrades up to one-bedroom suites (though the suite upgrades are not a guaranteed benefit, even if the hotel has an available suite).
Late checkout is another benefit, though not guaranteed and I prefer the higher tier Marriott Bonvoy statuses largely for their guaranteed 4pm checkout benefit.
How Many Nights Do You Need to Earn Hilton Diamond Status?
Normally, you need 60 nights to qualify for Hilton Honors Diamond status. Alternatively, you can qualify with 30 stays or 120,000 base points (earned via $12,000 in spend) within a calendar year. Or, as mentioned, the Hilton Aspire card comes with Hilton Diamond as part of the benefit set it offers for the $450 annual fee.
Hilton Status Match / Status Challenge
Hilton has a very generous status match program. While they will no longer match you outright, you can use you your status in another hotel program to challenge for Gold or Diamond status, and you’ll hold Gold status (offering free breakfast and potential upgrades) during the 90 day challenge period.
If you stay 10 nights during the 90 day challenge period, you’ll get Gold until March 31, 2022 and if you stay 18 nights during the 90 day challenge period, you’ll earn Diamond until March 31, 2022.
Any elite status in most programs count, so this won’t be an obstacle for most.
The Double Nights Promo Knocks the Requirements by Half
Earlier today, I wrote about the new promo from Hilton Honors for double elite credits and double points this fall. According to View from the Wing (via You Have Been Upgraded) these Double Elite Nights will count towards a status match.
That means you need just 9 qualifying nights to earn Diamond for nearly 1.75 years. Note that the status match challenge is stated to be once in a lifetime and reward nights do not count, so you’ll need 9 paid nights within 90 days. That said, with rates depressed due to the impact of the coronavirus on travel, you may well be able to find a local downmarket Hilton branded hotel to mattress run some of the nights, though if you did that for all 9 nights, you’d probably be better off with the Aspire credit card anyway.
Keep in mind you’ll need to make sure you are registered for the Double Rewards promo, or this won’t work at all…. and I would recommend not registering for the challenge until you’ve confirmed registration in the promo and are close to the start date. You’ll have 90 days from when Hilton confirms your match.
Long story short, though, getting Hilton Diamond so long for just 9 nights is a really sweet deal.
Thoughts?
Let me know below in the comments, on Twitter, or in the private MilesTalk Facebook group.
You can find credit cards that best match your spending habits and bonus categories at Your Best Credit Cards.
New to all of this? My “introduction to miles and points” book, MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points is available on Amazon and at major booksellers.
