One unique feature of the Hilton HHonors loyalty program is that members can “double-dip” by earning extra airline miles or bonus HHonors points on eligible hotel stays. To help you choose the best option, TPG Senior Points & Miles Contributor Nick Ewen walks you through the different earning rates.
There are many ways you can double- (or even triple-) dip to maximize your point and mileage earnings. One way to do this is on stays at Hilton properties, as you can earn both Hilton HHonors points and airline miles on eligible stays (unlike other hotel chains that force you to choose between the two). Back in 2012, one of my first posts as a new TPG contributor covered double-dipping with Hilton HHonors, but several things have since changed, so today I want to revisit the program and highlight when it makes sense for you to utilize this earning option.
Let’s start with the basics. As a regular Hilton HHonors member, you’ll earn 10 base points per eligible dollar spent at almost all Hilton properties (excluding Home2 Suites, where you’ll earn 5 base points per dollar spent). These are in addition to any bonus points you’d earn on co-branded credit cards like the Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card, which offers an additional 10 points per dollar spent at Hilton properties. You also can boost your earnings by attaining Hilton HHonors elite status.
However, every Hilton HHonors member can boost their earnings by selecting one of two My Way Earning Styles:
POINTS & POINTS: Earn an additional 5 Hilton points per eligible dollar spent (2.5 extra points at Home2 Suites)
POINTS & MILES: Earn 1 mile per eligible dollar spent (up to a maximum of 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites)
Note that these earnings are in addition to the base earnings highlighted above. It’s also worth noting that this process is a bit simpler than it was when I first wrote about it four years ago. In January 2014, Hilton HHonors discontinued its Points & Fixed Miles Earning Style, yet another blow to a program that had just annihilated its award chart in March 2013. This was a great option for shorter stays and actually helped me earn a Southwest Companion Pass for two straight years. While it did make things simpler when it comes to double-dipping, it also sapped some value out of the program!
POINTS & MILES Partners
The Points & Points earning option actually isn’t quite as straightforward as the above overview indicates. There are some programs that utilize a different earning ratio, and some don’t award miles across all brands. Here’s a breakdown of the 17 airline partners in the Americas along with the earning rates and limitations:
Airline/Program
Earning Rate
Home2 Suites Limitations
Aerolineas Argentinas
1 AR Plus mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay
Aeromexico
2 Premier Points per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 200 points per stay
Aeroplan (Air Canada)
1 Aeroplan mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay
AIR MILES
1 AIR MILES reward mile per every 8 eligible US dollars spent
Up to 100 reward miles per stay
Alaska Airlines
1 Mileage Plan mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay
American Airlines
1 AAdvantage mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay
Amtrak
1 Amtrak Guest Rewards point per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 points per stay
Avianca/TACA
1 LifeMile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay
Delta Airlines
1 SkyMile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay
Frontier Airlines
1 EarlyReturns mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay
GOL/VARIG
1 Smiles mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay
Hawaiian Airlines
1 HawaiianMile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay
JetBlue
1 TrueBlue point per 2 eligible US dollars spent
Up to 100 points per stay
LAN
2 LANPASS kilometers per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 200 KMS per stay
Multiplus
1 Multiplus point per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 points per stay
United
1 MileagePlus mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay
Virgin America
1 Elevate point per 2 eligible US dollars spent
Up to 50 points per stay
The program also awards points or miles from 25 partners in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Here are the details for each of these carriers:
Airline/Program
Earning Rate
Brand Limitations
Aeroflot
1 Aeroflot Bonus mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Hampton, Homewood, and Home2 Suites
Air Berlin
1 topbonus mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Air Baltic
1 PINS per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Air France-KLM
1 Flying Blue award mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Alitalia
1 MilleMiglia mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
British Airways
1 Avios per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 Avios per stay at Home 2 Suites
Czech Airlines
1 OK Plus mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Deutsche Bahn
1 Bahn Bonus point per every 2 eligible US dollars spent
Up to 100 points per stay at Home2 Suites
EL AL
1 Matmid Club point per 40 eligible US dollars spent
Excludes stays at Hampton, Homewood and Home2 Suites
Emirates
1 Skywards mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Ethiopian Airlines
1 Sheba mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Etihad Airways
1 Etihad Guest mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Finnair
1 Finnair Plus point per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Germanwings
1 Boomerang Club mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Gulf Air
1 Falconflyer mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Iberia
15 Avios per every 10 eligible US dollars spent
Up to 100 Avios per stay at Home2 Suites
Icelandair
1 Saga Club Award point per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 points per stay at Home2 Suites
Kuwait
1 Oasis mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Miles & More (Austrian, Lufthansa and SWISS)
1 Miles & More mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Qatar Airways
1 Privilege Club Qmile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
SAS Scandinavian Airlines
1 EuroBonus point per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Saudi Arabian Airlines
1 Alfursan Reward mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
South African Airways
1 Voyager Bonus mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Turkish Airlines
1 Miles&Smiles mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Virgin Atlantic
2 Flying Club miles per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
You also have access to another 23 partners in the Asia Pacific region. Here are the details of those partners:
Airline/Program
Earning Rate
Brand Limitations
AirAsia BIG
2 AirAsia Big program points per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 200 points per stay at Hampton, Homewood and Home2 Suites
Air China
1 Phoenix mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Hampton, Homewood and Home2 Suites
Air New Zealand
1 Airport Dollar per every 25 eligible US dollars spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
ANA – All Nippon Airways
1 Mileage Club mile per eligible US dollar spent
Excludes Hampton and Homewood; up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific)
1 Asia Mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Asiana Airlines
1 Asiana Club mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
China Eastern
1 Eastern Miles point per eligible US dollar spent
Excludes Hampton and Homewood; up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
China Southern
1 Sky Pearl Club mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
EVA Air
1 Infinity MileageLands program mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Garuda Indonesia
1 GarudaMiles program mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Hampton, Homewood and Home2 Suites
Hainan Airlines
1 Fortune Wings Club mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Japan Airlines
1 JAL Mileage Bank mile per eligible US dollar spent
Excludes Hampton and Homewood; up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Jet Airways
1 Jet Privilege JPmile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Korean Air
1 SKYPASS mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Hampton, Homewood and Home2 Suites
Malaysia Airlines
1 Enrich Mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
OK Cashbag
10 OK Cashbag points per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 2,000 points per stay at Hampton, Homewood and Home2 Suites
Philippine Airlines
1 Mabuhay Mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Qantas
1 Qantas Frequent Flyer point per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Hampton, Homewood and Home2 Suites
Singapore Airlines
1 KrisFlyer mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
SriLankan Airlines
1 FlySmiLes Program mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Hampton, Homewood and Home2 Suites
Thai Airways
1 Royal Orchid Plus mile per eligible US dollar spent
Excludes Hampton and Homewood; up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
Vietnam Airlines
1 Golden Lotus Plus mile per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Hampton, Homewood and Home2 Suites
Virgin Australia
2 Velocity points per eligible US dollar spent
Up to 100 miles per stay at Home2 Suites
As you can see, the Hilton HHonors program has an incredibly diverse set of partners (65 in all). You also have several that offer different earning rates than the standard 1 mile/point per dollar spent. So how do you go about deciding which is the best option?
Analysis
When it comes to deciding which earning style is best for you, you should start with Points & Points as your baseline and then answer the following question:
“Would you rather earn an extra 5 Hilton HHonors points or 1 extra mile in _____’s program?”
Many of you may have an immediate, gut instinct as to which you’d prefer, and I’d say that’s a probably a good indication of which style you should choose. However, it can be worth crunching the numbers to make sure that your decision makes mathematical sense.
Everyone has a slightly different way of valuing the various loyalty currencies out there, but let’s use TPG’s monthly valuations to help make this decision. In his most recent iteration, TPG pegs Hilton points at 0.5 cents apiece. Since you’d get an additional 5 points per dollar spent by choosing Points & Points, that’s like getting an extra 2.5 cents back on your Hilton stays by going that route. Are there any partners that can eclipse that added value?
At the time of writing, there are 17 airline partners (plus Amtrak) that make TPG’s list each month. In order for Points & Miles to make mathematical sense, the points or miles you’d earn per dollar spent with the partner would need to be worth at least 2.5 cents. Here’s a table that breaks down the numbers for each of these partner programs:
Partner
Earning Rate
Value per Mile/Point (cents)
Total Value per Dollar Spent (cents)
Best Option?
Aeroplan
1 mile/$
1.5
1.5
Points & Points
Alaska
1 mile/$
1.8
1.8
Points & Points
American
1 mile/$
1.5
1.5
Points & Points
ANA
1 mile/$
1.6
1.6
Points & Points
Avianca
1 mile/$
1.7
1.7
Points & Points
British Airways
1 point/$
1.5
1.5
Points & Points
Delta
1 mile/$
1.2
1.2
Points & Points
Emirates
1 mile/$
1.2
1.2
Points & Points
Etihad
1 mile/$
1.4
1.4
Points & Points
Flying Blue
1 mile/$
1.3
1.3
Points & Points
Frontier
1 mile/$
1.1
1.1
Points & Points
JetBlue
1 point/$2
1-1.4
0.5-0.7
Points & Points
Miles & More
1 mile/$
1.4
1.4
Points & Points
Singapore
1 mile/$
1.5
1.5
Points & Points
United
1 mile/$
1.5
1.5
Points & Points
Virgin America
1 point/$2
1.5-2.3
0.75-1.15
Points & Points
Virgin Atlantic
2 miles/$
1.5
3.0
Points & Miles
Amtrak
1 point/$
2.5
2.5
Even
As you can see, based on TPG’s valuations, there is only a single partner that clearly makes sense to utilize the Points & Miles earning option: Virgin Atlantic (Amtrak is a break-even partner). While Flying Club miles aren’t anywhere near the most valuable loyalty currency out there, the program does offer the best earning rate for Hilton stays, awarding you 2 miles per dollar spent. This gives you an added value of 3 cents for each dollar you spend, beating out the bonus Hilton HHonors points you’d earn by selecting Points & Points.
Of course, you can feel free to adjust the numbers above if you have different values for certain currencies. For example, if you peg Hilton points at 0.4 cents apiece instead of 0.5, that brings Alaska into play.
Is It Really This Black & White?
It can be exceedingly hard to give definitive recommendations in this hobby, since everyone places a different value on different things. Sure, the mathematics indicate that you should almost always select Points & Points, but your reality may be a bit different. Here are some times when you might choose Points & Miles:
If You Have a Specific Redemption in Mind — In some cases, you may be pursing a specific redemption and would benefit from the airline miles much more than you would from the extra Hilton points. Alaska is a great example of this, given the excellent redemptions available through the Mileage Plan program (like Cathay Pacific first class).
If You Are Points-Rich and Miles-Poor — Another time when Points & Miles may make sense is when you are swimming in Hilton HHonors points but are in desperate need of airline points or miles. Earning an extra 5 Hilton points per dollar spent may not be that exciting if you currently have half a million points in your account.
If There Is a Bonus of Some Sort — Every once in a while, Hilton will offer a bonus for a specific airline that increases your earning potential. For example, you could’ve earned double Delta SkyMiles plus 250 MQMs for two-night Hilton stays this past fall, which would boost your return to 2.4 cents per dollar spent. Be sure to check the offers page on Hilton HHonors’ website to make sure your preferred carrier isn’t offering any type of bonus.
Choosing/Changing Your My Way Earning Style
One of the nice things about this double-dip with Hilton HHonors is that you’re free to change your earning style as many times as you want. However, be sure that your desired style is set by 11:59pm Central Time on your checkout date. This will ensure that your stay is credited properly. You can view your current earning style by visiting Hilton HHonors’ Account Preferences page and looking at the My Way Earning Style Preference section:
To change your earning style, simply click on Change Earning Style and select either Points & Points or Points & Miles. You can also have a confirmation email sent for your records.
The account preferences page is also where you can add your frequent flyer numbers and set your preferred program in which to earn miles:
To add additional accounts, simply click on Add New Travel Partner at the bottom and select the radio button next to your preferred partner before clicking Save Preferences down at the bottom.
Bottom Line
The Hilton HHonors program is unique in that you can earn both hotel points and airline miles with one of 65 different travel partners for every stay. While this double dip isn’t nearly as lucrative as it once was, given the elimination of the fixed miles option, it’s nevertheless a nice way to boost your account balances in two different programs in one fell swoop. Hopefully this post has given you some food for thought as you decide which earning style makes the most sense for you!
What are your experiences double-dipping with Hilton HHonors?
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