Should You Purchase Hilton Points At 1/2 A Cent Each?
Points.com is having a sale on Hilton points where you can snag them at $0.005 a piece. If this was 5 years ago people would be going bananas over this deal but times have changed and Hilton has devalued their program. Having said that, should you consider this promotion? Even though I am in the never pay for travel camp I will give you a few instances where this promotion could make sense.
When it Makes Sense to Purchase Points
Usually points sales are a bad deal, often priced 30-40% higher than the points value (even when it is a “sale”). This one is actually pretty close to true value. Hilton Honors points are worth at least $0.004 a piece when you use the pay with points feature so that is the floor. Most of the time I find myself in the the $0.0045-$0.005 range. So not too far off but not a reason to purchase these points. Especially when you take into account that you would earn points on the paid stay.
The first scenario where it makes sense to purchase these points is if you have a specific redemption in mind. If you have a hotel that is going to snag you let’s say 1 cent a point or something like that then this would make perfect sense. It happens at the lower end hotels or if it is a holiday weekend or a big event is going on.
If you are just shy of your next award stay and need the points in a hurry then purchasing them is an option. Hopefully you could get one of the massive Hilton welcome bonuses instead.
Lastly if you combine the points purchase with a 5th night free stay then you are actually coming out ahead. For simplicity sake let’s say you find a Hilton hotel at 20K per night that you wanted to stay at for 5 nights. Those 5 nights would cost you $400 all in with this promotion since you would only need 80,000 points. That is outstanding value no matter where you are. And remember that using points saves you from paying taxes and fees on the stay.
Details on the Promo
This promo is a little unique since it only allows you to purchase 80,000 points for $400 or 160,000 points for $800. Usually there are more options but that is what you are limited to.
Link to Promotion (our affiliate link)
Remember that it is possible to get cashback on these purchases if you go through a shopping portal first. Also, the Chase Ink Preferred has coded as 3X in the past for Points.com purchases.
Conclusion
While purchasing points is rarely a good move I can see 3 different instances where this deal in particular would make sense.
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Lovely beach resort in the picture. Where is that?
Nassau
https://milestomemories.boardingarea.com/british-colonial-hilton-nassau-bahamas-hotel-review-best-location-in-nassau/
OK Mark I am not familiar with the Hilton Hhonors program. Can you recommend any hotels where we could get 1 cent value or close to it?
And which credit card(s) would you recommend we use?
Thanks
Leslie it is more dependent on rates jumping up really high from a special event etc. or finding a category 1 or 2 hotel at 5K or 10K a night (most are located internationally). Most of the time you would get around .45 or .5 cents a piece for them.
As for cards the Aspire is great for perks – top status, free night, resort credit etc. but the Ascend is probably the better all around card. They both have increased offers right now.