Hilton HHonors - Junk Mail by Invitation Only

I just received the following e-mail inviting me to register and receive lots of e-mail. I don't know how valid or worthwhile this offer is, but I am surprised Hilton would sponsor this sort of thing and involve some other well known firms as well.

-----Original Message-----
From: Hilton HHonors (R) [mailto:HiltonHHonors@erewards.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 21, 2002 2:12 AM
To: SeoulGold
Subject: By Invitation Only


Dear SG,

************************************************** *******
YOU'RE INVITED TO ENROLL IN E-REWARDS --
CLICK BELOW AND CHOOSE A VALUABLE WELCOME GIFT, FREE!
http://www.e-rewards.com/enroll.asp?
************************************************** *******

Because you are a valued Hilton HHonors(R) member, you
are invited to join e-Rewards(R) -- a unique rewards program
that pays members to read e-mail. Hilton HHonors has
joined with other great companies, including: BLOCKBUSTER(R),
Delta Air Lines, Hertz, and Vail Resorts(TM) to sponsor this
exciting program. And, membership is by invitation only.

MEMBERSHIP IS FREE, AND YOU GET A VALUABLE WELCOME GIFT!
Enjoy a valuable new-member Welcome Gift of your choice from
one of e-Reward_s participating sponsors. It's yours free
as a special thank-you when you join.

HOW E-REWARDS WORKS
Simply tell e-Rewards how many e-mails you want to receive
and what you're interested in. Then, they_ll send you
e-mail that's relevant to you.

VALUABLE REWARDS
For each e-mail you receive, you can earn up to $1 in
e-Rewards, plus periodic bonus earning opportunities.
Redeem your earnings for Hilton HHonors points, or other
great rewards from participating companies such as
BLOCKBUSTER(R), Delta Air Lines, Hertz and Vail Resorts(TM)
-- with more on the way! Remember, no purchase is necessary
to earn e-Rewards. It's FREE. No obligation. You can opt
out at any time. And your privacy is guaranteed!

TO ENROLL AND CLAIM YOUR VALUABLE WELCOME GIFT,
JUST FOLLOW THIS LINK, or copy the URL into your browser
navigation window.

http://www.e-rewards.com/enroll.asp?

Offer expires December 5, 2002.

Membership in e-Rewards currently is only available to
residents of the United States and Canada. If you live
outside of these regions and have received this e-mail,
we apologize for any inconvenience. Please reply to this
e-mail, and type "International Account" in the subject
line to be notified once e-Rewards is available
internationally.

************************************************** *******
If you would prefer not to receive future e-mail invitations
to join e-Rewards, or if you wish to unsubscribe from the
Hilton HHonors e-mail list, please visit:

http://www.e-rewards.com/HHonors_no_thanks/body.asp?

************************************************** *******

This e-mail message and its contents are copyrighted and
are proprietary products of Hilton HHonors. Hilton HHonors
membership, earning of Points & Miles(TM), and redemption of
points are subject to HHonors Terms and Conditions.
(C)2002 Hilton HHonors Worldwide.

BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks
of Blockbuster Inc. (C) 2002, Blockbuster Inc.
All rights reserved.

************************************************** *******

Apparently, you opted to receive e-mails from Hilton. If you want to stop them, there is an easy solution, and it is provided in that e-mail you quoted above:

************************************************** *******
If you would prefer not to receive future e-mail invitations to join e-Rewards, or if you wish to unsubscribe from the Hilton HHonors e-mail list, please visit:

http://www.e-rewards.com/HHonors_no_thanks/body.asp?

************************************************** *******

Its not that. According to their rules I don't qualify anyway because I live overseas. This thing looked like one of those "earn free miles reading e-mail at home" offers that end up requiring you to read and delete twenty e-mails a day for a year to earn 100 miles, or something like that. I was just surprised Hilton was sponsoring this.

While I personally chose not to bother with E-Rewards, this program seems to be quite popular among FT members. You'll find numerous threads if you search on "E-Rewards" in the S.P.A.M. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forumcgi/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=S.P.A.M.&number=122&DaysPrune=5&LastLogin=) forum.

I'm signed up with E-Rewards. You don't get many e-mails depending upon your profile and they are worth different values. Over the last year or so I have traded in E Rewards for over 5,000 Hilton points. You can use them for other things also. It hasn't seemed to increase my spam. An easy way to get some free points. IMHO

------------------
Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.

It's not as bad as it sounds, actually. The e-mails show up about once a week for a product or service that may or not be relevant. You get some points for reading the mail, and then some more for answering some questions about it.

The points don't come that quickly - I think I've got enough to cash out for 3k HHonors points, but for as little effort it takes, I'll take the HH points.

Mike