Consolidated "Current Points Purchase Promotion" thread
 

Just received the Hilton email and it included information on purchasing HH points for $12.50 per 1000 pts. with a max of 20,000 pts. per year. This seems like a great deal at $250 for 20,000 pts. compared to the average stay for $250 would only get you 2500-4000 pts. depending on your HH status. Any thoughts on this?

SG

This e-mail:

"Purchase HHonors Points
Now you can purchase up to 20,000 HHonors bonus points online, and they'll be deposited in your HHonors account immediately.

HHonors members can now purchase up to 20,000 Hilton HHonors bonus points online per calendar year to be used toward hotel stays, airline tickets or any other Hilton HHonors reward. Purchases may be made in increments of 1,000 bonus points and are only available for sale to individual HHonors members. Each 1,000 bonus points are available for only USD 12.50."

Depends - how many points for an in-room movie? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/tongue.gif

If you look at the "value" of these points as converted in airline miles, would you buy them?

If considering HHonors points converted to miles, I would not even think about it. Purchasing HHonors points only make sense if you will use them for hotel rooms that cost 313.00 or more including tax [i.e., 150k HHonors points for a 6-night GLONP -- if it is available]. Other than that, not a great deal.

I would agree that it only makes sense to buy the points if needed immediately for an award. You can't compare the cost to the cost of points you receive on a stay. Remember that if you spend $250 for a stay, you are also getting the stay - the points are a bonus. If you buy points, all you get are points - and I don't think they are worth 1.25 cents apiece.

When you're short of points-Hilton charges you 10 dollars per thousand. What's so good about 12.50 per thousand?

Let's say you are already diamond and you wish to pad your account with more points for a future award?

HH points definitely aren't worth 1.25 cents each, but if you are at 99,000 points and need to order your ALON cert today, then this is a great deal.

I'd say at the absolute max HH points are worth about .7 or .8 cents each. That's being liberal and assuming that you are doing ALONs and GLONs. It might be tempting to value them for more if you do a GLONP at the Hilton Paris when the rack rate is $500/night. But if you can get a decent hotel room in central Paris for $125/night, I would find it difficult to value the points any higher than about three-fourths of a cent apiece.

One situation where they might be worth purchasing - a 3-night Point Stretcher award at an Opportunity-level hotel. Then it comes out to $62.50 a night. It would work well at the Scandics. Assuming they were offering a PS when you want to go.

the rule of thumb is one HH point = 2/3rds of a cent.

This is a timely subject for me. I am staying Nov 21-25 at the Conrad Dublin using a Point Stretcher award for 66,000 points. Problem is, I currently have 60,757 points in my account right now.

The cheapest rate at the Conrad Dublin for my dates is $416.00 U.S. dollars, so the option of purchasing 6000 points at $12.50 per 1000 is great.

You can get 20,000 points for free by getting the Delta Amex. No fee first year, and 10,000 bonus miles. Transferred to Hilton becomes 20,000 points.

And that's just one example; there are numerous others.

So no, IMHO buying is just not worth it.

[This message has been edited by Rut Dog (edited 11-04-2002).]

If you need the points immediatly for something then I would consider purchasing them, but if not then it's a waste of money. They ran two 50,000 point promotions last year, and one this year (that I know of, there could have been more), that would have gotten you 150,000 points for free.

If there is no pressing need for them, then buying them is just a waste of money.

buying HH points possible
 

Just noticed this feature when was surfing around the HH website and don't remember seeing it before now (but I could be wrong).


https://www.hiltonhhonors.com/purchasepoints/


I know not everyone will like the USD 12.50 per 1,000 points purchase rate, but it depends what the goal is. When I was looking at staying at Scandic in CPH, found Opportunity level was 15,000 for 3 nights. So, that means someone with zero points could enroll, pay the USD 175.00 and get 3 nights that would normally cost around USD 108.00 per room per night at Scandic Webers in CPH.

And the thing I was happy to see was that you did not have to be a U.S. resident with U.S. credit card and U.S. billing address to purchase the points, which is the way it is with most of the major U.S. airlines.

I notice that HHonors has recently raised the price from $10 per Kpoint.

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Play the travel game 3 vacations into the future!

Hi

Let's say you were after 15,000 hilton points.

15,000 points purchased through Hilton would cost $187.50

It would be better value to buy a Onepass prestige pack for $99 and this would give 7,500 miles (plus extras). That should transfer to 15,000 hilton points and is much cheaper.

Using the Scandic hotel example quoted earlier that would work out at $33 a night.

http://www.epinions.com/trvl-review-...3996F0EC-prod5

cheers Peter



[This message has been edited by ffhound (edited 11-19-2002).]