Amex Improves Member Rewards Transfers to Hilton to 1-to-2
Anya Kartashova January 05, 2018
American Express Membership Rewards program has increased its point transfer ratio to Hilton Honors, and the change isn’t just another limited-time promotion.
Previously, Amex cardholders were able to transfer their MR points to Hilton at a 1,000-1,500 ratio, but now it’s set at 2,000 Hilton Honors points for every 1,000 Membership Rewards points transferred—a 33-percent permanent transfer increase.
In most cases, an improved transfer ratio would benefit American Express cardholders, but I don’t recommend jumping for joy just yet. On average, Hilton Honors points are worth about 0.5 cents each, and Membership Rewards points are worth at least 1.5 cents or more, depending on how you use them. If you transfer MR points to Hilton at a 1-to-2 ratio, you lower their value to 1 cent per point.
There are exceptions, of course, and in some cases, you can extract greater value from your Hilton points. As always, do the math before redeeming your points in any program and do not make a transfer blindly without a specific redemption in mind.
Last summer, American Express made a move and gained exclusive rights to the hotel chain’s co-branded cards. The card issuer came out a winner and left its competitor Citibank out in the cold. Now that Amex is the sole Hilton card issuer, it has increased the point transfer ratio and introduced new Hilton cards to the market, which are not available to new applicants yet. As a reminder, all Citi-issued Hilton credit cards are to be converted to American Express cards by Jan. 30.
Will you convert your Membership Rewards points to Hilton Honors points at the newly improved ratio?
Is this true for all American Express Membership Rewards programs (i.e. in countries other than the US)? Or is this new ratio of 2000 Hilton Honors points for 1000 Membership Rewards points only valid in the US? In my case, I am curious about the redemption rate for Canada, but I am sure there are Amex cardholders in other countries who are also wondering.
Still a poor value, making up for the continued devaluation. Better option: consider use of MRs like cash to book room on the AMEX travel site. You will not earn points, but it should still qualify as a stay, Honors benefits, will often work out to be a better deal.