spleuchan

I'm a plastic Diamond. I got it last year with the Surpass card. I wasn't sure if I would have $40K on my AMEX this year, so I switched at the end of last year to the Citi, since more places take Visa than AMEX. Prior to the deval, I thought the Surpass was the better deal, but after the deval, I feel the Citi is the better deal.

Even with the deval, I'll stick with Hilton. I don't do a lot of business travel a year, maybe 10 to 20 nights. Most of my points are earned from credit card spend. With the exception of maybe SPG, spending on Hilton's credit card will get you the highest return, about 1.5 cents per dollar. SPG doesn't offer the rates I'm required to book at and aren't in all the locations I visit.

With the deval, if I didn't travel for work, I'd probably switch to Capital One's venture, but since I do travel for work, the Hilton credit card still seems best to me.

However, if the majority of my points were earned from hotel stays, I'd probably be looking for another hotel chain.

App007

I agree with others - it's the elite devaluation that is disappointing. For the past 8 years I have made Diamond by stays, and it is a little frustrating to compete with CC users for upgrades etc. I have had the Citi Sig card since it's debut and appreciated the extra points etc per stay. However now lounges are almost to the point of ridiculous because of crowding. If someone is placed on the executive floor they gain automatic access to the lounge, regardless of status - another "devaluation" if you will.

The lounge is a place to relax with similar travelers, not the hockey or basketball team because they got placed on the exec floor due to high volume.

Loyalty these days is almost worthless. It'd be better to just get the Reserve Card, do my 10 nights to maintain my Diamond at H until he pendulum swings the other way and being Diamond has real value, not perceived.

I'll give HH one + though...whenever I call the DD I always get excellent service, so in the Q system I know my rating is well positioned. That is the only real benefit left is that service.

jamesteroh

I think it would make sense to add tiers to diamonds like another poster mentioned SPG did. If the person assigning rooms does their job correctly, it means people that stay with the chain get upgraded before people who get their status through a credit card, fast track, status match, lifetime status (IIRC SPG will give lifetime status like Marriott).

Due to an injury, I haven't been able to travel since late april and probably won't be allowed to until Labor day and then I will be reducing my work travel for the next couple months after that and will probably not make diamond through stays this year but know I will through credit card use. I would have no problems at all if next year Hilton properties would upgrade someone who qualified for diamonds through actual Hilton activity over me and I am sure most "credit card diamonds" wouldn't either. While I like the upgrades, I would still be getting the free internet, lounge access, diamond force, etc.

It's the same with Hyatt. I am platinum by a credit card, and sure wouldn't have a problem with them upgrading someone that earned their status through Hyatt activity over me.

I think it's golds that are really getting screwed for upgrades now. You can get gold status with no stays with a credit card or through all kinds of promos. Someone that earns golds through Hilton activity (which is a lot of stays) should get upgraded over a credit card gold or fast track as well.

divemistressofthedark

Mea culpa re: Citi card - have put most of my HH spend on Surpass for some years now. I have the basic Citi Hilton card but haven't bothered to upgrade it - looked at applications for two Hilton cards last night, Reserve and Visa Signature, and must have gotten the benefits mixed up.

(Looks like VS is offering 50K HH for signup... might be worth it for some...)

IMO it's worth noting that the point earn on Reserve is not as good as Surpass... 10:1 at Hilton, not 12:1, and the multipliers are only airline and car rental - no gas, grocery or restaurant. That being said, nothing in the world stops a person from simply carrying both cards and earning multipliers on all five categories - at vendors that accept Amex, anyway.

jamesteroh

Both the surpass and reserve have annual fees. I don't think the benefits from the surpass are worth the annual fee and just downgraded to the regular no-fee Hilton am ex. The Citi reserve gives you the two free nights signup promo and a free night on your anniversary every year after. Visa is also accepted at a lot more places than Am Ex (with the exception of Costco) and if you travel outside the US there is no foreign transaction fee like the Am Ex

TheTourVan

That is the kicker for us. The 2 free nights, plus auto gold make the card worth more for our usage. Both are quite good though and can make this program still work for many.

troyintn

That is what I am doing the fees were nice for the bonus points, but the regular card is fine. I have a decent spend 10K a month, but the SPG Amex or DL Plat seem to be better cards for me with my travel patterns.

jamesteroh

In past years I did enough spending on my Delta card just to get the bonus MQM's and most of my other spending went on the Hilton card since I found 3+ Hilton points a better deal than 1 skypeso. Now with the Deval, that is not necessarily the case.

Airways45

Here's my issue. I'm based in Europe so can't get the credit card deals available to US nationals. So, I earn Diamond the hard way by sleeping in the bed and i did 150+ nights last year. I rarely get upgraded these days and if I do they 'cheat' and call it a better view, or, a higher floor.

I didn't even get an auto-generated email saying thanks for almost living in a Hilton family property. I don't expect it but customer service for Elites should be better.

I just wish Hilton would create a new tier above Diamond which would then take care of the pecking order, mean free Gold status is mostly worthless in big cities for upgrades and it will stop us regular road warriors with loads of bed nights feeling like we've been screwed for those that don't stay...

Surely that's not beyond the realms of possibility? Don't devalue, just increase the tiers and look after the high spenders better. It doesn't have to be a race to the bottom.

Final point, Delta Air Lines and SPG have teamed up. That's got my office excited. Delta even now offers Westin bedding in business class. Need to see something from Hilton.

flyer4512

As recently as 3 years ago I paid 10K points/night for the Boston Sheraton on Memorial Day weekend

This year it was 16K points/night.....................no devaluation ?

TheTourVan

Completely dependent on the ease points accumulation. 3 years ago our HH credit card paid 6 points per at a Hilton property. Now it pays 10, so in that example, no, there is no devaluation for our use.

NJUPINTHEAIR

Have they lifted the hold on this as it had been reported that they were not allowing cardmembers this option any more?

jamesteroh

Not sure. I downgraded in late December with no problem.

dat4life

While there are some decent redemption options still out there, the devaluation really did a number on properties I, and many of us here, actually want to redeem for. i.e. high end properties.

However, for most of the run of the mill HHonors members, like many of my coworkers, they really won't notice a thing as they redeem their points for properties I would never think about redeeming points for, such as HGI in suburban Houston vs paying a rate of $109. But to each their own.

AnthonyF1227

There are still a decent amount of higher end properties that haven't changed much. They have high point redemption amounts in high season, but are still 50K or less during low season. It's just a matter of finding the sweet spots. The cat 10 properties are outrageous for many at this point though.