Apr 24, 2018, 6:57 pm
Last edit by: rrgg
$250 Hilton Resort Credit
Note: The web page for the resorts has changed. You must input dates and/or a specific region to get a list of all resorts in that region. Sometimes the web page works better on a mobile device.
The resort credit benefit changed in late 2023. Refer to this separate discussion and wikipost for FAQs.
AMEX TERMS:
Note: The web page for the resorts has changed. You must input dates and/or a specific region to get a list of all resorts in that region. Sometimes the web page works better on a mobile device.
The resort credit benefit changed in late 2023. Refer to this separate discussion and wikipost for FAQs.
AMEX TERMS:
During each year of your Card Membership ("reward year"), you are eligible to receive up to $250 total in statement credits on your Card Account for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts with your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card during that reward year. Your first reward year begins on your account opening date. Each subsequent reward year begins on the anniversary of your account opening date.
Eligible Hilton Resort purchases must be made directly with the participating Hilton Resort and charged to your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card account for the benefit to apply. Incidental charges (including charges made at restaurants, spas, and other establishments within the hotel property) must be charged to your room and paid for with your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card at checkout in order for them to be recognized as Hilton Resort purchases. Visit hilton.com/resorts for the list of participating Hilton Resorts. Purchases made by both the Basic and Additional Card Members on the eligible Card Account are eligible for statement credits. However, each Card Account is eligible for up to a total of $250 per renewal year in statement credits across all Cards on the Card Account. Please allow 8-12 weeks after the eligible Hilton purchase is charged to your Card Account for statement credit(s) to be posted to the Account. Please call the number on the back of your Card if statement credits have not posted after 12 weeks from the date of purchase. Card Members remain responsible for timely payment of all charges.
FAQ
ELIGIBLE RATES
1) Do you have to book directly through Hilton in order to receive the resort credit?
NO. See below.
2) If I’m booking at Hilton.com or through the Hilton app, etc., are any rates not eligible for the resort credit?
Any rates charged by the hotel directly will trigger the credit. Advance purchase rates for properties in the USA are charged by Hilton Corporate in Tennessee and WILL NOT trigger the credit. Advance purchase rates for properties outside the USA are typically charged by the hotel directly, so these WILL trigger the credit. According to DoC and the discussion from post #849 onwards advance purchase rates are becoming ineligible starting Aug 1, 2019, though it is unclear how this will be enforced for international properties.
3) I have to book through my corporate travel agent or use my corporate rate code at Hilton.com, will I still get the resort credit?
YES. Any rates that are charged by the hotel directly will trigger the credit.
4) What about bookings through Orbitz, Expedia, and other online travel agencies?
As long as the rate is “pay at hotel” then it will trigger the credit. Prepaid and other special rates that are charged directly by Orbitz or Expedia, etc. and not the hotel will not trigger the credit.
5) I’m looking at an eligible hotel that charges a refundable one-night deposit for all bookings, can I get the resort credit for this?
YES. As long as the deposit is charged directly by an eligible hotel to your Aspire, it will trigger the credit.
6) I see the Aspire also offers a $100 property credit at certain Conrad and Waldorf Astoria properties. What is the difference? Can I combine both credits?
YES, these are different credits but it is possible to combine them. In order to be eligible for the $100 property credit you must book a specific rate via the www.hiltonhonorsaspirecard.com website. The $100 property credit will be applied by the property at check-out before you card is charged, while the $250 resort credit will be applied by AMEX a few days after the charge appears on your statement.
For example, say you book the qualifying property credit rate via the website above for 2 nights @ $250/night, and then charge $100 in dinner to your room. At check-out, your preliminary folio is $600. The front desk will apply the $100 credit, making your final folio $500 which would be charged to your Aspire. A few days later AMEX will apply the $250 resort credit to your AMEX statement, making your total out of pocket only $250 for a $600 stay. Not bad!
ELIGIBLE PROPERTIES
As of 2022 or 2023, there is no static list of eligible properties.
You can either go to Hilton.com/resorts and hit "explore more resorts," or apply the "Resorts" filter on the search yourself.
7)Only properties listed at the official Hilton Resorts link (hilton.com/resorts) are eligible for this credit!
8) However, the hilton.com/resorts website isn’t the best! Please search thoroughly. For example, the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas does not appear when you search North America > US & Hawaii > Nevada, but it does appear if you search the map.
9) I didn’t see a property listed at the official Hilton Resorts link, but it did show up when searching Hilton.com and filtering amenities to “Resort Property,” can I get the resort credit here?
NO. Only properties listed at the official Hilton Resorts link (hilton.com/resorts) are eligible for the credit.
10) What about this hotel I stayed at last year, it’s not listed at the official Hilton Resorts link, but it has a pool and a spa and the sun was out when I was there, surely I can get the resort credit there?
NO. Only properties listed at the official Hilton Resorts link (hilton.com/resorts) are eligible for the credit.
11) OK, I get it, only properties listed at the official Hilton Resorts link (hilton.com/resorts) are eligible for the credit, but are there any others that have fallen through the cracks?
Any properties that are not listed at the official Hilton Resorts link but with positive reports of triggering the resort credit are listed below:
- HILTON WAIKIKI BEACH HOTEL (reported by jphripjah May 1, 2018) Has been added to hilton.com/resorts since.
El Conquistador Tucson, A Hilton Resort is not listed on Hilton Resorts searchable link (by state), but shows up on the map. It is reported it by mdosu April 10, 2018 that there is positive report of triggering the resort credit.
ELIGIBLE CHARGES
12) What charges are eligible for this resort credit?
ANYTHING charged directly by the hotel or to your room by an eligible property will trigger the resort credit. Room rate, taxes, fees, room service, dining, bars, spa, transportation, jet skis, beach chairs, excursions, etc. etc. etc. AMEX doesn’t discriminate on what the charge is, as long as the charge appears directly from an eligible hotel it will trigger the credit.
13) I booked an award stay using Honors points at an eligible property, can I still get the resort credit for incidentals charged to the room if I pay with my Aspire?
YES. ANYTHING charged to your room by an eligible property will trigger the resort credit, as long as you settle the charges with your Aspire.
14) I booked a prepaid rate through Orbitz at an eligible property with a different credit card, can I still get the resort credit for my hotel bar tab that I charged to the room if settle this at check-out with my Aspire?
YES. ANYTHING charged to your room by an eligible property will trigger the resort credit, as long as you settle the charges with your Aspire.
15) I bought some cat food and fresh underwear at the hotel gift shop and charged it to my room. It’s an eligible property and I’m paying with my Aspire, but surely I won’t get the resort credit for this?
WRONG. ANYTHING charged to your room by an eligible property will trigger the resort credit, as long as you settle the charges with your Aspire. And don’t call me Shirley.
CREDIT TIMING
16) How long does the resort credit take to post to my Amex statement?
The resort credit typically postsbetween 2-5 days after 10 days or even more after the eligible charge posts to your Amex account. Note that sometimes your charge will not even be processed until the following day, early in the morning.
17) What happens if I stay in an eligible property, pay with my Aspire, but the resort credit doesn't post automatically?
If the resort credit hasn't posted within 7 days, it will most likely not post automatically, and you need to call Amex to have it manually applied. Unfortunately Amex typically requires you to wait until 8 weeks after the charge before they will manually apply the resort credit. The credit not posting automatically is very rare though, see below.
18) What properties seem to have issues with the credit posting automatically?
FT members have reported that the resort credit has not posted automatically at several of the eligible resorts:
LXR Susona Bodrum, Turkey - May 2021 [Also, bonus is showing 3x, not 14x. Indicating this hotel is not coded correctly in their system. Multiple chats did not resolve this problem but a phone call did.
Resort credit has now posted and was told this should be fixed going forward. Still waiting for add'l 11x bonus points]
19) Is the credit per membership year or per calendar year?
Per membership year. Your first reward year begins on your account opening date. Each subsequent reward year begins on the anniversary of your account opening date.
20) For which resorts has the resort credit posted?
Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines
Crocksford Las Vegas
WA Grand Wailea - Multiple reports of credit not posting automatically, however one positive data point in Feb 2019 of the credit posting, YMMV.
DT Fallsview Resort Niagara Falls - several reports
Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk - 7/6/2021
Hilton Tokyo Bay - several reports
Elara Las Vegas - several reports
WA La Quinta - two reports
Hilton Mauritius - one report
Hilton Sedona - one report
Jewel Dunn River Curio Jamaica - one report
Hilton Malta - one report
Hilton Queenstown Resort and Spa - 8/2019, 2/2023
Hilton Hangzhou Qiandao Lake Resort - 4/2018
Hilton Sanqingshan Resort -4/2019
Hilton Palm Springs, CA - 1/2022
Hilton Waterfront Resort, Huntington Beach, CA - 10/2021
FAQ
ELIGIBLE RATES
1) Do you have to book directly through Hilton in order to receive the resort credit?
NO. See below.
2) If I’m booking at Hilton.com or through the Hilton app, etc., are any rates not eligible for the resort credit?
Any rates charged by the hotel directly will trigger the credit. Advance purchase rates for properties in the USA are charged by Hilton Corporate in Tennessee and WILL NOT trigger the credit. Advance purchase rates for properties outside the USA are typically charged by the hotel directly, so these WILL trigger the credit. According to DoC and the discussion from post #849 onwards advance purchase rates are becoming ineligible starting Aug 1, 2019, though it is unclear how this will be enforced for international properties.
3) I have to book through my corporate travel agent or use my corporate rate code at Hilton.com, will I still get the resort credit?
YES. Any rates that are charged by the hotel directly will trigger the credit.
4) What about bookings through Orbitz, Expedia, and other online travel agencies?
As long as the rate is “pay at hotel” then it will trigger the credit. Prepaid and other special rates that are charged directly by Orbitz or Expedia, etc. and not the hotel will not trigger the credit.
5) I’m looking at an eligible hotel that charges a refundable one-night deposit for all bookings, can I get the resort credit for this?
YES. As long as the deposit is charged directly by an eligible hotel to your Aspire, it will trigger the credit.
6) I see the Aspire also offers a $100 property credit at certain Conrad and Waldorf Astoria properties. What is the difference? Can I combine both credits?
YES, these are different credits but it is possible to combine them. In order to be eligible for the $100 property credit you must book a specific rate via the www.hiltonhonorsaspirecard.com website. The $100 property credit will be applied by the property at check-out before you card is charged, while the $250 resort credit will be applied by AMEX a few days after the charge appears on your statement.
For example, say you book the qualifying property credit rate via the website above for 2 nights @ $250/night, and then charge $100 in dinner to your room. At check-out, your preliminary folio is $600. The front desk will apply the $100 credit, making your final folio $500 which would be charged to your Aspire. A few days later AMEX will apply the $250 resort credit to your AMEX statement, making your total out of pocket only $250 for a $600 stay. Not bad!
ELIGIBLE PROPERTIES
As of 2022 or 2023, there is no static list of eligible properties.
You can either go to Hilton.com/resorts and hit "explore more resorts," or apply the "Resorts" filter on the search yourself.
7)
9) I didn’t see a property listed at the official Hilton Resorts link, but it did show up when searching Hilton.com and filtering amenities to “Resort Property,” can I get the resort credit here?
NO. Only properties listed at the official Hilton Resorts link (hilton.com/resorts) are eligible for the credit.
10) What about this hotel I stayed at last year, it’s not listed at the official Hilton Resorts link, but it has a pool and a spa and the sun was out when I was there, surely I can get the resort credit there?
NO. Only properties listed at the official Hilton Resorts link (hilton.com/resorts) are eligible for the credit.
11) OK, I get it, only properties listed at the official Hilton Resorts link (hilton.com/resorts) are eligible for the credit, but are there any others that have fallen through the cracks?
Any properties that are not listed at the official Hilton Resorts link but with positive reports of triggering the resort credit are listed below:
- HILTON WAIKIKI BEACH HOTEL (reported by jphripjah May 1, 2018) Has been added to hilton.com/resorts since.
El Conquistador Tucson, A Hilton Resort is not listed on Hilton Resorts searchable link (by state), but shows up on the map. It is reported it by mdosu April 10, 2018 that there is positive report of triggering the resort credit.
ELIGIBLE CHARGES
12) What charges are eligible for this resort credit?
ANYTHING charged directly by the hotel or to your room by an eligible property will trigger the resort credit. Room rate, taxes, fees, room service, dining, bars, spa, transportation, jet skis, beach chairs, excursions, etc. etc. etc. AMEX doesn’t discriminate on what the charge is, as long as the charge appears directly from an eligible hotel it will trigger the credit.
13) I booked an award stay using Honors points at an eligible property, can I still get the resort credit for incidentals charged to the room if I pay with my Aspire?
YES. ANYTHING charged to your room by an eligible property will trigger the resort credit, as long as you settle the charges with your Aspire.
14) I booked a prepaid rate through Orbitz at an eligible property with a different credit card, can I still get the resort credit for my hotel bar tab that I charged to the room if settle this at check-out with my Aspire?
YES. ANYTHING charged to your room by an eligible property will trigger the resort credit, as long as you settle the charges with your Aspire.
15) I bought some cat food and fresh underwear at the hotel gift shop and charged it to my room. It’s an eligible property and I’m paying with my Aspire, but surely I won’t get the resort credit for this?
WRONG. ANYTHING charged to your room by an eligible property will trigger the resort credit, as long as you settle the charges with your Aspire. And don’t call me Shirley.
CREDIT TIMING
16) How long does the resort credit take to post to my Amex statement?
The resort credit typically posts
17) What happens if I stay in an eligible property, pay with my Aspire, but the resort credit doesn't post automatically?
If the resort credit hasn't posted within 7 days, it will most likely not post automatically, and you need to call Amex to have it manually applied. Unfortunately Amex typically requires you to wait until 8 weeks after the charge before they will manually apply the resort credit. The credit not posting automatically is very rare though, see below.
18) What properties seem to have issues with the credit posting automatically?
FT members have reported that the resort credit has not posted automatically at several of the eligible resorts:
LXR Susona Bodrum, Turkey - May 2021 [Also, bonus is showing 3x, not 14x. Indicating this hotel is not coded correctly in their system. Multiple chats did not resolve this problem but a phone call did.
Resort credit has now posted and was told this should be fixed going forward. Still waiting for add'l 11x bonus points]
19) Is the credit per membership year or per calendar year?
Per membership year. Your first reward year begins on your account opening date. Each subsequent reward year begins on the anniversary of your account opening date.
20) For which resorts has the resort credit posted?
Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines
Crocksford Las Vegas
WA Grand Wailea - Multiple reports of credit not posting automatically, however one positive data point in Feb 2019 of the credit posting, YMMV.
DT Fallsview Resort Niagara Falls - several reports
Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk - 7/6/2021
Hilton Tokyo Bay - several reports
Elara Las Vegas - several reports
WA La Quinta - two reports
Hilton Mauritius - one report
Hilton Sedona - one report
Jewel Dunn River Curio Jamaica - one report
Hilton Malta - one report
Hilton Queenstown Resort and Spa - 8/2019, 2/2023
Hilton Hangzhou Qiandao Lake Resort - 4/2018
Hilton Sanqingshan Resort -4/2019
Hilton Palm Springs, CA - 1/2022
Hilton Waterfront Resort, Huntington Beach, CA - 10/2021
[Archive 2021-2023 Hilton Amex Aspire $200 Resort Credit]
Oct 25, 2023, 10:15 am
#796
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 194
The new Hilton Aspire changes have created a kind of humorous challenge for me.
Both myself and P2 have aspire cards with unused $250 credits, and we were both originally planning to use them for a resort stay in January 2024 (our membership years start/end in Feb and April). With the new changes, those $250 credits effectively expire on 12/31/2023 (and we then get 2 x $200 credits to use January through June, which we will obviously use in our January stay). We don't have any other organic uses for the resort credit prior to 12/31/2023, so now I am trying to use those $250 credits that expire this year via a prepayment, ideally on that January resort stay.
The issue is that the resort stay is at Zemi beach house, a LXR property in Anguilla. Right now, both my Platinum card and P2's platinum card each has 2x (likely) stackable Amex Offers for that property, one of which expires on 12/31/2023 and would thus also require a prepayment:
1. A "Spend $1000 and receive $200" on Waldorf/Conrad/LXR in Mexico/Polynesia/Anguilla, which expires on 12/31/2023, and
2. A "Spend $750 and receive $150" on Hilton properties across multiple brands in Mexico/Caribbean/LatinAmerica (and Zemi Beach House is on the property list) and which expires on 2/15/2024
If both of those offers trigger, that would be $350 back on $1000 in spend. And I have that on 2 separate platinum cards.
So with that in mind, if I was allowed maximum pre-payment, I would be able to get $350 (both offers on my Platinum Card) and $350 (both offers on P2's Platinum card) and $250 (my expiring resort credit) and $250 (P2's expiring resort credit), for a total of $1200 in credits on $2500 worth of prepayments. (And then beyond that, there would be the possibility of 2x$200 further of credits if I managed to spend $400 beyond my prepayments at the actual hotel during our stay in January).
I have been racking my brain for ways to somehow pull-off having the hotel allow me to make that many separate prepayments prior to 12/31/2023. Right now, the 9-night booking is all on points + free nights, and so in all likelihood I probably will not be able to generate enough actual food/beverage/other spend at the hotel to take advantage of $2500 in prepayments.
As a result, I am probably going to settle for prepayments of $1000 (to trigger my Plat offers) + $250 (to trigger my Aspire Resort Credit) + $250 (to trigger P2's Aspire Resort credit), and then utilize the additional 2x$200 new resort credits in 2024. For anyone keeping track, that will be $1250 in offers/credits on $1900 in spend (on which I will likely get back somewhere in the neighborhood of 50k Hilton points worth ~$250 with an average point valuation).
Right now, my strategy to have the hotel allow me to make that 3 separate prepayments is:
- Asking the hotel to let me do a paid upgrade from Garden view to Ocean View room (something we might want to do anyway, given that a 1yr-old baby's nap schedule will keep us in the room a lot) on 6 or 7 consecutive nights of the bookings under my name to hopefully reach ~$1000 for my Plat card
- Then doing the same on the 1 night under P2's name (and potentially rejiggering the bookings if we need to get 2 nights to hit $250)
- Then potentially asking to do the same on 1 more subsequently booked night, under my name, and which "sandwiches" P2's dates. Alternately, I might ask if we can prepay for a speedboat transfer or just general prepayment to our Folio
It's been a very funny challenge to try to puzzle through how to do this.
Both myself and P2 have aspire cards with unused $250 credits, and we were both originally planning to use them for a resort stay in January 2024 (our membership years start/end in Feb and April). With the new changes, those $250 credits effectively expire on 12/31/2023 (and we then get 2 x $200 credits to use January through June, which we will obviously use in our January stay). We don't have any other organic uses for the resort credit prior to 12/31/2023, so now I am trying to use those $250 credits that expire this year via a prepayment, ideally on that January resort stay.
The issue is that the resort stay is at Zemi beach house, a LXR property in Anguilla. Right now, both my Platinum card and P2's platinum card each has 2x (likely) stackable Amex Offers for that property, one of which expires on 12/31/2023 and would thus also require a prepayment:
1. A "Spend $1000 and receive $200" on Waldorf/Conrad/LXR in Mexico/Polynesia/Anguilla, which expires on 12/31/2023, and
2. A "Spend $750 and receive $150" on Hilton properties across multiple brands in Mexico/Caribbean/LatinAmerica (and Zemi Beach House is on the property list) and which expires on 2/15/2024
If both of those offers trigger, that would be $350 back on $1000 in spend. And I have that on 2 separate platinum cards.
So with that in mind, if I was allowed maximum pre-payment, I would be able to get $350 (both offers on my Platinum Card) and $350 (both offers on P2's Platinum card) and $250 (my expiring resort credit) and $250 (P2's expiring resort credit), for a total of $1200 in credits on $2500 worth of prepayments. (And then beyond that, there would be the possibility of 2x$200 further of credits if I managed to spend $400 beyond my prepayments at the actual hotel during our stay in January).
I have been racking my brain for ways to somehow pull-off having the hotel allow me to make that many separate prepayments prior to 12/31/2023. Right now, the 9-night booking is all on points + free nights, and so in all likelihood I probably will not be able to generate enough actual food/beverage/other spend at the hotel to take advantage of $2500 in prepayments.
As a result, I am probably going to settle for prepayments of $1000 (to trigger my Plat offers) + $250 (to trigger my Aspire Resort Credit) + $250 (to trigger P2's Aspire Resort credit), and then utilize the additional 2x$200 new resort credits in 2024. For anyone keeping track, that will be $1250 in offers/credits on $1900 in spend (on which I will likely get back somewhere in the neighborhood of 50k Hilton points worth ~$250 with an average point valuation).
Right now, my strategy to have the hotel allow me to make that 3 separate prepayments is:
- Asking the hotel to let me do a paid upgrade from Garden view to Ocean View room (something we might want to do anyway, given that a 1yr-old baby's nap schedule will keep us in the room a lot) on 6 or 7 consecutive nights of the bookings under my name to hopefully reach ~$1000 for my Plat card
- Then doing the same on the 1 night under P2's name (and potentially rejiggering the bookings if we need to get 2 nights to hit $250)
- Then potentially asking to do the same on 1 more subsequently booked night, under my name, and which "sandwiches" P2's dates. Alternately, I might ask if we can prepay for a speedboat transfer or just general prepayment to our Folio
It's been a very funny challenge to try to puzzle through how to do this.
Oct 25, 2023, 5:23 pm
#797
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 984
Hi, random question for this. I booked the Conrad Maldives on my account and will be going in March next year with my wife. I already have the Aspire and will be using my resort credit over there. If my wife also opens up an Aspire, is it possible to use her resort credit there as well? Or no, because all the incidentals will be charged to the room / my card? I was thinking maybe we can pay for a dinner on the resort (or drinks) separately with her card, but unsure if that triggers the credit?
Oct 25, 2023, 5:53 pm
#798
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: RDU
Programs: HH Diamond, AA Gold, Marriot Plat
Posts: 209
With the new changes, if you and your wife haven't used the $250 resort credit yet on the cards, and based on what you are saying, it doesn't look like it has been used, make sure you call the hotel and put charges to your reservation ahead of time with both cards by 12/31/2023 to use up the original $250 credit for each card. This way you will have an already $500 credit sitting on the reservation when you get there, and then you will both have an additional $200 to use for the first half of 2024 credit. I have never been to the Maldives, but I am guessing that it is like any other resort and it shouldn't be too hard to spend $900 on meals and activities.
.
Oct 25, 2023, 6:04 pm
#799
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Saipan, MP 96950 USA (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands = the CNMI)
Programs: UA Silver, Hilton Silver. Life: UA .57 MM, United & Admirals Clubs (spousal), Marriott Platinum
Posts: 15,051
And the Hilton Surpass AmEx has gone to quarterly $50 credits. 
Oct 25, 2023, 6:36 pm
#800
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 984
The new Hilton Aspire changes have created a kind of humorous challenge for me.
Both myself and P2 have aspire cards with unused $250 credits, and we were both originally planning to use them for a resort stay in January 2024 (our membership years start/end in Feb and April). With the new changes, those $250 credits effectively expire on 12/31/2023 (and we then get 2 x $200 credits to use January through June, which we will obviously use in our January stay). We don't have any other organic uses for the resort credit prior to 12/31/2023, so now I am trying to use those $250 credits that expire this year via a prepayment, ideally on that January resort stay.
The issue is that the resort stay is at Zemi beach house, a LXR property in Anguilla. Right now, both my Platinum card and P2's platinum card each has 2x (likely) stackable Amex Offers for that property, one of which expires on 12/31/2023 and would thus also require a prepayment:
1. A "Spend $1000 and receive $200" on Waldorf/Conrad/LXR in Mexico/Polynesia/Anguilla, which expires on 12/31/2023, and
2. A "Spend $750 and receive $150" on Hilton properties across multiple brands in Mexico/Caribbean/LatinAmerica (and Zemi Beach House is on the property list) and which expires on 2/15/2024
If both of those offers trigger, that would be $350 back on $1000 in spend. And I have that on 2 separate platinum cards.
So with that in mind, if I was allowed maximum pre-payment, I would be able to get $350 (both offers on my Platinum Card) and $350 (both offers on P2's Platinum card) and $250 (my expiring resort credit) and $250 (P2's expiring resort credit), for a total of $1200 in credits on $2500 worth of prepayments. (And then beyond that, there would be the possibility of 2x$200 further of credits if I managed to spend $400 beyond my prepayments at the actual hotel during our stay in January).
I have been racking my brain for ways to somehow pull-off having the hotel allow me to make that many separate prepayments prior to 12/31/2023. Right now, the 9-night booking is all on points + free nights, and so in all likelihood I probably will not be able to generate enough actual food/beverage/other spend at the hotel to take advantage of $2500 in prepayments.
As a result, I am probably going to settle for prepayments of $1000 (to trigger my Plat offers) + $250 (to trigger my Aspire Resort Credit) + $250 (to trigger P2's Aspire Resort credit), and then utilize the additional 2x$200 new resort credits in 2024. For anyone keeping track, that will be $1250 in offers/credits on $1900 in spend (on which I will likely get back somewhere in the neighborhood of 50k Hilton points worth ~$250 with an average point valuation).
Right now, my strategy to have the hotel allow me to make that 3 separate prepayments is:
- Asking the hotel to let me do a paid upgrade from Garden view to Ocean View room (something we might want to do anyway, given that a 1yr-old baby's nap schedule will keep us in the room a lot) on 6 or 7 consecutive nights of the bookings under my name to hopefully reach ~$1000 for my Plat card
- Then doing the same on the 1 night under P2's name (and potentially rejiggering the bookings if we need to get 2 nights to hit $250)
- Then potentially asking to do the same on 1 more subsequently booked night, under my name, and which "sandwiches" P2's dates. Alternately, I might ask if we can prepay for a speedboat transfer or just general prepayment to our Folio
It's been a very funny challenge to try to puzzle through how to do this.
Both myself and P2 have aspire cards with unused $250 credits, and we were both originally planning to use them for a resort stay in January 2024 (our membership years start/end in Feb and April). With the new changes, those $250 credits effectively expire on 12/31/2023 (and we then get 2 x $200 credits to use January through June, which we will obviously use in our January stay). We don't have any other organic uses for the resort credit prior to 12/31/2023, so now I am trying to use those $250 credits that expire this year via a prepayment, ideally on that January resort stay.
The issue is that the resort stay is at Zemi beach house, a LXR property in Anguilla. Right now, both my Platinum card and P2's platinum card each has 2x (likely) stackable Amex Offers for that property, one of which expires on 12/31/2023 and would thus also require a prepayment:
1. A "Spend $1000 and receive $200" on Waldorf/Conrad/LXR in Mexico/Polynesia/Anguilla, which expires on 12/31/2023, and
2. A "Spend $750 and receive $150" on Hilton properties across multiple brands in Mexico/Caribbean/LatinAmerica (and Zemi Beach House is on the property list) and which expires on 2/15/2024
If both of those offers trigger, that would be $350 back on $1000 in spend. And I have that on 2 separate platinum cards.
So with that in mind, if I was allowed maximum pre-payment, I would be able to get $350 (both offers on my Platinum Card) and $350 (both offers on P2's Platinum card) and $250 (my expiring resort credit) and $250 (P2's expiring resort credit), for a total of $1200 in credits on $2500 worth of prepayments. (And then beyond that, there would be the possibility of 2x$200 further of credits if I managed to spend $400 beyond my prepayments at the actual hotel during our stay in January).
I have been racking my brain for ways to somehow pull-off having the hotel allow me to make that many separate prepayments prior to 12/31/2023. Right now, the 9-night booking is all on points + free nights, and so in all likelihood I probably will not be able to generate enough actual food/beverage/other spend at the hotel to take advantage of $2500 in prepayments.
As a result, I am probably going to settle for prepayments of $1000 (to trigger my Plat offers) + $250 (to trigger my Aspire Resort Credit) + $250 (to trigger P2's Aspire Resort credit), and then utilize the additional 2x$200 new resort credits in 2024. For anyone keeping track, that will be $1250 in offers/credits on $1900 in spend (on which I will likely get back somewhere in the neighborhood of 50k Hilton points worth ~$250 with an average point valuation).
Right now, my strategy to have the hotel allow me to make that 3 separate prepayments is:
- Asking the hotel to let me do a paid upgrade from Garden view to Ocean View room (something we might want to do anyway, given that a 1yr-old baby's nap schedule will keep us in the room a lot) on 6 or 7 consecutive nights of the bookings under my name to hopefully reach ~$1000 for my Plat card
- Then doing the same on the 1 night under P2's name (and potentially rejiggering the bookings if we need to get 2 nights to hit $250)
- Then potentially asking to do the same on 1 more subsequently booked night, under my name, and which "sandwiches" P2's dates. Alternately, I might ask if we can prepay for a speedboat transfer or just general prepayment to our Folio
It's been a very funny challenge to try to puzzle through how to do this.
Oct 25, 2023, 6:52 pm
#801
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 984
Oh, the OP made the post well before the recent changes, so I was kind of assuming they had gotten the Aspire already. Also, are you really not able to use $250 with new cards? My understanding was that the $200/6 months didn't start until 01/01/2024, so even if you apply now for the card, you would get $250 until the end of the year? Otherwise, the new applicants would have 0 resort credit benefits for the rest of the year?
Oct 26, 2023, 9:37 pm
#802
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: UA1K MM, JL JMB SAPPHIRE, Marriott Titanium/LTP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,267
This tip about purchasing gift cards directly while physically at an eligible resort -- and not online or telephonically, because those are centrally billed through Hilton and would not earn the resort credit -- is an excellent one to keep in mind now that the Hilton Aspire AmEx has gone to semiannual $200 credits. And the Hilton Surpass AmEx has gone to quarterly $50 credits.
And the Hilton Surpass AmEx has gone to quarterly $50 credits.
Oct 26, 2023, 10:03 pm
#803
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: SFO
Programs: HH, *G
Posts: 120
hilton should operate their program like a Starbucks. I’d probably stupidly prepay more than I should due to Amex offers!.
Oct 27, 2023, 7:24 am
#805
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: UA 1MM, AA Plat, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Glob, IHG ♢ Amb, Hilton ♢, Hertz Pres
Posts: 6,017
Oct 27, 2023, 7:28 am
#806
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,482
Buying a gift card at one of the numerous non resorts in San Francisco wouldn't accomplish much, which was the point being made above.
Oct 27, 2023, 7:35 am
#807
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 51
Resort Credit
Is there a way to book reservation online and pay at front desk? Have 2 aspire cards between me and p2, would like to use both for 1 night and remaining room charge. Rate is 400, so how can I use both cards to book reservation?
Oct 27, 2023, 8:23 am
#808
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: UA 1MM, AA Plat, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Glob, IHG ♢ Amb, Hilton ♢, Hertz Pres
Posts: 6,017
Ahh, I see. I assumed the poster knew they needed to buy GCs at an eligible resort in order for the resort credit to apply. But always good to remind folks, as they may have forgotten.
Oct 27, 2023, 9:35 am
#809
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 10
For example, I used to have 3 aspire, so went to a resort property and had them charge $250 each for the first two cards and the remainder on the third. I try to go to the front desk early in the morning or wait until they aren't busy, as I know it takes some extra effort for them. But totally worth it for me.
The credit is only based on what charges go to what card. So, if you had the surpass $50, you could charge $50 to that and then $250 to an aspire and the rest to another aspire to max out credits. And a bonus would be if you had an Amex offer on one of the cards!
Oct 28, 2023, 2:13 am
#810
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: SFO
Programs: HH, *G
Posts: 120
$250 once per year was quite likely we'd hit an actual resort during the year. But now w/ 6 months it's not quite as likely. (And Hilton's resort definition seems a little arbitrary...c'est la vie.)
(Also, the Surpass dosing out quarterly $50 credits to any Hilton is ripe for the GC game, since someone mentioned that earlier... but I guess that's its own thread.)