Mar 14, 2019, 8:27 am
Last edit by: rrgg
Expiration: The 12 month expiration date on a certificate means you must reserve and complete the stay by the expiration date. You can't reserve something beyond the 12 month period. You can't extend the expiration date. (Some exceptions starting with this post.)
Eligible Dates: A certificate can be used for a Standard Room Award any day of the week. (Old policy limited them to Fri, Sat, Sun).
Other Notes:
Eligible Dates: A certificate can be used for a Standard Room Award any day of the week. (Old policy limited them to Fri, Sat, Sun).
Other Notes:
- If you earned a free night from a credit card and cancel the card, the free night certificate remains intact.
- If you cancel a reservation made with a free night certificate, the certificate becomes available right away.
- After making a reservation with a free night certificate, you'll get an email that says you booked a Standard Room Award. It will also show the points value, but no points will actually be deducted.
- The free night from the Aspire card arrives by email within 2 months of being approved and anniversary date, and the free night from spend on the Aspire/Business/Surpass arrives within a week or sooner of reaching the spending threshold. This is irrespective of your card statement date. If you upgrade from another Hilton Amex to the Aspire, the free night may post more quickly.
- Available, reserved and used certificates can be seen midway through the My Account page (https://www.hilton.com/en/hilton-hon...st/my-account/)
- If you're waiting for a free night certificate to arrive, Hilton reps say it does not help to make a points reservation and then swap it later. The reason is they have to cancel the old points reservation one and make a new reservation. The old one can't just be edited to change the payment to a FNC.
- From the Hilton email regarding a special 2020 policy on some certificates, "For all unexpired Weekend Night Rewards as of March 11, 2020, and all new ones issued until August 30, 2020, we are extending the expiration date through the end of next summer (August 31, 2021). There is no need for you to do anything, as your certificate(s) are being automatically updated in our systems. We hope this adjustment gives you some additional flexibility for your travels
Consolidated "Free Night Certificate Questions & Experiences" thread
Jan 12, 2023, 11:43 am
#916
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 984
I now see there are DPs above showing that this method hasn't been working lately.
Jan 16, 2023, 9:26 am
#917
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 552
Has anyone been able to combine a free night certificate with a fifth night free benefit?
I have a six day reservation I would like to book. Five with points (with the fifth night free) and then a sixth night with the free night certificate. The property I am looking to book requires a 5 night minimum for award availability at standard rates. So the free night certificate cannot be used unless it is in conjunction with the other five nights. The HH rep told me that this could not be done.
I have a six day reservation I would like to book. Five with points (with the fifth night free) and then a sixth night with the free night certificate. The property I am looking to book requires a 5 night minimum for award availability at standard rates. So the free night certificate cannot be used unless it is in conjunction with the other five nights. The HH rep told me that this could not be done.
Jan 16, 2023, 7:01 pm
#918
Join Date: May 2022
Posts: 2,263
Has anyone been able to combine a free night certificate with a fifth night free benefit?
I have a six day reservation I would like to book. Five with points (with the fifth night free) and then a sixth night with the free night certificate. The property I am looking to book requires a 5 night minimum for award availability at standard rates. So the free night certificate cannot be used unless it is in conjunction with the other five nights. The HH rep told me that this could not be done.
I have a six day reservation I would like to book. Five with points (with the fifth night free) and then a sixth night with the free night certificate. The property I am looking to book requires a 5 night minimum for award availability at standard rates. So the free night certificate cannot be used unless it is in conjunction with the other five nights. The HH rep told me that this could not be done.
Jan 26, 2023, 6:00 pm
#919
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: New York, NY
Programs: IHG Spire Ambassador, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 456
I'm at a little over 10 weeks from my anniversary date. I chatted with Amex and the rep said that since the terms state 8-14 weeks, I should sit tight for a little while longer.
Jan 27, 2023, 9:31 am
#920
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Between MGM & ATL
Programs: Primarily Hilton & Delta
Posts: 137
My card anniversary is the end of October and it seems I get the FNC the first week of January every year (roughly 10 weeks).
I booked three more with FNCs as well.
Jan 27, 2023, 5:25 pm
#922
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EUG
Programs: AS MVP, AA MM, HH Diamond, MR Gold
Posts: 8,220
I'm not sure this is a news flash or not. I have always, when I needed to cancel, called in. This time, I was able to cancel by just hitting "cancel". But still had to call in to rebook.
Halfway there, Hilton.
Halfway there, Hilton.
Jan 28, 2023, 5:19 am
#924
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,774
If I have a booking that was booked with points, and the resort has 30-day cancellation policy, and my free night certificate arrives in my account two weeks before arrival (which means it's past cancellation deadline, so obviously, if you cancel and rebook, you get penalized for cancellation fee), will hilton let me swap points with FNC without penalizing me for cancellation fee?
Last edited by uclacolumbiaunc; Jan 28, 2023 at 5:28 am
Jan 29, 2023, 5:40 pm
#926
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: DCA
Programs: UA 1K; *G and *A Top 1000; HHonors Diamond; *$ Gold; Global Entry
Posts: 2,272
Jan 30, 2023, 3:04 am
#928
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,051
Actually you can (or you could). However it requires a call to Hilton.
Based on how the maths works, you get less value from the FNC than using it on a stand-alone night.
For example...
Based on how the maths works, you get less value from the FNC than using it on a stand-alone night.
For example...
If you wanted to add a fifth night “free”, the calculations would work out like this:
- 95,000 x 5 =475,000 points
- 475,000 x 80% = 380,000 points –> 76,000 points per night for every night other than the one using a free night certificate
- = 76,000 x 4 = 304,000 points + one free night certificate
Jan 30, 2023, 9:51 am
#929
Join Date: Jul 2015
Programs: HH Diamond, HGVC, WN RR, National Exec, Avis Preferred
Posts: 1,057
But I am struggling to understand how you come up with the 76,000 value on 4 nights of a 5th night free stay at a 95,000 per night property and then use a FNC.
Jan 30, 2023, 12:49 pm
#930
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,051
I also found the same example on this link: https://insideflyer.com/2021/05/12/h...-benefit-work/
But I am struggling to understand how you come up with the 76,000 value on 4 nights of a 5th night free stay at a 95,000 per night property and then use a FNC.
But I am struggling to understand how you come up with the 76,000 value on 4 nights of a 5th night free stay at a 95,000 per night property and then use a FNC.
Essentially the fifth night free works out as a 20% discount across the five nights, especially now that award pricing is more dynamic. So you are merely replacing one of those five nights with a FNC. (what you aren't doing is replacing one of the four full-price nights and still getting a free night)