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
Feb 1, 2023, 12:26 pm
#946
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EUG
Programs: AS MVP, AA MM, HH Diamond, MR Gold
Posts: 8,220
From the way you worded this, have you actually done it? Did you book 5 nights using FNC and points and received the 5th night "free" (meaning less than the normal points rate)?
I have a 5-night stay in 2 reservations. 1st reservation is 1 night w/cash. 2nd reservation is 4 nights with FNCs and points. Night 2 is now sold out, but if that changes I might ask.
Contrary to what Eujeanie said, for what it's worth a HH rep told me not to book with points and then call to swap an FNC. It was more than a year ago, but she said the FNC will be a new reservation and you risk not getting the room back.
I have a 5-night stay in 2 reservations. 1st reservation is 1 night w/cash. 2nd reservation is 4 nights with FNCs and points. Night 2 is now sold out, but if that changes I might ask.
Contrary to what Eujeanie said, for what it's worth a HH rep told me not to book with points and then call to swap an FNC. It was more than a year ago, but she said the FNC will be a new reservation and you risk not getting the room back.
Feb 1, 2023, 12:59 pm
#947
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 41
There is someone with an anniversary in late November who received their cert last week, fwiw.
Hilton Honors Ambassador - Do you know what's going on with this? Thanks
Last edited by RustyHippo; Feb 1, 2023 at 1:05 pm
Feb 3, 2023, 1:04 pm
#950
Company Representative - Honors by Hilton
Join Date: Aug 2009
Programs: Hilton Honors
Posts: 1,516
Mine is late as well based on previous years; AMEX just gave me a canned response to wait the full 14 weeks. Not particularly reassuring when I have a booking to complete for early March.
There is someone with an anniversary in late November who received their cert last week, fwiw.
Hilton Honors Ambassador - Do you know what's going on with this? Thanks
There is someone with an anniversary in late November who received their cert last week, fwiw.
Hilton Honors Ambassador - Do you know what's going on with this? Thanks
Best regards,
William
Feb 4, 2023, 7:43 pm
#953
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EUG
Programs: AS MVP, AA MM, HH Diamond, MR Gold
Posts: 8,220
I'm waiting on my mid-december renewal, have already outlayed the 70K for the night I want in April, just hoping a standard room is still available when my cert finally comes so I can switch it out.
Feb 6, 2023, 8:52 pm
#954
Join Date: Dec 2015
Programs: Southwest, AA, Starwood, MR
Posts: 42
How quickly do you receive FNC after upgrading to Aspire
Anyone have a datapoint on how long it takes to receive the FNC after upgrading to the Aspire card from the no annual fee card? I'm assuming you would receive it in the first year/shortly after upgrading and not just at account anniversary?
Feb 12, 2023, 8:02 am
#955
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 26
I've booked before using FNCs over chat. Forewarning that it can be very slow (several minutes between replies), and if you have a question outside of just completing the booking, getting a clear answer can be hit or miss.
Feb 21, 2023, 3:38 pm
#958
Join Date: May 2019
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium Elite, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist
Posts: 454
Poor Customer Service/Technical Issues
With all of the talk about people getting Bonvoy'd by Marriott, I sometimes forget that Hilton can also be really awful. I've had 5 calls already on a really basic issue and it is still not resolved.
Background is pretty easy - I have a free night certificate that expires on 3/1/2023. I have a stay coming up this weekend. I can see the hotel online and actually ended up booking it with points during one of my early calls with Diamond Customer "Service." Even though the room I want says this:
Book Now
Standard Room Reward
30,000 Points Per Night
None of the Customer Service Reps have been able to book it. One of the reps was actually great - she called IT, offered to call the hotel, and after about 20 minutes felt like we were making progress. But I had a work call and I needed to go. Called back after that and the new rep basically said, I was SOL. They won't extend the certificate, won't credit me 30,000 points and basically said I was on my own. I literally cannot use a Standard Free Night certificate for a Standard Room Reward. I asked if someone could contact me. She said: "Nope."
Her suggestion? Call back tomorrow. I asked if somebody was looking into it, since I'd called both Sunday and Monday already. Her answer? Not that she was aware of. What a joke. What good are free night certs if they won't let you use them?!? Literally questioning whether I drop my Aspire and just burn through my Hilton points, avoiding them completely in the future.
Background is pretty easy - I have a free night certificate that expires on 3/1/2023. I have a stay coming up this weekend. I can see the hotel online and actually ended up booking it with points during one of my early calls with Diamond Customer "Service." Even though the room I want says this:
Book Now
Standard Room Reward
30,000 Points Per Night
None of the Customer Service Reps have been able to book it. One of the reps was actually great - she called IT, offered to call the hotel, and after about 20 minutes felt like we were making progress. But I had a work call and I needed to go. Called back after that and the new rep basically said, I was SOL. They won't extend the certificate, won't credit me 30,000 points and basically said I was on my own. I literally cannot use a Standard Free Night certificate for a Standard Room Reward. I asked if someone could contact me. She said: "Nope."
Her suggestion? Call back tomorrow. I asked if somebody was looking into it, since I'd called both Sunday and Monday already. Her answer? Not that she was aware of. What a joke. What good are free night certs if they won't let you use them?!? Literally questioning whether I drop my Aspire and just burn through my Hilton points, avoiding them completely in the future.
Feb 21, 2023, 5:28 pm
#959
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: BOS
Programs: American LTG, Bonvoy G, Hilton LTD
Posts: 117
There is a thread dedicate to your issue: Consolidated "Free Night Certificate Questions & Experiences" thread
I poked around in it a bit and there may be some ideas there that can help. Good luck!
I poked around in it a bit and there may be some ideas there that can help. Good luck!
Mar 1, 2023, 5:41 pm
#960
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EUG
Programs: AS MVP, AA MM, HH Diamond, MR Gold
Posts: 8,220
I'm still waiting. Anniversary in December, AF billed and paid in January, now it's March and nothing. Ridiculous. Someone said somewhere that they don't want you to get the certificate then cancel before paying the AF. I paid the AF 2 months ago.
WHEN will I get this certificate? I need it for an upcoming stay. I've been an AMEX member for 20+ years, if I wanted to cancel the card I would have done it by now. I don't. It's not fair.
Sorry for venting, but I'm really disgusted.
WHEN will I get this certificate? I need it for an upcoming stay. I've been an AMEX member for 20+ years, if I wanted to cancel the card I would have done it by now. I don't. It's not fair.
Sorry for venting, but I'm really disgusted.