jamesteroh

I easily get a lot more than $245 value out of the free night. I use it in an overseas Hilton or the Bently in Miami during peak season when rates are pretty high.

If someone isn't spending enough nights at Hilton to get gold status they should also look at the value of the benefits like the free breakfast.

mnredfox

While you may be right, I'm doubtful. Hilton has been devaluing Diamond for years.

Sad considering normally it's 30 nights - that's like $3K.

Totally agree

I don't think Diamond plus will occur, but then again the whole industry is going to a discriminatory model (think price discrimination). It's all modeled off of revenue (or profitability).

krazykanuck

Used to? I was there in February this year and the lounge was standing room only during breakfast both mornings. A weekend, in Chicago, in February. I mean I knew the Palmer House lounge was cramped, and with 1000+ rooms surely a good % would be elites but even I was surprised.

We just need a good recession to hit the reset button. Airlines and hotels think, somewhat correctly, that we'll just keep playing to whatever beat they give us.

Eujeanie

This is interesting. I was there on a weekend, in August, and both nights the lounge was not even close to sro, and both mornings the lounge was closed (private party?) and the breakfast was in one of the restaurants downstairs (not Lockwood, the pub-type one) and it was empty.

Here's my theory: although the hotel was sold out in August, there were a gazillion wedding parties - so not many elite members (you could also tell at check-in - the regular line was looong and the elite line was not).

Who goes to Chicago for fun in February? it had to be mostly business travelers, most of whom would have status.

jamesteroh

The lounge at Palmer House hasn't been open for breakfast on weekends in a while. I was told it was because the lounge gets crowded at breakfast time on weekends and they can seat a lot more people downstairs. I think a lot of it is families or large groups where one party has access and invites all their friends to the lounge. By having the buffet downstairs it's easy to control making sure it's just the diamond +1. I think breakfast downstairs is a lot more peaceful than the lounge.

I miss being a "real" diamond on my Palmer House stays. The front desk was great about giving upgrades to guests with a lot of stays and I've had a couple large suites. Since being a credit card diamond this year I haven't received a large suite.

beltway

That was a brain-o on my part; meant Ascend. And the fact that we don't know of a sign-up bonus yet doesn't mean there won't be one at some point in the future. Of course, it's academic for current/recent Surpass card holders if the Ascend is treated as functionally the same card.

felicity5

So is it a good idea to close the surpass now in the hope that the Ascend will be a new card and we'd be able to get the sign up bonus in the future?

Cathay Dragon 666

Sorry, had one too many last night, can't type right

gottaluvNW

Lauren:

What constitutes "flights booked directly with airlines" ?

When I book with an OTA, Expedia for example, the charge on my account is from the airline. It does not say the charge is from the OTA.

Does this transaction qualify for the additional points under the new Hilton credit cards?
6x points for Ascend or 7x points for Aspire?

fredc84

TBH, I don't think anyone has a definitive answer to this questions, just opinions. We may not know for sure until the conversions take place and someone tests it out. DoC writes about it and seems to think that it is a re-branding, meaning no new sign-up bonus...though he said he'd be happy to be wrong.

travelinfoo

As a very recently lapsed Diamond due to changes in travel habits, I'm not sure I would get the Aspire card just to be Diamond. I don't travel much overseas any more where being a Diamond (earned via stays) was truly worthwhile. I fly SWA a lot nowadays so few incidentals to reimburse and am staying more in VRBOs.

Overall, the $450 fee card doesn't appear very worthwhile. Little benefits from the airline reimbursement (I fly a lot of different airlines or the same alliance but not 1 airline w/lots fees) or Hilton resort credit. I already have Priority Pass free. The free weekend night is OK but there are so many bargains on weekends. Also getting a free $450 room also means I may be paying $$$ for additional nights. And the points accumulation, though nice, is limited to use for Hilton. If the airline and Hilton reimbursements were more open (i.e., any airline spend and any Hilton family spend), I'd get the card.

Overall, I'd rather accumulate points for flexible use and wider travel reimbursement like the Chase Reserve has. So far, that card has been more than worth its $450 AF.

dave1013

Remember that if you meet the quals, you can extend your Diamond status for a year (one-time shot at it).

Tpa-flyer

Overall, I'd rather accumulate points for flexible use and wider travel reimbursement like the Chase Reserve has. So far, that card has been more than worth its $450 AF.[/QUOTE]

I tend to agree with you regarding the flexible use CSR offers. Both my husband and I have the CSR and its benefits have been invaluable to us this year creating a viewpoint that our $450 AF stretches those dollars far and wide for us. Still, we're not, right now anyway, thinking about the CSR vs the Aspire as an either/or situation. We are leaning toward also getting the Aspire and then monitoring carefully during the first year of having both if the programs fulfill for us a ROI rich enough to continue to be customers long term.

diver858

https://thepointsguy.com/2017/10/kim...ards-combining

Another reason to consider IHG as an alternative to Honors. IHG Citi Credit card ($49 AF) includes Platinum Elite Status, one free night per year - 2 if both spouses have their own card.

Combined with IHG's generous quarterly promotions, being able to buy Diamond status with a credit card that pays for itself opens up more of such alternatives.

travelinfoo

It's not truly an either/or situation to me as well. It's more looking a value. I see very little value in the Aspire card with the announced benefits. I will not "make back" the AF as I do with the Reserve card.

The Reserve PP has been wonderful. Unlimited free airport lounges and some hotel lounge access including guests. That alone made up for the additional $150 residual AF (of course, the $300 travel credit was used quickly!). Plus the travel delay benefit seems to be excellent. I, thankfully, have never had to use it. But reading on forums, the benefit was fairly straight forward to use when needed. I have used the accumulated points for several business class trips and the shopping mall has allowed me to grow my points total quickly.

Looking at the Aspire, the PP is on no use to me since I have the unlimited Reserve. The Aspire PP limits guests to 2; Reserve has no listed limit though lounges may limit the # of guests. I rarely stay at Hilton resorts, so 0 value. I fly many different airlines and usually Business. So 0 value airline fee credit (limited to only 1 airline anyway). So the AF value will have to come from points accumulation and the free weekend night(s).
Hilton points costs for the area I want to go to are astronomical: 60K points for a CT HGI off-season, 70-90K for a London hotel, etc. So value of the points is fairly low. I get breakfast free as Gold. In the US, the executive lounge is usually crap.
I was a many year Diamond via stays. I have seen the benefits of being Diamond greatly diminished over the years. The upgrades rarer and not as nice. BTW, the hotels know who is a stay Diamond and who is CC and do treat them differently. I have a gotten a massive corner suite (2 huge rooms, wrap around balcony, massive bathroom, upgraded bath products, bottle of wine and fruit/chocolate plate daily) in 2 different places (the hotels only had a handful of these rooms) whereas CC Diamonds got "junior suites". But these wonderful upgrades have been fewer and fewer. All-in-all, it looks like I will not "make back" the $450 AF.

I have not studied Amex's travel delay, etc benefits to be able to compare them to Reserve.

So basically what I am saying, I don't think there is a worry about the ranks of Diamonds jumping from ppl just "buying" it with a CC AF because the value, from my standpoint, is so low.