I also was surprised (and thrilled) to find a Diamond VIP packet in the mail today. "Exceptional loyalty deserves extraordinary recognition. So it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the most prestigious level of Hilton HHonors membership - HHonors Diamond VIP."

I'm not real sure what got me to this level. I have two stays and 8 nights in the past year. I do have both HHonors Credit Cards and did spend around $40,000 on the AMEX in the past year (paying for the majority of my wedding and honeymoon), but I didn't receive a letter from AMEX about my new status. I was at one time a Diamond and stayed at Hilton's the majority of the year because of business, but that was a couple years ago.

But as I do still have about 500,000 HHonors Points in my account, the Diamond Status should come in quite handy (and it doesn't expire until 04/06).

Apparently, you must be new to FlyerTalk to qualify. ;)

Heh. If this was a published benefit with clear criteria, I might swing the requisite charges to the Hilton Amex.

Wish we knew more, like do they elevate everyone with $X spend? Is it a one-time thing, or will they repeat in future years?

It was indeed my HHonors AMEX that gave me Diamond status. I received the same letter saying my loyalty to the Hilton HHonors Platinum Credit Card from American Express deserves extraordinary recognition. Again, I used my card heavily in the past year for my wedding and honeymoon - approximately $40,000 charged over the year. I insisted we put every charge we could on that card. Not only did it help take us on the Kenya Safari, but now Diamond until 2006... not too shabby.

I agree. All they publish is that you get Silver status for the first year. I think most people get the card for the sign up bonus. I believe AMEX would see a lot more activity on the card if people knew that X dollars charged in a year made you Gold and another X dollars in the year got you up to Platinum.

************************************************** **********

I do my share of spending on the HHonors cc(30K in 6 months) but made Diamond the hard way.

I spend 30K in last 6 months to get Diamond status from AMEX.

I got more info from a colleague talking to HHonors: it was supposedly an AMEX promotion. AMEX basically reviewed accounts and assembled a list of those HHAMEX card holders who spent $25,000 through June 2004 (no starting date according to him) and asked HHonors to award Diamond to a select number of those on the list, as long as they were U.S. residents in the HHonors system.

When I called AMEX, the answer was it was a one-time gift without informing anyone ahead of time which might have changed their spending habits. In other words, it was a thank you for the past, not a carrot for the future.

I then called HHonors to inquire about why I wouldn't have receved it and the answer was two-fold: 1) I had my HHonors account listed to a different (and non-U.S.) address and, of course, 2) I might have been one of the non-targeted anyway. Suffice it to say, my addresses are identical now!

No mention from either side as to whether it will be repeated or if it's secretly ongoing in the background now.

All I can say is, congrats to the winners in this one!

New info on this one...it's back and ongoing.

Verbally, I've learned that AmEx is again offering what they call a courtesy upgrade to Diamond to US Hilton HHonors Platinum AmEx card holders who have over $2,500 in monthly card spend over a consecutive six-month period. Ongoing through April 2006. Must be registered as a U.S. resident in the HHonors system. Info is based on conversations with supervisors at Amex and HHonors with an AmEx supervisor reading part of a memo outlining it all. According to the memo, card holders cannot spend $30,000 in one month and be selected; it has to be distributed over 6 months, and never less than $2,500 per month.

And they aren't calling it a promotion, but rather a courtesy upgrade. Few people at either Hilton or Amex are willing to talk to card holders about it and I wasn't allowed to get a copy of the memo. And she knew of nowhere else where this courtesy upgrade was mentioned. Very smoke-and-mirrors for some reason.

See:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...eferrerid=3941

Grog, did you get a feel for whether this applies to anyone who meets the spending criteria or does Hilton select only some of the eligible cardholders? I ask because I have spent over $2500 (and usually well over that amount) every month over the past year, with the exception of last May when I spent $2460 (and with similar spending in prior years as well). Needless to say, I never received a "courtesy upgrade" to Diamond, but had to do it the hard way, with my 28th stay at the end of December '04, the first time ever that I have made it to Diamond. Now that I am Diamond, Hilton certainly won't be "upgrading" me. I am bummed.

lol

I did leave that out, didn't I...

I asked about targeting and she said there was no reference made to it and it was her understanding that it would be open to all U.S. members. I'm banking on that being true. But, once again, with the smoke and mirrors involved, I really won't know until I call them up on that sixth month and ask whether it's going to happen. And that sixth month will be June--after my status has already dropped--so, for me, it's critical that it's hhonored (pun) by them.

And I am sorry to bum you :(. It does seem to be the nature of FT that at least one person ends up with that shafted feeling, though :p

Yes, we all seem to get to take our turn :D