Hilton Honors Transfer Partners & How To Use Them [2024]

Key Takeaways

• Hilton Honors points can be transferred to various airline partners, including British Airways Avios, Delta SkyMiles, and United MileagePlus,
• Generally, points transfer at a 10:1 ratio to airline partners.
• While transferring points can provide flexibility, using Hilton Honors points directly for hotel stays often yields better value compared to transferring to other programs.

Hilton’s hotel loyalty program is called Hilton Honors. With a rich history dating back to 1987 and a gigantic portfolio of brands and hotels, chances are you’ll eventually encounter Hilton in your travel planning, even if you don’t currently seek its hotels out.

Most of us don’t ever consider transferring points out of Hilton; in fact, most of us points enthusiasts ever only think about transferring points into Hilton to top up a points shortage and make a points redemption.

But in some cases, you might have a bunch of Hilton Honors points that you don’t have an immediate use for, even though there are tons of amazing ways to use Hilton Honors points.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through all of Hilton’s transfer partners and show you how to transfer your points from Hilton to a partner.

Hilton Airline Transfer Partners

The Hilton Honors program currently has 26 airline transfer partners, and each of them maintains its own transfer ratios and rules.

At the moment, most of the points transfer at a 10:1 ratio, which means you’ll need to redeem 10,000 Hilton Honors points to earn 1,000 airline miles.

Because of this transfer ratio, you’ll need to carefully consider whether it’s worthwhile to transfer your Hilton Honors points.

Transfer times can take up to 30 days, which may not be as helpful if you want to put an award on hold.

Earning Hilton Honors

There are a total of 4 Hilton credit cards currently open for new applications.

While each of them offers unique perks and drawbacks, all of them usually come with huge bonus categories to accumulate Hilton Honors points quickly, a sizable welcome bonus, complimentary Hilton Honors elite status, and various statement credits.

Recommended Hilton Honors Credit Cards

LIMITED TIME OFFER

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Hilton Honors American Express Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status, plus great earnings at Hilton, U.S. gas stations, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. restaurants!

Learn More(at Amex's secure site)

Apply With Confidence

Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

Hilton Honors American Express Card

Complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status, plus great earnings at Hilton, U.S. gas stations, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. restaurants!

Welcome Offer

Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.

100,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$500

Annual Fee

$0

APR

20.24%-29.24% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

You can’t beat a comfy king-sized bed and room service. For many travelers, it’s the hotel that really makes or breaks an experience. If you’re one of those people, you’ve probably stayed at a Hilton hotel.

Whether your visits are for work or pleasure, the Hilton brand has you covered with more than 6,200 locations in 100 counties and territories.

To enjoy a host of great benefits, you may want to apply for the Hilton Honors American Express Card.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 7x points per $1 on Hilton stays
• 5x points per $1 at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations
• 3x points per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

• Not great for those who want multiple redemption options
• Offers the least benefits of all Hilton cards

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.
• Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
• Earn 5X Points per dollar on purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
• Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
• Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Silver status with your Card. Plus, spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors™ Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
• No Annual Fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.24%-29.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Hilton Honors Loyalty Program

LIMITED TIME OFFER

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

An excellent high-earning Hilton credit card that comes with perks like Hilton Honors Gold status and up to $200 in Hilton credits every year.

Learn More(at Amex's secure site)

Apply With Confidence

Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

An excellent high-earning Hilton credit card that comes with perks like Hilton Honors Gold status and up to $200 in Hilton credits every year.

Welcome Offer

Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.

165,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$825

Annual Fee

$150

APR

20.24%-29.24% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

If you’re someone who loves traveling and loves staying in Hilton hotels, adding a co-branded Hilton hotel card to your wallet is almost a no-brainer. From automatic Hilton elite status to up to $200 in Hilton credits every year, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card can be a great fit for Hilton loyalists looking to up their travel game.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 12x points per $1 at Hilton hotels
• 6x points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants
• 4x points per $1 at U.S. online retail purchases

Cons

• Annual fee of $150 (rates & fees)

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.
• Get up to $200 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card.
• Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
• Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
• Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.
• Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
• Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
• Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors ™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card.
• Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year.
• Enjoy complimentary National Car Rental^® Emerald Club Executive^® status. Enrollment in the complimentary Emerald Club^® program is required. Terms apply.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
• $150 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.24%-29.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Hilton Honors

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Automatic Hilton Diamond status, an annual free night, and a travel and resort credit make this the perfect card for those who stay in Hilton hotels.

All information about Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Upgraded Points.

Apply With Confidence

Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Automatic Hilton Diamond status, an annual free night, and a travel and resort credit make this the perfect card for those who stay in Hilton hotels.

Welcome Offer

Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership

175,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$875

Annual Fee

$550

APR

20.99% - 29.99% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The information regarding the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

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Paying hundreds of dollars for an annual fee on a co-branded hotel card might seem ridiculous, but you should know that the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is much more than your run-of-the-mill hotel credit card.

The Hilton Aspire card is not only a phenomenal card for Hilton Honors loyalists, but even those who visit Hilton hotels just a few times a year can still get excellent value out of all the benefits that are packed into this card.

So let’s have a look at what makes the card so valuable to travelers.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 14x points per $1 on Hilton purchases
• 7x points per $1 on select travel and at U.S. restaurants
• 3x points per $1 on all other eligible purchases

Cons

• High annual fee of $550

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership
• Earn 14x Hilton Honors Bonus Points when you make eligible purchases on your card at participating hotels or resorts within the Hilton portfolio
• Earn 7x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for eligible travel purchases: on flights booked directly with airlines or AmexTravel.com and on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies
• Earn 7x Hilton Honors Bonus Points on dining at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery
• Earn 3x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for other eligible purchases on your card
• Enjoy up to $400 in Hilton Resort Credits (up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually) on your card each anniversary year when you stay at participating resorts within the Hilton portfolio
• Enjoy complimentary Diamond status
• $550 annual fee

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.99% - 29.99% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

LIMITED TIME OFFER

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

An excellent option for business owners and business travelers who stay at Hilton properties often and want perks like Hilton Honors elite status.

Learn More(at Amex's secure site)

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card

An excellent option for business owners and business travelers who stay at Hilton properties often and want perks like Hilton Honors elite status.

Welcome Offer

Limited Time Offer: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.

175,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$875

Annual Fee

$195

APR

20.24% - 29.24% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

For frequent business travelers who regularly stay in Hilton hotels, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is a great option.

Not only will the card help you earn more points on all of your Hilton stays, but you’ll also receive automatic elite status and travel protections.

Here’s a detailed look at all the benefits this card offers so that you can determine if it’s a good fit for you.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Earn 12x points per $1 on eligible Hilton purchases
• Earn 5x points on other purchases made for the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3x points thereafter.
• Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status, and the ability to spend your way to Diamond status

Cons

• $195 annual fee (rates and fees)

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Limited Time Offer: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first six months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 1/8/2025.
• Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible Hilton purchases.
• Earn 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases made using the Hilton Honors Business Card on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3X points thereafter.
• Get up to $60 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Honors American Express Business Card.
• Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors Business Card. With Hilton Honors Gold status, you can enjoy benefits at hotels and resorts within the Hilton Portfolio. As a Gold member, earn an 80% Bonus on all Base Points you earn on every stay getting you to free nights faster.
• You may receive an upgrade to Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the calendar year if the total eligible purchases on your Card Account during a calendar year reach $40,000 or more.
• As a Hilton Honors American Express Business Card Member, you can enroll to receive complimentary National Car Rental^® Emerald Club Executive^® status through the link on your American Express online account. After you’re enrolled, you can reserve a rental car by calling National Car Rental directly, using your travel service, or by booking online or through the National Car Rental mobile app. Terms apply.
• Terms apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.24% - 29.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Hilton Honors loyalty program

How To Transfer Hilton Honors

If you’re looking to transfer Hilton Honors points to a partner, you’ll want to follow these steps:

Step 1: Visit the Exchange Points section of Hilton’s website. You’ll be prompted to log into your Hilton Honors account. Enter your Hilton Honors number, password, and verify the reCAPTCHA. Then, click Sign In.

Step 2: You’ll be redirected to the Exchange Points page. Click on the box that says Use Points to get miles. Then, you’ll see a line under the dropdown box that says Is your travel partner missing from the list? Add one now. Click Add one now.

Step 3: You’ll be redirected to your Preferences page. Scroll down to the Preferred Travel Partners section and choose your Partner Name, enter your Member Number, and click Save Changes.

Step 4: Visit the Exchange Points section of Hilton’s website again and click Use Points to get miles again. This time, you should see your transfer partner appear in the Transfer Partner dropdown box. Then, choose the desired transfer amount in Exchange rate and click Next.

Step 5: Verify that all of the information is correct when reviewing your request and click Submit.

Booking Hotel Stays With the Hilton Honors Website

In most cases, it makes a ton of sense to use your Hilton Honors points for stays at Hilton properties.

That’s because Hilton’s luxury properties, which could otherwise cost more than $1,000 per night, can be booked at a value that exceeds the commonly accepted valuation of 0.5 cents per point.

In many cases, you can book a $1,000 per night hotel room for 95,000 Hilton Honors points, effectively doubling your achieved value to more than 1 cent per point.

Furthermore, you can get an even better deal with your points, thanks to the fifth reward night free benefit, which allows you to get a free fifth night when booking stays of 4 or more nights.

That’s why we generally recommend using your Hilton Honors points for hotel stays!

Should You Transfer to a Partner or Book Hotel Stays?

So the question is, “Should I transfer my points to a partner or redeem them for free hotel stays?”

Practically speaking, you should only transfer your Hilton Honors points to a partner if you don’t have any other alternatives.

For example, if you have 90,000 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles but need 92,000 miles for a flight redemption, you might consider transferring 16,000 Hilton Honors points to earn 2,000 more KrisFlyer miles (8:1 ratio).

This would only make sense if you didn’t have any more flexible rewards points like Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

The other situation in which it makes sense to transfer Hilton Honors points to a partner instead of booking hotel stays is if you don’t intend on staying at Hilton properties anymore. Perhaps you were a Hilton loyalist in the past but have since pivoted your loyalty to Marriott Bonvoy or World of Hyatt. What can you do with your leftover stack of points? You can transfer them to an assortment of airlines and at least get some value towards flights, for example.

Other Ways To Use Your Points

There are 2 other ways to use your Hilton Honors points besides hotel stays and transfer partners:

• Charitable donations via the Hilton Honors Giving Back Program
• Amazon.com purchases

When you make charitable donations, you can do so in increments of 10,000 points. For every 10,000 Hilton Honors points donated, the charity will receive a $25 donation. That’s a value of 0.25 cents per point.

For Amazon.com purchases, your Hilton Honors points are redeemable at a rate of 500 points per $1. That’s a value of 0.2 cents per point.

Combining Hilton Honors From Different Accounts

There are 2 ways to combine Hilton Honors points: Pool Your Points and Transfer Your Points.

There are a few restrictions:

• You can transfer in increments of 1,000 points and up to 500,000 points per calendar year
• You can receive up to 2,000,000 points per year from combined points pooling or transfers every calendar year
• You are limited to 6 points transfers and 6 points pooling transactions every calendar year
• You can only pool, transfer, or receive points 30 days after enrollment as long as you have activity on your account; if you don’t have any activity, you’ll need to wait at least 90 days after enrollment to receive, pool, or transfer any points

Pool Your Points

Points pooling is the process of combining Hilton Honors points across a group of up to 10 members to utilize towards a group’s reward stay.

After navigating to the Pool Your Points page, just fill out the member information, scroll down to acknowledge the terms and conditions, and click Create my pool and send invitations.

Transfer Your Points

On the other hand, point transfers are performed from 1 member to another and are irreversible.

Click through to the Transfer Your Points page, select the number of points you want to transfer, and enter the member information for the person you’d like to transfer the points to.

Redeeming Hilton Honors Points

As we go through the exercise for redeeming Hilton Honors points, it’s becoming apparent that the best way to use your Hilton Honors points is for free stays at Hilton properties, particularly luxury brands like Waldorf Astoria and Conrad.

Even though there is a dizzying number of transfer partners, it’s generally not a good idea to transfer your Hilton Honors points to these partners due to subpar transfer ratios.

There are a few niche situations in which it could make sense overall, especially if you’re short a few thousand airline miles for a redemption you want to book.

In an overwhelming majority of situations, though, we recommend saving your points for a hotel stay redemption.

Final Thoughts

Hilton Honors is one of the major hotel loyalty programs in the world, supporting Hilton’s huge footprint with numerous brands in almost every country you can think of.

If you’re accumulating lots of Hilton Honors points through co-branded Amex credit card spending, you’re probably thinking about all the best ways to use your Hilton Honors points.

Sure, Hilton Honors is a transfer partner to more than 25 airlines, but as the transfer ratio isn’t favorable and other redemption avenues like charity and Amazon are also mediocre, we recommend sticking to hotel stays as the best way to use Hilton Honors points.

We hope you’ve found this comprehensive guide useful in helping you learn more about Hilton Honors’ transfer partners, how to perform transfers, and whether or not you should transfer your points.