Hilton Bonus(es?)! Are they worth it?

Why I’ll be saving my points

June 28, 2026

Hilton enthusiasts, your time has come. Transfer bonuses to Hilton are here, with up to 200% more Hilton points when transferring from Bilt. But is even that top bonus good enough to justify a transfer? Here’s why my points aren’t going anywhere. 

This Wednesday is Bilt Rent Day, and, in addition to the usual goodies, Bilt is offering a transfer bonus to Hilton. Bilt points normally transfer to Hilton at a 1:1 ratio, but on Rent Day the transfer ratios will increase depending on your Bilt status:

  • Blue: 75% bonus (1:1.75)

  • Silver: 100% bonus (1:2)

  • Gold: 150% bonus (1:2.5)

  • Platinum: 175% bonus (1:2.75)

  • Platinum + $150 Bilt Cash: 200% bonus (1:3) 

The funny thing about this particular Bilt bonus is that Amex has an everyday transfer ratio to Hilton of 1:2, so Bilt Blue and Silver members are no better off with this bonus than someone with a Membership Rewards balance would be all year. And it looks like an Amex bonus to Hilton could be in the works, so even Gold and Platinum members might not even be significantly outpacing Amex’s transfer ratio. 

Whether you have Bilt or Amex points, though, these transfers are… not exciting. Frequent Miler values Hilton points at about 0.35¢ per point, and I’m inclined to agree, so even Bilt Platinum members spending Bilt Cash would likely be getting less value than just redeeming the points in the Bilt travel portal. 

Because I have a Hilton Aspire, I occasionally earn Hilton points on paid stays, so I've spent some time trying to get value from them. Hilton elite status—like what I get from the Aspire—unlocks a fifth night free on award stays, which can make the value a little more palatable. But it’s really hard to earn enough points for four nights. I’ve spent 200k for five nights at the Hotel de la Ville Monza and 180k points for five nights at the Se Catedral Porto. These hotels usually cost about $150-200/night around the time of my bookings, so the redemptions were fine, if nothing special. But with Hilton points, I’m constantly torn between trying to use them before the value goes down yet again or saving them until I have enough to get that fifth night free to squeeze a little more value out of them. It’s not fun. 

Lazy Take 🦥

If you’ve spotted an incredible Hilton points deal, this could be a decent opportunity to top off your balance to take advantage, but with so many powerful transfer partners in the Bilt lineup, I will be passing on this one… even as a Hilton Diamond elite. 

This week on the blog 📝

I was initially hesitant to get one of my favorite cards, the Capital One Venture X, because I wasn’t sure how to value its $300 travel credit. This week, I wrote a short article for my younger self about the value of the Venture X travel credit. It’s not perfect, but for me it totally justifies the card’s annual fee.  

Quick Points of the Week ⚡

More value 📈

Bilt adds Preferred Hotels as a transfer partner. Points will transfer at a 1:2 ratio to the luxury hotel chain, but it will probably take a transfer bonus to make this a worthwhile move—and then only for upscale travel. (Frequent Miler)

Southwest’s cheap points flights in Hawaii. News to me: apparently SWA has a great points sweet spot for flying between the Hawaiian islands. (Thrifty Traveler)

Devaluations 📉

Japan Airlines slashes award availability. People have noticed huge cuts to JAL’s once wide-open award inventory. Bad news for Bilt points, business class options, and Japan travel. I’ll be watching closely to see if there’s any bounce back. (Upgraded Points)

Qatar Airways introduces complex award booking rules. New rules limit your ability to use your Avios to book travel for others. (One Mile at a Time)

Good news and bad news 📈📉

Expedia changes up One Key Rewards. Some elite members get more OneKeyCash on hotel bookings plus a lounge pass for certain flight delays; base members will earn less. No more rewards on flights for anyone. (ThePointsGuy) 

Wyndham updates award chart. Booking made from September 15th will now have four tiers instead of three, with the cheapest hotels dropping from 7,500 to 5,000 points per night, while the most expensive rising from 30,000 to 45,000 points. (Wyndham)

Travel tip 💡

Touchless ID now easier with Google Wallet. This can spare you from having to activate Touchless ID with every individual airline you fly with. (Google)

All about Flying Blue. Flying Blue can still be a little too advanced and fee-heavy for my tastes, but View From the Wing’s Flying Blue pointers taught me that they have some surprisingly solid award rates to Japan, at least from my home airport: I found a 80-90k round-trip with around $100 in fees on my very first random-date search. That would be competitive with Alaska and American with a transfer bonus (and Amex currently has a 25% bonus).

Sign up bonus of the week 🎯

Links marked with an * are affiliate or referral links, meaning we may earn if you apply via our link. 

Nothing caught my eye this week, but there’s still plenty of great deals available now!

Other great sign-up bonuses this week

50,000 points+ $300 Bilt Cash + Bilt Gold status on the Bilt Palladium (our take: 🔥🔥🔥🔥)

100k points + 25k companion discount on the Atmos Summit (our take: 🔥🔥🔥🔥) ends June 30

100k points on the Chase Sapphire Preferred* (our take: 🔥🔥🔥)

90k miles on the Delta Gold (our take: 🔥🔥)

80k miles on the Citi AA Platinum Select (our take: 🔥🔥)

175k points on the Hilton Aspire (our take: 🔥🔥)

100k points on the JetBlue Premier (our take: 🔥)

125k pts + 1 night on the Marriott Boundless (our take: 🔥)

100-125k miles on premium Delta Cards (our take: 🔥)

100k points and $100 on the Hilton Honors (our take: 🔥)

60k points on the Choice Privileges Mastercard (our take: 🔥) 

90k miles on the Citi AA Globe (our take: 🔥)

150k points on the Morgan Stanley and Schwab Platinums (our take)

100k miles on the Citi AA Executive (our take)

Up to 100/175k on the Amex Gold/Platinum (our take)

Lazy Pick ✅ (Affiliate)

Save on dining with inKind. With inKind, you can pay your bill at participating restaurants directly from your phone while earning up to 20% back in dining credit for future visits—all while earning your credit card rewards. I recently visited Washington, DC, where many of my favorite restaurants like Bantam King and China Chilcano participate. I was able to use a discounted Costco gift card to save on my first meal (that deal expires today!), then the inKind credit to save on the rest. The dining credits expire, so inKind is most valuable when you would naturally visit these restaurants regularly (my leftover credits will probably expire because I find it hard to use where I live). But it can be a great deal in the right situation. And with my referral link, you can save $25 on your first $50+ meal with inKind. 

Enjoy the weekend! 🦥

And the long one next week! 🇺🇸🎆

Sometimes we include referral or affiliate links (we’ll mark them clearly). If you use them, we may earn a commission—never at extra cost to you. We do our best to share great offers, but always double-check for the best deal available. Thanks for supporting LazyPoints 🦥