Hilton’s recent devaluations sting, but here’s how you can get around them to book top-tier luxury properties

Earlier this week, Hilton — which has been on a devaluation hot streak lately — raised points prices yet again on some of its top properties around the world. In the case of some of its most aspirational hotels, like the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal in Mexico, it was the third hike in a year. As a result, standard room rewards at that resort, which happens to be my all-time favorite, now go for 250,000 points per night instead of the 120,000 points Hilton was charging last September.

But while the news certainly stings, it hasn’t dashed my hopes of staying at these bucket-list Hilton properties like devaluations in other loyalty programs often do. That’s because there’s an ultravaluable credit card perk I’ve long been using that keeps me relatively shielded from the impact of devaluations when booking top-tier Hilton properties: the free night certificate.

Uncapped potential

Unlike those issued by its competitors, Hilton’s free night certificates are not restricted to certain categories or point values. That means they can be used almost anywhere, including the hotel giant’s most luxe resorts worldwide.

To maximize my certificates — and save my points for lower-priced awards to stretch their buying power — I’ve been using certificates to stay at high-end Hiltons for years. To date, I’ve redeemed them for free nights at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island; Conrad Bora Bora; Maui’s Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort; Mexico’s Conrad Punta de Mita; and Portugal’s Conrad Algarve, to name a few.

It’s important to note that the certificates can only be used on base-level standard room rewards and not premium room rewards, but as long as you’re using a certificate, it doesn’t matter whether the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal’s standard room costs 120,000 or 250,000 points.

Finding availability 

There’s just one catch: Finding standard award availability has gotten more difficult over the years, particularly at coveted properties. If you’re searching for award availability a few months out, it’s not uncommon to see standard rooms blocked an entire month at a time, like in the screenshot below.

But there’s a work-around. Hilton prices its awards dynamically, which means prices and availability change all the time. What you see on the calendar today might not be what you see tomorrow — and, in my experience, it almost never is.

If my dates aren’t fixed, I’ll usually start by looking for one or two nights of standard availability and locking those down with certificates. Then, I’ll check back each day to see if adjacent nights opened up, grabbing each night as it switches to standard. I’ve typically found that more standard rooms become available the closer you get to the travel date, and in the many times I’ve stayed at top-tier Hilton hotels and resorts, I’ve always been able to eventually cover my desired travel dates with certificates.

If that sounds like too much maintenance, though, there’s an easier way to do it. Websites like Rooms.aero offer alert-setting services that will do the checking for you and notify you when your desired property has standard availability. With Rooms.aero, you can either specify a specific date — useful if, say, you have all your nights booked but one — or a date range if you’re just starting your search.

Earning certificates

Now that we’ve covered why and how to use free night certificates to protect yourself from devaluations, there’s just one more piece of the puzzle: earning them.

Free night certificates are issued through select Hilton cobranded credit cards, either on your card anniversary or after meeting specific spending thresholds.

The easiest way to pick one up is with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. You’ll receive one free night upon opening the card and another one each year after your account renewal. (Note that they have to be used within a year, so you can’t combine your certificates from different cardmember years for use on the same trip.)

My husband and I each have the Aspire, meaning we automatically get two free night certificates per year. While the card’s annual fee is on the higher side at $550 (see rates and fees), it’s well worth it for us since we use that benefit for free nights that, in many cases, would otherwise go for higher than $1,000 — and, often, higher than $2,000 — per night.

The card also includes benefits like complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status and up to $200 biannually (up to $400 each calendar year) in statement credits for eligible purchases at participating Hilton resorts, which are easy for us to maximize.

If you’re looking for a longer trip, the Aspire offers a path to earning more certificates. You can earn a second annual free night by spending $30,000 on the card in a calendar year and a third night when you spend $60,000 in a calendar year.

However, there’s another way to earn a second certificate that requires half the spending. Holders of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card can earn a free night certificate after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases on the card in a calendar year. That card carries a $150 annual fee (see rates and fees) and provides complimentary Hilton Gold status, plus up to $50 back each quarter (up to $200 per calendar year) in statement credits on Hilton purchases.

In addition to the Aspire, my husband and I each hold the Surpass and spend our way to the certificate each year, bringing our yearly total to four between us. The best part is that by the time we reach the spending threshold on the Surpass, we’ve amassed a sizable balance of Hilton Honors points that we can use to add a fifth or sixth night to a trip or save for other stays.

Bottom line

There’s no denying that devaluations hurt. But thankfully, with Hilton, there’s still a pathway to staying at top properties without shelling out a quarter of a million points per night. For that reason, despite this week’s disappointing news, my Hilton loyalty and hotel points strategy remain unchanged.

For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Aspire, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Surpass, click here.

Related reading:

• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• Best hotel credit cards
• Best hotel rewards programs in the world: Which one is right for you?
• These boutique hotels around the US are full of character — and are bookable using Hilton Honors points
• The best Waldorf Astoria hotels and resorts in the world