Hilton Hotels

Hilton will charge your credit card when you check in, though you will need to provide a credit card number when you book the stay. If a promotional room rate requires a deposit or pre-payment, which is common with third-party travel providers, Hilton/the travel provider will charge your credit card for that amount when you make the reservation.

Once Hilton has a credit card number on file as a guarantee of payment, they will reserve the room until check-in is complete. If you need to cancel the reservation, do so at least 48 hours before check-in, or Hilton will charge your credit card for the first night of the reservation, including any taxes and fees.

When you check in to a Hilton hotel, you must present a picture ID and the credit card used to make the reservation, and the names on both should match. If the reservation was charged to someone else's credit card, you will need to provide a completed credit card authorization form when you check in. This lets Hilton know that the reservation is legitimate and that you have permission to pay with the other person's credit card.

You can get a Hilton credit card authorization form by calling the Hilton location you will visit and asking them to send one to you by email (Hilton does not provide a general form to use for all locations). The authorization form will let the Hilton hotel know that your stay can be charged to someone else's credit card, or that someone else's stay can be charged to yours. When the guest arrives at the Hilton hotel, they must present the Hilton credit card authorization form at the front desk in order to check in. This lets the hotel know that the booking is valid and wasn't made with a stolen credit card.

A Hilton credit card authorization form is useful for situations like gifting a vacation to someone or having a company card pay for an employee's stay during a conference. The form will include information like the names and contact information of the guests and the owner of the credit card, the booking confirmation number and the credit card number. It will also specify what charges the cardholder is willing to pay for – for example, you might authorize the room expenses to be charged to the card, but make the guest pay for incidentals. The form will require the cardholder's signature, too.

Hilton points are worth 0.59 cents each, on average. That means 10,000 Hilton points have a value of about $59. Plus, Hilton points are less valuable than the average hotel points, which are worth roughly 0.95 cents each.

It's important to remember that the value of Hilton points depends on how they are redeemed. They have the most value when used for Hilton Honors hotel reservations. You can easily calculate the value of Hilton points for any redemption method, though. Just divide the dollar value of your redemption item by the number of points needed to get it.

How to Earn More Hilton Points

One of the best ways to increase the number of Hilton points that you earn is to apply for a Hilton credit card. That can also help you reach a higher status tier in the Hilton Honors loyalty program, further boosting your earning potential.

Hilton Points vs. The Competition

How to Calculate the Value of Hilton Points

The easiest way to calculate the value of Hilton points is to determine the dollar value of what you're redeeming for, minus any taxes and fees that you'll still have to pay, and then divide that amount by the number of points you're required to redeem. For your convenience, here's the formula:

Dollar Value of Redemption Item / Number of Hilton Points Needed = Hilton Point Value

Hilton Honors points expire after 15 months with no account activity as well as when you close your account with unused rewards. To prevent Hilton Honors points from expiring, redeem your points on a regular basis and make sure to cash in any unredeemed rewards before closing your account.

• After 15 months without account activity.
• When you or Hilton closes the account.

Even though Hilton Honors points expire only in these select situations, it's still a good idea to avoid building up a big Hilton Honors rewards balance because that would make you more vulnerable to rewards devaluation.

If you're trying to choose a hotel rewards program and are concerned about rewards expiration policies, you can see how the Hilton Honors points expiration policy compares to other popular companies' policies in the table below.

Hilton Honors Points Expiration vs. The Competition 

The best way to get Hilton Diamond status is by having the Hilton Honors Aspire Credit Card. Diamond Tier status comes complementary with this card.

You can also reach Diamond status by spending $40,000 a year on either the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card or Hilton Honors American Express Business Card.

Lastly, if you don't want to deal with credit cards, you can get the status by completing 30 stays, or 60 nights or earning 120,000 Hilton points in one calendar year.