Step 1 Don't transfer them into airline miles
Citi's Hilton Honors card does allow you to transfer your points to your choice of over 60 airlines. However, my advice: don't do it.
Generally speaking, transferring Hilton Honors Points into airlines miles does not maximize your point values. Typically, you won't even achieve a 1:1 ratio with the exchange. So, unless your points are about to expire and you can't redeem for Hilton hotel stays, transferring your points usually isn't a cost-effective choice. Keep in mind that many other cards will give you more than a 1:1 value ratio when you transfer to airlines.
Step 2 Understand the category choices at Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels are divided into 10 categories. After you
sign up and meet the minimum spend requirements for the Citi Hilton Honors™ card you'll have 75,000 Hilton Honors™ Points to redeem. If you want to redeem them for as many free nights as possible, Category 1, 2 & 3 hotels are your best option. On the other hand, you could choose a luxury Category 8 hotel and spend almost all of your sign-up bonus points in a single night!
Here's a helpful chart showing how many points are required for a free night in each category:
Step 3 Make the most of your 75,000 points
75,000 Hilton Honors™ Points is enough to get you an 8-night's stay at a Category 2 Hilton hotel. This is my favorite choice for making the most of your sign up bonus.
According to the handy chart above, you'll remember that Category 2 hotels are typically 10,000 Hilton Honors™ Points per night. So, you may be asking yourself: How does that add up to 8 nights? That's one my favorite things about this card, after
you sign up, you immediately earn Hilton Sliver Status™. With Silver Status™ whether booking with cash or points your fifth night is free. That's a huge perk for this card and one of the reasons it makes it my favorite hotel card right now. This gives you 8 nights total with a Category 2!
I can't say enough about this card. To sum it up: this is my favorite hotel card because: Silver Status™ means more night, 75,000 point sign up bonus and on top of all that there's no annual fee. See if you qualify here, and follow my steps above to maximize your sign-up bonus!
Some of my top picks for Hilton Category 2 Hotels
Hampton Inn & Suites Mexico City – Centro Historico
This property sits in the heart of Mexico City, near the Alameda Cathedral among other attractions.
Hampton by Hilton Panama
Centrally located in the El Cangrejo area of the city, the hotel is just blocks from the metro, giving you easy access to all that Panama City has to offer. (Hint, this was my choice! ¡Viva Panama!)
Or live the highlife with your 75k points…
You can also score a free night at a Category 6 or 7 hotel for as little 30,000 points. The 75,000-point bonus can definitely get you two free nights if you find availability at the low end of the redemption range (Category 6 is from 30,000 to 50,0000 points; Category 7 is from 30,000 to 60,000 points)
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chicago - Magnificent Mile
This category 6 property is a block from the prestigious Magnificent Mile shopping district, this upscale hotel could be redeemed at 40,000 Hilton Honors™ Points /night.
Conrad Bali
This category 7 property just requires 50,000 Hilton Honors™ Points per night. Find a way to get to Bali for a night and soak in the sun and sea at this 5-star luxury resort.
Go crazy with one night at a Category 8 hotel
If you want to treat yourself, there are some luxurious Category 8 options, most of which cost between 50,000 and 70,000 Hilton Honors™ Points per night, so totally reasonable with your 75k bonus points after meeting sign-up requirements.
Conrad Dubai
Redeeming a free night at Conrad Dubai for 70,000 Hilton Honors™ Points would be outrageous and worth it.
Miramonte Indian Wells Resort & Spa, Curio Collection by Hilton
50,000 Hilton Honors™ Points/night is quite fair for this high-end resort at Palm Springs.
Stay in these top destinations with this no-annual-fee card
There are many great ways to put your 75,000 Hilton Honors™ Bonus Points to use. This card has no annual fee, which means you paid almost nothing for all these free nights. Now consider your getaway destination and
check out the card here!
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