• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Globetrotting Teacher

Experience the World Point by Point

  • Destinations
  • Miles and Points
    • Miles & Points Guides
    • Travel Hacking Basics
    • Student Course Log-In
  • Credit Cards
    • Travel Rewards Credit Cards
    • Airline Credit Cards
    • Hotel Credit Cards
    • Business Credit Cards
  • New York City
  • Travel Tips
    • Travel Resources
    • Travel Gear
  • About
    • Work With Us
    • Blogging Tools I Use

Updated on July 19, 2019 By Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie 2 Comments
This post contains affiliate links which earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please read my Disclosure and Privacy pages for more info. Additionally, The Globetrotting Teacher has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Globetrotting Teacher and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

swimming pool Luxury hotel

Hilton Honors Gold vs Hilton Diamond Status: Which is Right for You?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links that earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The Globetrotting Teacher has also partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Globetrotting Teacher and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Please read my Disclosure to learn more.

Updated on July 19, 2019

Hotel status can save you money, offer otherwise out-of-reach benefits, and maximize the value you get from award redemptions and paid stays. In this guide, let’s look at Hilton Honors Gold and Hilton Diamond status to understand what’s included at each level, how to earn that status, and which one makes the most sense for your travel goals.

Hilton Honors Gold vs. Hilton Diamond Status
Save this guide for later! Pin it to your Pinterest travel board.

Hilton Honors Gold vs. Hilton Diamond Status

The Hilton Honors program comes with 4 tiers of status, Member, Silver, Gold, and Diamond. In order to see the value in both Hilton Gold and Hilton Diamond, let’s quickly look at what you’ll get for the lower 2 tiers.

Upon signing up for Hilton Honors, you’re given Member status. This comes with basic perks like

  • member-only refundable room rates,
  • 10x the points earned per dollar spent for a paid Hilton stay,
  • free lobby and in-room standard Hilton Honors wifi,
  • streamlined check-in and check-out,
  • late check-out,
  • and a free 2nd guest.

Hilton Honors Gold vs. Hilton Diamond Status

After completing 4 stays or 10 nights in a calendar year, you’ll move up to Hilton Silver status. This includes

  • all of the Hilton Honors benefits above,
  • a 20% bonus (12 pts.) on the base points earned per dollar spent for a paid Hilton stay, and
  • the Hilton 5th night free benefit kicks in on award stays booked entirely with points.

And, as an added extra, those with Hilton Honors silver status get 2 free bottles of water for each stay at select hotel brands.

Now, it’s always beneficial to join hotel loyalty programs regardless of how often you stay with a particular brand. In the case of Hilton, even having just Member status can save a little money over non-members.

But, the real value starts to add up in cold, hard dollars once you’ve achieved Hilton Honors Gold status or become a Hilton Honors Diamond member. Let’s take a look at the benefits and compare.

Hilton Honors Gold Benefits

Hilton Honors Gold vs Hilton Diamond Status

It’s important to remember each Hilton Honors tier gets all the benefits of the tiers below it. So, members with Hilton Gold status get all of the above perks. In addition, you’ll get

  • an 80% bonus (18 pts.) on the base points earned per dollar spent for a paid Hilton stay,
  • free breakfast at Waldorf, Conrad, Hilton, DoubleTree, and Curio for you and a guest staying with you, and
  • room upgrades (space permitting) to preferred rooms at Waldorf, Conrad, Curio, Hilton, and DoubleTree.

Additionally, Hilton properties offer Gold members the choice between breakfast, snacks and/or non-alcoholic drinks and bonus points per stay. So if you’re at the Waldorf and you opt out of the free breakfast, you’ll get 1k bonus points. Guests with Gold status at a Homewood Suites can choose between 2 bottles of water and a sweet treat per stay or 250 bonus points.

How to Earn Hilton Gold Status

Hotel Breakfast

You can earn Hilton Honors Gold for 20 stays, 40 nights, or 75k Hilton base points in a calendar year.

For most of us who are not road warriors traveling for business all the time, 20 stays or 40 nights is pretty near impossible. Even for myself as a teacher with summers off, that would be quite the feat to achieve, not to mention the expense!

Luckily, there’s a simpler way to reach Gold status with Hilton.

American Express offers 4 co-branded Hilton credit cards, 3 personal and 1 business card. Of these cards, 2 of them give instant Gold status.

  • Hilton Honors Surpass 
  • Hilton Honors American Express Business.

Depending on the card, there are generous bonus categories on things like groceries, gas, restaurants, and cell phone costs, not to mention the ability to earn Hilton points at a rate of 12x the points for every dollar spent. This would be in addition to the base and bonus points you’d earn for your status.

Having an American Express Platinum also comes with Hilton Gold status. Further down in this guide, you’ll find more about earning Gold status with Hilton.

Hilton Diamond Status Benefits

Hilton Honors Gold vs. Hilton Diamond Status

Hilton’s most premium status tier, Diamond, comes with all of the member benefits discussed above. On top of that, a Hilton Diamond member gets:

  • a 100% bonus (20 pts.) on the base points earned per dollar spent for a paid Hilton stay,
  • in-room and lobby premium wifi,
  • Diamond status extension for an additional year for any reason, and
  • a 48-hour room guarantee for any last-minute bookings.

In addition and depending on the property, Hilton Diamond members get access to the Executive Lounge floor and bonus points per stay as well as the free breakfast instead of either or.

How to Earn Hilton Diamond Status

Hilton Honors Gold vs. Hilton Honors Aspire
A past welcome offer for the Hilton Aspire. Check the latest offer if you’re interested in this card and its perks.

If earning Hilton Gold naturally was tough, earning Diamond status would be an all-out Houdini magic trick for the average traveler.

You can reach Diamond from 30 stays, 60 nights, or 120k Hilton base points.

Fortunately, American Express has a co-branded Hilton credit card which comes with instant Diamond status.

  • Hilton Honors Aspire

This is a premium card with a premium annual fee of $450 in exchange for $250 Hilton resort and airline credits, Priority Pass Select membership, a free night certificate, a $100 on-property Hilton credit for eligible stays, and more.

After meeting the minimum spend, you’ll earn the current welcome offer. The card has bonus categories like earning 7x the points for restaurants and specific travel expenses and 14x the points for paid Hilton stays.

Why not just get the Hilton Honors Aspire for Diamond Status?

swimming pool Luxury hotel

If you’re someone who looks to stay at Hilton properties or even a traveler who is targeting stays at a few Hilton brands in the coming 6-12 months, it makes total sense to go for Diamond via the Aspire card.

Not only is it easier, but it’s also much more cost-effective than reaching Diamond status naturally (unless you’re a business traveler staying on the company’s dime) or even through a status match challenge where you’ll still have to complete a number of stays within a specific period of time.

Assuming you make use of the perks, the free breakfasts, 5th night free, and space permitting upgrades are worth the premium annual fee. This doesn’t even include the benefits that come with the card like the $250 airline credit which could save on things like bag fees or the supercharged Hilton points earning potential.

Hilton has a big presence around the globe with over 5k Hilton hotels in more than 100 countries. Their mid to upper category hotels can be a great deal when booked with Hilton points and cash. Add to that the perks that come with Hilton Diamond status and your Hilton points value is clear.

Is Hilton Gold Worth it?

question-mark Stock

Absolutely. There’s great value in the free breakfasts alone. If you stay at Hilton’s once in a while or are a traveler who will choose a Hilton hotel only if the price is right compared to other hotels nearby, Gold status is a good alternative. What good are the souped-up Diamond benefits if you’re not staying at a Hilton, right?

Plus, there are more ways to earn Hilton Gold status than from a co-branded credit card. American Express has cards like the Platinum which offers Hilton Gold status is one of the benefits.

There’s also a Hilton status match challenge which makes achieving Gold status possible if you have equivalent status with another hotel loyalty program like, for example, Marriott or IHG. This is especially good news for anyone still under or trying to get under Chase’s 5/24 and doesn’t want to apply for a Hilton Honors credit card.

Final Thoughts

There’s no doubt having Hilton Gold or Diamond status comes with benefits that’ll help you get the most from your Hilton stays. It’s important to think about your travel goals to determine which level of status makes the most sense for you.

Do you have or are you trying to get Hilton Gold or Diamond status?

Like this post? Please share it on social media using the share buttons below.

Other Posts You're Sure to Love

  • Redeem Hilton Honors Points in Geography Sweet Spots for the Most NightsRedeem Hilton Honors Points in Geography Sweet Spots for the Most Nights
  • How much are Hilton Honors Points Worth?How much are Hilton Honors Points Worth?
  • 15 Ways to Earn Hilton Points15 Ways to Earn Hilton Points
  • Hilton Honors Sign Up and Loyalty Program ResourcesHilton Honors Sign Up and Loyalty Program Resources
  • 114shares
  • Facebook15
  • Twitter0
  • Pinterest99
  • LinkedIn0
  • Reddit0
  • Flipboard

Filed Under: Miles and Points Tagged With: hotel, points, travel hacking

Affiliate Disclosure

The Globetrotting Teacher is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Additionally, The Globetrotting Teacher has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Globetrotting Teacher and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

Comments & responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ken Hayes says

    November 15, 2018 at 10:59 pm

    I assume that this applies to north Americans only, given the spelling By the way the plural of Hilton is Hiltons, not Hilton’s, but I’m sure it was just a typo

    Reply
    • Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says

      November 20, 2018 at 11:20 am

      Thanks for reading so closely, Ken! I appreciate it. Since I am from North America, I spell it the Hilton Honors. Benefits of the loyalty program apply even if you add a “u.”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About Me

Hi, I'm Jackie, the Globetrotting Teacher. Travel has been life-changing for me whether I'm traveling solo or with my favorite travel partner, Peter my husband! Learn more about my travels and how I use miles and points to travel around the globe. About Me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Planning a Road Trip in 2021?

planning-a-road-trip

Search the Site

Get Started with Points and Miles!

12-must-have-gifts-sidebar

American Express Gold Card

Earn 60k Membership Rewards points after spending $4,000 in 6 months!
Earn 4x at U.S. Supermarkets  (up to $25k each year)
Earn 4x at Restaurants Globally
Earn 3x on Flights (booked directly or through Amex Travel)
1 $10 statement credit each month on Food Delivery services like Seamless & GrubHub

This is an excellent offer(!)
for anyone wanting to earn travel rewards points from their everyday spending!

Learn more about the
Gold Card!

Footer

Disclosure

As an Amazon Associate, The Globetrotting Teacher earns from qualifying purchases.

The Globetrotting Teacher has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Globetrotting Teacher and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

[Disclosure]

[Privacy Policy]

Copyright

All photos & content are copyrighted & belong to Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie at The Globetrotting Teacher unless otherwise cited and may not be reproduced or used elsewhere without permission. DMCA.com Protection Status
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Like every website with social media buttons, commenting, affiliates, and analytics embedded, The Globetrotting Teacher uses cookies. Please click ok to accept and/or visit my Privacy Policy to learn more. OK Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT