Hilton: double night credit offer, 30% Amex UK conversion bonus
In addition to its double points global offer, Hilton has launched another double night credit promotion which makes it easier to attain elite status and potentially earn even more bonus points.
- Stay between October 11 and December 31
- Earn double elite night credit for all stays
- It counts towards Milestone Bonuses and Rollover Nights too
As usual, both paid and award nights can trigger the bonus. Existing bookings prior to registration count too, so there’s no need to cancel and rebook.
Your check-in / check-out date doesn’t matter, but only nights falling into the promotion period earn bonuses. For example, if you check in on October 9 and check out on October 12, only the last night is eligible.
It’s a nice gesture to make them count towards Milestone Bonuses, which means if you are approaching or above 40 nights, you earn 10,000 bonus points for every 5 nights stayed, on top of all the other promotions.
Last but not least, although not 100% official, multiple people received confirmation from CS that the bonus counts towards Diamond Challenge too – which means you only need six nights for the Diamond status.
Meanwhile Amex UK started a conversion bonus recently which has totally gone under the radar. You get a 30% bonus when converting Membership Reward points to Hilton by November 3, which means 1 MR point = 2.6 Hilton points.
In my opinion it’s still not a great ratio, but if you need some Hilton points right now or you’ve been saving up for a Maldives trip, it could work out in your favour.
(Expired) Sign-up now: Instant IHG Diamond upgrade!
(This offer has gone viral now and has appeared on multiple blogs worldwide. I have to stress that it’s a targeted corporate offer so there are certain risks. I strongly discouraged you from registering if you are already Diamond.)
(Give it a try still, but the loophole might have been closed, or be closed any minute from now.)
I wrote about IHG’s targeted Diamond trial offer recently, and I’m back today with an exciting update!
You can sign up to the Straight To Diamond offer here.
- Upon registration you’ll be upgraded to Diamond instantly
- The trial lasts 90 days
- Stay 10 paid nights by December 31, 2022 to extend your status throughout 2023
- Members / hotels in Greater China are excluded
After registration you should receive a confirmation email that looks like below, although probably not in Chinese :p
There are many success reports from my friends and online, so I’m pretty confident that it works. It is supposed to be a corporate offer, but IHG seems to be really relaxed, not enforcing any eligibility check.
So that means a minimum 90-day Diamond trial that comes with free breakfast etc which is great. If you are unable to hit the 10-day challenge, consider the Ambassador trick although I can’t guarantee it works.
British Airways launching Avios subscription service
We are used to airlines and hotels selling miles and points, and it’s no secret that they generate a very respectable revenue stream. However, British Airways is the one to renovate here for going further and offering a subscription-based service.
You can access the offer page here. Basically you pay a fee monthly or yearly, and then you receive some Avios every month. You can choose from subscribing:
- Monthly with a three-month minimum term, or
- Yearly with a 12-month minimum term, and two-month free
Pricewise the annual plan makes more sense:
Obviously the unit price drops the more you buy, but the difference is negligible so just pick whatever amount that suits you best. You pay between 0.895 and 0.925p per Avios, which isn’t a bad deal.
Note that however, the Avios is deposited monthly instead of all at once immediately. This could be a major issue, as I definitely don’t commit to paying a big lumpsum right now for a slow payback in the next 12 months.
My review of Plaza Premium Edinburgh
My three-day trip to Edinburgh comes to and end. I researched my options going back to London, and flying back (redeeming Avios on BA) was the better of the two.
I’ve been to Edinburgh quite a few times, but somehow never visited the BA or Aspire Lounge yet. This time however, Plaza Premium just opened a new site in August, and I’d love to give it a try first considering how great their lounges usually are.
The lounge is located near gate 13, which is a fair bit of walk after the security checkpoints. When you are upstairs, the Aspire and Plaza Premium lounges are here side by side. The main complimentary ways of getting access to Plaza Premium lounges are via Amex Platinum and Dragonpass.
Upon entering, there is a VIP Room to the left which is reservation only.
The Gin Bar is what makes the lounge stand out. You don’t usually see non-airline lounges that feature a bar, not to mention and proper and very stylish one.
I didn’t order anything, but I assume beers and wines are free whereas spirits and cocktails are chargeable.
The entertainment room is another highlight. With foosball, shuffleboard, animation and kids’ toys, there literally is something for everyone.
The dining area with a few tables.
Four hot food options on the day:
- Chicken tikka masala
- Broccoli pasta
- Fish and chips
- Leek and potato soup
Plaza Premium can always pride themselves on food offering – I always prefer them to BA’s Galleries First when visiting Heathrow T5.
As I said the lounge is very new, and the staff doesn’t know how to credit the visit on my Smart Traveller app yet so a small loss for me. Nonetheless I’m genuinely impressed by the lounge’s standard, and highly recommend you to visit if having the chance.
IHG Gold / Platinum fast track offer and instant Diamond upgrade
IHG’s fast track route to its elite status is back for a limited time – check it out if you are interested in getting their Gold or Platinum status.
- Register and stay by December 31, 2022
- Stay two nights to earn Gold Elite status
- Stay five nights to earn Platinum Elite status
- Only paid stays count
Unlike the usual corporate offers that target select companies’ employees, this offer is open to everyone. I’ve seen two different registration links for the offer, so if the link above fails, try promo code 57159 instead.
IHG’s Platinum status comes with bonus points, room upgrade and late check-out, which isn’t hugely valuable but is worth something. You can earn an instant Platinum upgrade when joining the Ambassador program (and there’s an ongoing offer), but if you don’t feel like paying for it, the fast track offer might work better.
Meanwhile, someone from China’s FlyerT forum has shared a similar but more attractive deal.
Employees from certain IHG’s corporate partners can request an instant upgrade to Diamond Elite that lasts 90 days, and then keep the status if staying at least 10 nights during the trial. I didn’t get hold of the registration link (UPDATE: I do now), but you should check with HR if your company does a lot of business with IHG.
Earn double elite night credit when staying with Marriott Homes & Villas
Marriott is running its annual Week of Wonders promotion with various offers, and some are worth having a look. The most intriguing part this year though, is a special deal from its Homes & Villas collection:
- Book by October 15
- Stay by April 30, 2023
- Minimum 5-night paid stay required
- Earn double points and elite night credits for all stays
You earn a reduced 5 base points / $1 when staying at Homes & Villas, so don’t expect to be flush with points even with the double points offer. However the double night credit bit is genuinely interesting, as you accrue night credit per the usual standard with this brand (except for Marriott Executive Apartments where you only earn 1 night credit for every 3 nights stayed).
Homes & Villas is roughly an upscale Airbnb equivalent. When I checked their website one year ago their footprint was minimal, but it has greatly improved since and they have 1001 properties in the UK now, which scatters across the entire country.
You can easily find an apartment for under £100 a night at many cities.
Obviously the expectation when staying at an apartment is very different to a hotel, but it’s a cheap-ish way of maintaining / upgrading your Marriott status especially as we’re approaching the year end.
Other Week of Wonders promotions include:
- 50% bonus when purchasing Marriott points by October 13
- Up to 15% off award night redemption at 4,500 hotels globally
- Up to $300 credit when booking select luxury hotels
My review of Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh
There is only one Waldorf Astoria hotel in the UK, and it’s not in London! When my Mum visited me in 2018, we spent two nights in Edinburgh and one of them was in the Waldorf Astoria The Caledonian hotel. Many things have changed since, and the hotel has undergone a lot of refurbishment, so I’m excited to be back.
After yet another pleasant stay at the Kimpton, I moved myself across the street to the Waldorf Astoria. My initial choice was the Hilton Carlton as I’ve never stayed there, but then I was put off by the reviews on Flyertalk and don’t want to take the risk anymore. WA Edinburgh’s award night costs 95,000 points (used to be 70k or 80k), which is hardly a bargain.
The hotel is sat where the West End and Princes Street meet. It’s not super close to the railway station or Edinburgh’s main attractions, but still convenient enough. It’s built in 1903 as the old Edinburgh Railway Station.
The lobby is very beautifully refreshed and looks much more welcoming than it was four years ago.
I’m given an upgrade to Queen Premier Room with Castle View, which appears to be the norm for Diamond members.
The room’s been repainted, and furniture replaced. Nothing fundamental has been carried out though, probably due to the listed status of the architecture. Beware that windows are only single-glazed, so it doesn’t shield you much from the street noises.
Great castle view through the window.
Then I receive what may be one of the best welcome presents I’ve had in Europe – a box of chocolate assortment, two bottles of water and a large bottle of Laurent Perrier. I’m actually quite surprised, as when I stayed here last time on Amex FHR the champagne only came in a small bottle.
Spa needs to be pre-booked, and it’s a long walk from the first floor.
Facilities are great, although I’m not convinced by their design choice. Shower and sauna are downstairs whereas the pools are upstairs, so it’s a bit of a journey to travel back and forth.
Breakfast is served at the Peacock Alley. I had my afternoon tea here last time to use the $100 FHR credit.
There’s no buffet at all and you order anything from the menu, which is great. The eggs benedict is really disappointing though – too much salt and the muffins are too tough to bite.
Now here comes the drama. At 5.30am the (false) fire alarm suddenly went off, and then lasted sporadically for an hour or so in my room and some other guest rooms, and which understandably ruined my sleep. I’m speechless as the exact same thing happened in 2018 – what’s wrong with me and this hotel?!
I raised a complaint when checking out. The staff told me it would be brought to the attention of their supervisor and I’ll get some points as compensation, however two weeks have passed and I’m yet to hear anything.
Anyway, when staying at Edinburgh my top choice is probably the Kimpton, given its lovely boutique vibe and good rate (on points or BOGOF). Sheraton on the other hand has the best Spa in this country and is definitely worth a visit as well. If you’d love some history, the Waldorf Astoria is not to be missed either.
Free airport fast track security with Mastercard
Mastercard has launched a new initiative to its cardholders in Europe, which offers airport fast track security, dining discounts and more.
You can check more details and sign up here. If you are eligible, you are entitled to complimentary fast track service at select airports globally, the list of which can be found here. The following UK airports offer such benefit:
- Aberdeen
- Bristol
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- Liverpool
- London Gatwick
- London Luton
- Newcastle
- Southampton
With quite a few other locations across Europe and China.
You can pre-book the fast track security for free if you manage to create an account. In addition, even more airports have restaurants that offer dining discounts, which means you can get say 20% off your bill by scanning a QR code.
Airport transfer is another advertised benefit, although I doubt you can get it for free. These benefits are provided by Dragon Pass, and it’s in fact a well-established business model in China, so they are expanding their credit card partnership to other territories.
Here comes the problem – the website doesn’t tell you which cards are eligible, and there’s no way to tell except for trying it yourself. So far only two UK-issued Mastercard have successful reports:
- Curve
- Currensea
However, it seems that even if you have the right card, you have to be very lucky to be accepted. I have no clue what the trick is. I thought it might be related to the BIN (first 6-digits), but even cards with the same BIN end up differently.
The UK cards appear to come with three complimentary fast track visits per year. Interestingly, there are successful reports from Chinese cards too, with even more generous offer:
- Bank of China – four complimentary visits annually
- China Merchants Bank – unlimited visits
- SPD Bank – unlimited visits with one guest
Amusingly, upon registration the website suggests that the card issuing country is Belgium or Spain, which is obviously wrong. It’s unclear which cards are actually intended for this program, but their backend system is definitely buggy.
If you have a Mastercard, whether issued in Europe or not, you may want to give it go and be in for a surprise. I’ve tried all my UK and US cards and nothing works unfortunately 🙁
(H.T. Headforpoints)