The Complete Guide to Earning Hilton Honors Points Dining Out is the ultimate guide for maximizing your rewards while enjoying dining out. Learn about the Hilton Dining program and how to add value to your Hilton Honors points. Start maximizing your rewards today.
Discover the easiest way to earn valuable Hilton Honors points while enjoying dining out. This ultimate guide will walk you through the Hilton Dining program and show you how to maximize your rewards, enhance your travel experiences, and add value to your Hilton Honors points. Start maximizing your rewards today!
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Hilton Honors Dining is a great program for those who want to be rewarded for one of lifes simple pleasures—eating out at your favorite restaurant. Whether youre looking for a fancy five-course or a casual bite, youll find plenty of opportunities to earn additional Hilton Honors points by signing up for the dining program. If you love eating out, chances are the Hilton dining program is a quick way to rack up extra Hilton Honors points.
What is the Hilton Honors Dining program?
The Hilton dining program combines two concepts: eating out and earning Hilton Honors points. Once you enroll, youll be eligible to earn up to 8 points for every dollar you spend at a restaurant, bar or club. Upon enrollment, youll have access to the Hilton dining website so you can quickly find eligible restaurants in your area.
One of the best perks of the program is you earn points for every dollar you spend—including taxes and tips! In addition to the points per dollar, youll have opportunities to participate in bonus programs throughout the year and an initial enrollment bonus. Youll earn points at participating establishments right away after enrolling by using your linked card at a participating restaurant, bar or club.
Getting started with the Hilton Honors Dining program
Sign-up
First, visit the Hilton Honors Dining program portal to get started. Youll be asked for the standard information, such as your name and e-mail address. The Hilton dining program is free to join. Simply fill out the required information and youre ready to go. Dont forget to check the box if you want Hilton dining to send you emails regarding eligible restaurants in your area.
Visit the program portal
The next step is to set up your membership. For this step, youll provide more specific information, such as your home address and phone number, but youll need your Hilton Honors member number, too.
Youll be asked to link a credit or debit card to enroll in the Hilton Honors Dining program—this is for registration purposes only, and you wont be charged for anything. The portal only asks for one card, but you can add up to five to help maximize your earning potential. You can link a Hilton credit card or any other card of your choosing. This would be a great opportunity to link a card with a strong rewards program so you can take advantage of other benefits and Hilton dining points.
Start earning Hilton Honors points
Youre eligible to earn points as soon as you enroll. The best place to start is to browse the Hilton dining website and use the search function to see what restaurants (or bars or clubs) are offering rewards at the time. You can search by multiple factors including location, reviews, cuisine or price. The restaurant rewards can change daily, so confirm the place youre considering eating is offering the reward on that particular day.
How many Hilton Honors Points can you earn?
Initial bonus
The Hilton dining program will occasionally feature initial sign-up bonuses. Right now, you can earn 1,000 Bonus Points when you spend $25 on dining within your first 30 days of membership. Be sure to check out the bonuses tab to see if there are other options for earning more.
Ongoing earning potential
When you initially enroll, youre given the option to opt-in for Hilton Honors Dining program emails. If you subscribe, youre eligible to earn up to 8 points per dollar spent if you dine out 11 times per year or more at participating restaurants (referred to as the VIP level).
If you opt-in for the emails but dine out 10 times or less within the year, youll earn 5 points for every dollar spent. But lets say you hate emails and you choose not to opt-in at all. Your earning potential drops to 2 points per every dollar spent, no matter how many times you dine out. While the choice is yours, you can earn the most when you dine out more than 11 times a year and opt-in for the Hilton Honors Dining program emails.
The Hilton dining program offers bonuses during certain months as well. These bonuses may be tied to taking surveys, linking additional cards or frequenting more restaurants.
How to use Hilton Honors points
The Hilton Honors program offers multiple redemption opportunities. The mainstay of the Hilton Honors program is earning enough points for free or reduced-cost stays at Hilton properties around the globe. Not only can points be used towards travel expenses, but you can use them for dining and adventure experiences, shopping excursions, sporting events or gifting to charity.
Do these points go towards earning Hilton status?
Yes, Hilton dining points go towards your Hilton status. It takes about six to eight weeks for the points to show on your Hilton Honors statement. However, bonus points you earn throughout the year through the dining program do not count towards tier-qualification.
Do Hilton Honors reward points expire?
Normally Hilton Honors points expire within 12 months of non-activity. However, due to the effects of COVID-19 in 2020, Hilton has announced points will not expire during this time.
Can you purchase Hilton Honors points?
Yes, Hilton Honors members can purchase up to 80,000 points per year for $800. You can purchase in increments starting with 1,000 points.
Final thoughts
Enrolling in the Hilton Honors Dining program is one of the most effortless ways to earn Hilton Honors points. You sign up, link your Hilton Honors number and a card and youre on your way. You can stretch your earning potential further by linking to a credit card with a generous bonus structure, linking multiple credit cards (up to five) and opting-in for the Hilton dining emails. The hardest decision youll have to make with the Hilton dining program is choosing which restaurant to eat out at first so you can begin earning!
For more travel tips & tricks, check out Bankrates travel toolkit.
Hilton Honors points dining out
