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A couple of weeks ago, a targeted Hilton gift card Amex Offer appeared on several of my cards. I’d thought we’d posted about it but apparently we hadn’t, so here are the details.
The Deal
- Spend $100+ on Hilton gift cards, get $20 back.
Key Terms
- Expires August 31, 2018.
- Valid online only at buyhiltongiftcards.com.
- The Hilton Gift Card may be used only at Hilton Hotels and properties worldwide that accept American Express Cards.
- Funds do not expire.
- The Hilton Gift Card cannot be used at ATMs.
Quick Thoughts
On the face of it, this Amex Offer appears to offer the opportunity to save 20% on Hilton stays. In reality, it’s closer to an 18% discount as you have to pay $1.95 for standard shipping.
Unfortunately it’s not possible to earn cashback or points through a portal. The Hilton Shop-To-Earn Mall lists the Hilton Gift Card site as earning two points per dollar, but when trying to click through you get the following message:
We apologize but the selected online shop is not available in our offering.
An 18% discount on Hilton stays is pretty good, although there are a couple of potential downsides. Standard shipping takes 6-10 business days, so it wouldn’t help with any stays in the next week. You also might not be able to use the card when booking Advance Purchase rates seeing as the hotel might take payment immediately (unless your stay costs less than $100).
You’d also miss out on the 7x / 12x / 14x you could earn from paying with an American Express Hilton credit card, but the 18% discount more than offsets that loss.
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Any experience on how fast these cards typically ship? I have a Hilton stay next week, which is too soon but I’ve also heard that it takes up to 30 days to get the card. Hopefully that’s incorrect.
I haven’t bought any before, so I’m not certain. However, when on the order page it warns that it’ll take 6-10 business days unless you pay extra for one of the faster shipping options. That wouldn’t be worth it though as it’d eat up nearly all the Amex Offer discount.
You will typically get them within a few days, but a week might be ambitious. Also be aware that most properties have no idea what to do with the cards. Some places can work it out, and others just have no clue. Just stayed at a Canadian Hilton (actual Hilton, not another brand) and they were unable to take it. Not a big deal, I’ll use it eventually – but the “accepted at all hotels and resorts within the Hilton Portfolio” may not exactly be correct…
[…] there’s the recent Hilton Spend $100 or more on Hilton gift cards, Get $20 back offer. For those who stay at Hilton properties often, this is a great way to pre-pay and save […]
They have a limit of 3 orders every 24 hours so pace yourself if you are redeeming multiple cards
I have a stay coming up in July where I’m planning to partial pay with the Hilton gift cards and Hilton ascend card. Would I still get triple points (summer promotion) on my stay?
Yep – those points are awarded regardless of payment method.
Will using the Hilton Aspire or another Hilton card count as a Hilton expense for the 14x points?
I wouldn’t have thought buying gift cards would earn 14x on the Aspire card as that’s earned on spend at hotels and resorts. There’s a chance it might, but I’d count that as an added bonus.
I wonder if buyhiltongiftcards.com would qualify as a travel related charge, so that I could erase the cost with Arrival+ or CapOne?
I’m not sure, although paying with one of those cards would mean you wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the Amex Offer.
Very true. Hilton runs double points promo (edit: this works with GC payment too so cross out), Amex Offer (on Aspire card), and with Aspire’s own earning power all stacked together, 20% discount could be easily achieved, especially if you take in consideration the added hustle of carrying physical cards. I regret buying 4*$50 Hilton gc with 20% discount earlier this year. Not going to bother next time unless it’s >50% off :))