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Hilton has been coming out of the gate with incredible offers on their cards. One of the main perks that is offered is the “Hilton Free Weekend Night”. With the Hilton Aspire, you are automatically awarded one free weekend night when approved and for each renewal. However, the Hilton Ascend (my personal favorite) and Hilton Business Card require spending $15,000 in one year to qualify for the Hilton Free Weekend Night.
There is a safe assumption someone will spend at least the $3,000 for the minimum spend bonus. However, is the “opportunity cost” worth it to invest the remaining $12,000 in spending on this card to achieve the free night certificate? I asked myself this question recently and decided to dig into it.
The beautiful Waldorf Astoria in Park City, Utah. Courtesy of Hilton.
Hilton Free Weekend Night Spending Investment
The great part about this benefit is that is can practically be used anywhere. When I say anywhere, I mean at nearly 99% of Hilton’s worldwide. You can find the excluded list here. Some of Hilton’s most expensive rooms can cost over $2,000/night, so being able to use a free night can really save you some serious cash. Check out the best Hilton properties here to use your Free Weekend Night at!
While we all value our points and spending a bit differently, these numbers are for sake of argument.
I value Hilton points at .6 cents per point. With the base multiplier being 3 points per dollar, I will earn at least 36,000 Hilton Points. These are worth $216. Remember, we are excluding the $3,000 for the sake of the opportunity cost arguments.
If you are primarily a “cash back” credit card user, lets round these purchases to 2% cash back. $12,000 x 2% = $240.
As for points credit card users, lets take the Chase Freedom Unlimited into consideration. You could also be earning 2 points per dollar with the Chase Freedom Unlimited. This would be 18,000 Ultimate Rewards points. That amounts to nearly $360 in value.
So, is the Hilton Free Weekend Night worth it?
I think we can all come to a consensus of, yes. If used at a high price property like the Waldorf Astoria Park City or the Conrad Maldives. If we require a general dollar amount, I would say $450 to make it “worth it”.
However, Hilton points are not nearly as versatile as American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards. So that is something to remember as you accumulate these.
For my situation, I personally do love Hilton, and I’m already half way to getting my certificate ($7,500). I will move forward with spending the other half to get the Hilton Free Weekend Night. However, I will be doing so at grocery stores on my Ascend, where I earn 6 points per dollar.
Like anything else in our beloved points and miles game, it comes down to what works for you and your travel goals.
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
This card works well for my small business which spends about 20k per year and none of it on any category bonuses for any cards. At least this way I get a free night out of it.
Um, no. The Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5 points per dollar, NOT 2.
Do people really travel to exotic locations to stay somewhere for just one night? I understand the concept of maximizing the value of a free night, but doesn’t spending additional time, points and/or funds to get there defeat the purpose?
I see the argument of staying at a location nearby that does not cost as much and then switching hotels for the expensive option to maximize the free certificate, but that process takes time and partially disrupts the concept of vacation.
The 45K of points from $15K in spend are not nearly enough to cover additional nights at the illustrated properties referenced in the post though that spend at grocery stores gets you another night in Park City during peak ski season.