All major hotel chains like Marriott, Hyatt, and IHG offer free night award certificates – a great and easy-to-earn perk you can get from their co-branded credit cards and use for a free night stay. But if you ask us, Hilton free night certificates stand far, far above the rest.
Other hotel chains cap which properties you can book using their certificates, but not Hilton: No hotel or resort is off-limits with a Hilton free night certificate. So while even mid-tier properties are out of reach with other chains, you can book some of the best Hilton properties on the planet using these certificates. And now that hundreds of Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) are under the Hilton umbrella, there are more top-notch properties to pick from than ever.
To top it all off, Hilton free night certificates are easier (and quicker) to earn than competing hotel chains. And while it takes a bit of legwork to find nights that are eligible to redeem a Hilton certificate – especially at the priciest properties – it’s pretty straightforward, making it a surefire way to cover a night at a Hilton hotel that costs $500 a night … if not double or three times that sum.
That makes Hilton free night award certificates the most powerful among the hotel chains – and it’s not even close. Check out how they work and some of the best places you can redeem them for maximum value.
Read More: A Complete Guide to Hilton Honors: Free Nights, Credit Cards & More
The Basics of Redeeming Hilton Free Nights
Hilton free night certificates can be incredibly valuable. It’ll just require jumping through a few hoops to redeem them.
Most importantly, while they can be used at any property in Hilton’s portfolio, you can only use them when there is “standard” room award availability. Exactly what that means varies from property to property: It ranges from 25,000 points a night (and sometimes less) at cheap, everyday hotels to as much as 150,000 points a night at high-end resorts.
Searching for a hotel with points at Hilton.com, and look for “Standard Room Reward” listed as one of the redemption options – then you’re set. If you see award rates like 462,000 Hilton points or 997,000 points, it’s a no go.
Our Hotel Alert subscribers get emails when there’s availability at top-rated (and hard-to-book) Hilton properties!
At some of Hilton’s most sought-after properties, this critical standard room award availability tends to come in waves: often very far in advance or closer to your travel dates. If the property you want isn’t currently available, don’t give up hope – you may need to give it a few weeks.
Thrifty Tip: Click the “My Dates are Flexible” option when searching at Hilton.com to get a monthlong view, helping you quickly zero in on the lower-priced nights with standard award availability.
Hilton recently added the ability to see your free night award certificates in your Hilton online account. And while that has made it easier to track them, you still cannot use them online to book yourself. Instead, you’ll need to call Hilton at 1-800-446-6677 to make a redemption. You’ll need both your Hilton Honors account number and your Hilton free night certificate number.
Hilton free night certificates expire 12 months from the date they were deposited into your account… and you must book and stay by that date. You won’t be able to apply a certificate for a stay after the expiration date.
That said, I’ve repeatedly been able to get them extended by a month or so. If you’re running out of time, just call up Hilton and most representatives should be willing to accommodate you.
Pair it with Hilton’s Fifth-Night Free Benefit
If you’ve got a certificate and plenty of Honors points to use, Hilton ups the ante with a fifth-night free on award bookings.
You’ll need some level of Hilton status to be eligible for this perk. But that’s easy, as you can unlock instant status with any co-branded Hilton card or even the *amex platinum*.
Unfortunately, you can’t use a free night certificate and Hilton Honors points simultaneously to get a fifth night free. You’ll have to book these separately.
Let’s say you’re open to a six-night stay at a fancy Hilton resort. In this case, you could use your free night certificate and then make another reservation for five consecutive nights using Hilton points – assuming you found six nights of consecutive standard award availability.
Voila: A six-night stay using just four nights worth of points and a free night certificate!
While there isn’t a way to combine a reservation from a free night award certificate with a regular cash or points booking, you should be able to merge the reservations with a Hilton agent via chat beforehand or at check-in.
The Best Hotels to Maximize Free Night Certificates
With other hotel chains, getting top-dollar value out of free night certificates can be tough. The caps on which properties are eligible mean you can get $300 or so in value at most. Top resorts and five-star properties are out of the question.
With Hilton, the world is your oyster: We’ve used free night certificates to book Hilton properties that cost $800 to $2,000 a night or more. The value is incredible.
From brand-new luxury hotels to boutique properties to all-inclusive resorts, nothing is off limits. And with more than 400 SLH properties now in the Hilton fold, there are more excellent options than ever.
If you want to maximize the value certificate, certain Hilton brands will get you far more bang for your buck than others: Generally speaking, Waldorf Astoria, SLH, Conrad, LXR, or even Hilton’s Curio collection properties will be your best bet.
In no particular order, here are some of our favorites.
Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal (Mexico)
I used my free night certificate at the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal a few years back. It’s easily one of the best redemptions, period – and one of my favorite hotel stays ever.
But consider yourself warned: This hotel is not cheap … which is exactly why it’s a great way to use your free night certificate.
Cash rates typically range between $1,500 to as much as $3,000 per night – especially over the peak winter. But so long as you find award availability at 120,000 points per night, you can put a free night certificate to use instead.
Read our full review of the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal!
Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique
While it won’t officially open until May 2025, the Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique in Costa Rica has already positioned itself as one of the best ways to use a free night certificate. In fact, I used a free night certificate myself to book part of a longer stay in May.
The property is about a 40-minute ride from the Liberia (LIR) airport, with king or double queen bedrooms equipped with an outside soaking tub and rainfall shower on the balcony overlooking the tropical landscape.
Cash rates start at around $1,500 a night, so using a free night certificate or even 120,000 Hilton points is an excellent value.
Waldorf Astoria New York City
After being closed for renovations that have dragged on for nearly a decade, the Waldorf Astoria New York is getting ready to reopen sometime in 2025.
While it’s not open just yet, it’s a fantastic use of a free night certificate for a stay in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Cash rates start at over $1,600 a night … but if you can find award availability at 150,000 points, you can use a certificate instead.
Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam (Netherlands)
The Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam is another great way to use your Hilton free night certificate.
Our founder Jared and his family deployed a free night certificate on a trip to Europe and said the property was incredible. From the rooms to the service to the small, boutique feel of the hotel, they nailed all the details. And it’s built in the Herengracht Canal – the perfect location to explore the city.
Finding standard availability at 120,000 points a night can be a challenge – especially during the spring and summer. But if you can swing it, it’s a great way to burn a Hilton certificate.
Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi
There’s no shortage of Hilton properties in the Maldives, but the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi might just be the cream of the crop.
In fact, it’s one of the most expensive properties in Hilton’s entire portfolio: Expect to pay between $1,600 and $2,200 a night – or a whopping 150,000 points a night for a standard room award using points. If you’re looking to use a free night certificate, that is the rate you’ll need to find.
I’ll let the photo of this overwater villa speak for itself.
Waldorf Astoria Park City (Utah)
Located just 30 miles from the Salt Lake City (SLC) airport, the Waldorf Astoria Park City is a fantastic way for skiers to use a Hilton free night award.
The property is on the Canyons Village side of Park City Mountain and has a gondola to get you to the mountain base for a day of skiing. You can also enjoy the heated outdoor pool and hot tubs once off the slopes.
During peak ski season, cash rates are well over $1,000 a night. But you can cover that with a free night certificate when you find standard room award availability at 110,000 points per night.
Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort (Maui)
The Waldorf Astoria Grand Wailea is easily one of the best resorts you can book with points – not just on the island of Maui but all of Hawaii. Like many of the other properties on this list, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a nights selling for less than $1,000 a night.
The property has nine pools across the resort, including an adults-only Hibiscus Pool. Standard room award nights start at 110,000 points each night.
Conrad Bora Bora Nui (Tahiti)
Yes, your free night certificate from Hilton can even get you this view.
It’s the Conrad Bora Bora Nui, one of Hilton’s best properties on the planet and well worth a spot on your bucket list – or your Hilton free night certificate. Standard award availability runs at 120,000 points per night, which is what you’ll need to find in order to use that certificate.
While finding those rates isn’t a sure thing, we’ve found wide-open availability repeatedly for our Hotel Alerts subscribers. Pair your free night certificate(s) with some Hilton Honors points for an unforgettable stay in French Polynesia. That’s exactly what our editor Kyle did earlier this year.
Read our full review of the Conrad Bora Bora Nui!
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is another great choice.
Standard room award nights start at 120,000 points per night for a 1,600-square-foot beach villa – sadly, no overwater villas are available at standard rates here, so you’ll have to keep your fingers crossed for an upgrade.
On the flip side, finding that award availability is much easier than most properties on this list, including for a trip during the Maldives’ dry season between January and March.
The property is home to the world’s first undersea restaurant – Ithaa – which contains a panoramic coral garden view while you eat. It’s truly one of the most unique experiences you’ll find at a hotel anywhere in the world.
Conrad Orlando (Florida)
Opened just this year, the Conrad Orlando is a great spot to relax during your next trip to Disney World.
Located within the 1,100-acre Evermore Orlando Resort, the property is close to Disney and has an eight-acre blue lagoon. If using points, standard rooms start at 90,000 points per night. And whether you redeem points or a certificate, you won’t have to worry about paying the $50 daily resort fee.
Hotel del Coronado, Curio Collection by Hilton (San Diego, CA)
Just off the coast of San Diego, you’ll find one of the oldest and most iconic hotels in the U.S.: The Hotel del Coronado, a Curio Collection property from Hilton.
It’s not just an icon of San Diego – it’s an American icon. It was designated as a California Historical Landmark in 1970 and as a National Historic Landmark in 1977.
I used my Hilton free night certificate here back in 2021. While the property is pretty incredible and worth a visit, the rooms are definitely on the older side and not the best. But you won’t see hotels like this any more – it’s a piece of history, and easily worth using a Hilton free night certificate.
Standard room awards at the Hotel Del Coronado can be booked for 95,000 points per night, and a quick scroll through the booking calendar shows plenty of dates with standard rooms available.
Read our full review of the Hotel Del Coronado!
Calala Island (Nicaragua)
Once a part of Hyatt, Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) broke away and teamed up with Hilton this year. That brought Calala Island – a near-private island all-inclusive resort experience off the coast of Nicaragua – into the mix.
With just a half dozen villas, it’s historically been almost impossible to book with points … and otherwise charges $4,000-plus per night. But we’ve unearthed a few instances of wide-open award availability at 150,000 points a night, meaning you could use a free night certificate.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better value for a free night certificate in Hilton’s entire portfolio.
Book your flights into Managua (MGA) and the Calala team will take you on the long trek to the resort by short flight, car, and then a 90-minute boat ride. Yes, your Hilton points or certificates covers everything except the flight to Managua!
Hermitage Bay (Antigua)
Also new to Hilton through the SLH partnership is Hermitage Bay, a Caribbean all-inclusive resort in Antigua that you can book for 150,000 points a night after a recent increase.
With cash rates often hovering around $3,000 or more, it’s a stellar way to use points or free night certificates. Our editor Kyle, recently stayed here and said it might just be one of the best all-inclusive resorts in the world and his best-ever Hilton redemption, too.
Read more: A Full Review of Hermitage Bay Resort in Antigua
Canaves Oia Suites (Greece)
Yes, more SLH hotels.
The Canaves Oia Suites on the Greek isle of Santorini is another fantastic way to use a free night. You’ll need to search for at least a three-night stay to find standard award rates of 150,000 points a night.
We haven’t stayed ourselves, but this is widely viewed as one of the best properties in the Greek Islands, and every suite has its own plunge pool overlooking the Aegean Sea.
Grand Hotel Victoria (Italy)
Lake Como in Italy is one of the dreamiest places on the planet. If you have Hilton points or free night certificates, why not use them at one of the best hotels in the area
The Grand Hotel Victoria is new to the Hilton portfolio, again through the SLH partnership. It’s located on the western shores of Lake Como in the town of Menaggio, far away from the touristy areas of the lake, and while we haven’t stayed ourselves, it gets rave reviews.
Standard room award availability is bookable for 150,000 points per night, but paying cash can cost as much as $1,400 here during the peak season, making it an easy entry on this list.
Furore Grand Hotel (Italy)
Last but not least is the Furore Grand Hotel on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. It’s one of the only hotels bookable with points in the Amalfi Coast and another option that came online recently via Hilton’s SLH partnership.
With nightly rates around $1,300, this is a stellar use of Hilton points and free night certificates. Standard award nights start at 150,000 a night.
How to Earn Hilton Free Night Certificates
Now you know just how valuable they can be, it’s time to show you how you can get them.
Hilton and American Express team up to issue a handful of different co-branded credit cards. And many of them offer these free award night certificates as a perk.
On some, getting a free night certificate is as easy as keeping the card open and paying your annual fee. On others, you’ll need to spend a certain amount each year to get one. And on some, you can do both – earning multiple free night certificates.
Once you earn one, you’ll get an email letting you know along with some more instructions on how to redeem it.
Here’s a full breakdown of American Express cards that can get you these ultra-valuable certificates.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Hilton’s top-tier credit card underwent major changes last year, but we still think the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is the best hotel card, period … and the easiest way to earn a free night certificate from Hilton, too.
Each year you hold the card, you’ll get a free night certificate. Unlike other hotel chain credit cards, you get this benefit right off the bat – not after renewing the card for a second year.
You’ll typically get your first certificate within six or eight weeks of opening your card – and six to eight weeks after it renews each year. The Aspire card also allows you to earn a second free night certificate by spending $30,000 or more on the card in a calendar year … and then another one if you can spend $60,000 or more in the same year. That’s right: Heavy spenders can earn three free night certificates a year.
While it has an annual fee of $550, it comes with an incomparable number of benefits that can easily offset that: instant, top-tier Diamodn status; two, twice-a-year $200 credits (for a total of $400 annually) to use at any eligible Hilton resorts; and up to $200 in airline credits each year – doled out in $50 increments each calendar quarter.
Read More: Why the Amex Hilton Aspire Card is the Best Hotel Credit Card
Learn more about the Hilton Honors Aspire Card. (for full disclosure, this is our personal referral link)
All information about the Hilton Aspire Card has been collected independently by Thrifty Traveler and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
The *Hilton Surpass* can also get you a free night certificate – but only after you spend $15,000 on your card in a calendar year.
You’ll also get Hilton Honors Gold status just for holding the card, unlocking free breakfast for two at almost any Hilton hotel abroad or a daily food and beverage credit at U.S. properties. It also offers up to $200 in statement credits a year for purchases directly with Hilton, doled out as $50 quarterly.
The card has a $150 annual fee (see rates & fees).
Learn more about the *Hilton Surpass*.
Bottom Line
Hilton free night certificates can be almost unbelievably valuable – especially if you know how and where to maximize them.
Other hotel chains that offer certificates like these make all their best properties (and even some mediocre ones) off-limits, but not Hilton. Combined with how easy and fast it can be to earn these certificates, it’s an incredible perk.
