A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a question about Hilton cashback offers in the UK associated with their BA Amex co-branded credit card.
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You can access Hilton here.
READ MORE: Hilton Honors Rate & Bonus Points Offers
Reader’s Email:
I noticed today that you are studying the Hotel Apps and wondered if you can answer a question for me please.
I am a Diamond Member with Hilton and use their App frequently. I also have an American Express British Airways Card and take advantage of the American Express Cashback Rewards and they currently have an offer with Hilton to receive £50 Cashback for a minimum spend of £200. I took advantage of this offer recently but am still waiting to see if I receive the Cashback. I stayed at a Hilton property in Milton Keynes and selected the ‘Semi Flex Rate’ which is not an online reservation as these don’t qualify for the Cashback offer. The Doubletree Milton Keynes is included in the list as included in the offer.
I did have a Cashback Offer rejected by American Express sometime ago, at a Hilton in Torquay UK as American Express advised me that the Hotel had used a ‘Third Party System’ to process my Credit Card Payment, which I didn’t fully understand, but I think possibly that the hotel has to charge me by inserting my card at checkout but am not sure about this.
I believe I adhered to the rules for the Cashback at Milton Keynes but I think that maybe this will be rejected by American Express too.
I was wondering if I use the Hotel Application to checkin online if this causes the Hotel to use a ‘Third Party System’ for processing, as I have no idea how the payment will be processed and it seems unfair to reject my Cashback without me knowing all the facts. Do you happen to know please?
The Hilton Offer is still on my account with American Express as being Saved to my Card, so I assume this means I haven’t used this offer when I did.
The reader here must be referring to these promotions that may pop up in your card that offers a credit; a reader refers to cashback for swiping it with select merchants for a select minimum amount.
These offers have become quite popular, and I have sometimes covered what travel ones I have seen on my Chase cards.
The issue that the reader here is facing, and I have also encountered, is that sometimes you don’t get the credit or bonus points even when you use the card in the intended way at the correct merchant.
This is essentially an issue with hotels because:
1. There is not a single point of sale, but sometimes hundreds of different businesses must be correctly identified as a specific hotel brand and a hotel for the bonus or discount to be correctly posted.
2. Hotel charges, such as XYZ JV London, can sometimes be very cryptic and don’t even name the hotel.
The Honors Advance Purchase rates, at least in the US, are processed by Hilton directly, which could also be the case in the UK. Hence, these rates are not eligible for the bonus/credit in the UK.
But I don’t quite understand why it was the reader’s problem when this one Hilton in Torquay processed the payment using “another” system that didn’t correctly identify this specific property at Amex’s end. It doesn’t make much sense.
The charge shouldn’t be processed differently depending on whether the reader checks in using the app.
However, I don’t see any benefit to using a Hilton app to check in to a hotel, and I have never used it for this purpose. I understand that it may work in your favor at select service hotels with a limited number of front desk employees.
The reader should push Amex to credit the bonus (cashback) for the previous stay correctly, as it shouldn’t be the reader’s problem if the hotel runs the card using an “incorrect” system.
Conclusion
I really like these rebate (cashback) or bonus points/miles offers that you sometimes have on your cards (I literally just used one less than an hour ago here in Tokyo), but I hate that you need to babysit the transaction to ensure that you get what you are due.
I hope the reader has luck with their BA Amex to have them credit the 50 GBP they owe.
What have been your experiences with these offers in the UK? Have they posted without too many issues?
