Very comparable. Hilton and Marriott both own around 30 hotel brands, each of which are tiered by quality or target customer (resort vs biz travelers, etc). Generally higher-tier properties cost more points or dollars (Ritz Carlton 100k a night vs Courtyard 40k a night in Marriott ecosystem, etc). They also tend to compete in all the same geographies, so if you’re looking at places with a Marriott presence, odds are there’s a Hilton branded location in the neighborhood. Same for Hyatt.
Also, general notice that Hilton is offering 80 or 100% bonus on Honors Points purchases to members on its website. My fiancee who carries the Hilton Surpass card could purchase points and get a 100% bonus, while I (not being a hilton cardholder) could get the 80% bonus. We called Hilton to ask if by using their credit card, we’d also get the points multiplier on Hilton spend via the credit card, and eventually got to someone who knew and said yes. So spend a few hundred bucks on points and you’ll at least see them doubled, and then hopefully this customer service agent was right and you’ll see X multiplied once you pay it off on the credit card statement.
Found a Hilton property on the Turkish coast that looks sweet. No Greek properties
Looks like Hilton points for Turkey, AMEX points for Greece. Bada bing bada boom. haha
And Chase points for airfare!
I think I got the hang of this now lol
Wedding June 2023, mini-moon to Napa the week after the wedding, then the big honeymoon summer 2024.
Thinking Croatia, Greek Islands, Istanbul, Turkish Coast (still working out the itinerary and order of those places lol). Trying to do something a little out of the ordinary/somewhere that would be tougher with kids. Saving Western Europe for family trips.
Unfortunately I think the Hilton agent misinformed you. I have bought points through Hilton before and never had them get the bonus multiplier on spend.
One of my trusted cc/travel sights agrees/confirms.
What about a pending business trip to India that hasn’t been officially green carded, but is supposed to happen, and will be like $2500 min and expensed?
Just got the Venture X. 100k signup bonus is great. And they put a lot of other perks on that card, as well. 2x on everything has made it my everyday spend for non-specific category spend stuff.
Yeah I would just put it on the CSR. I don’t think any amount of travel could justify paying over $1,000 in annual fees. Carrying both Amex Plat and CSR would be a pile of perks but I doubt I could use them all effectively. If you’re the kind of guy who is rich enough and travels frequently enough to justify both, you can also probably justify using the Amex Platinum’s private jet benefits with Wheels Up. And in that case the airline benefits aren’t worth fuckall.
For anyone with a CSR or CSP that they’re considering getting rid of, you can call in and have it downgraded to a Chase Sapphire, which my doesn’t carry an annual fee. I don’t think they market the Sapphire at all, but it’s a good option to keep the avg credit age propped up
I’m officially on Team Venture X. Been all Chase so excited to get a new bonus and just change it up. To echo a lot of what’s been said the Chase customer service got so bad.
Ok guys, trying to book travel the right way/for most benefits and points for the first time. Made a spreadsheet and everything haha
My basic question: trying to book a Hilton property with my Amex platinum. Is it better to book through Amex or on Hilton’s site? Through my calculations, the rewards are worth more if I book through Amex. Although, I’m trying to figure out if the Hilton Gold Status room upgrade is available if I book through Amex or if I have to book directly through Hilton? And is the room upgrade worth it if the points are worth so much less for Hilton? By my calculations, 5x rewards on Amex at 2 cents per point is worth about $24, whereas the 8x Hilton points at .7 cents per point is only worth $14.
