It’s Easy To Match To Hilton Diamond Status Right Now

a pool with a deck and chairs on it

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I’ve held Marriott top-tier status for quite a few years but I’ve recently been considering a move over to Hilton. Most of the reasons I’m considering moving my stays across to Hilton are for another time (I’ll write a post about this soon) but one of the bigger attractions is that I wouldn’t have to give up my top-tier hotel status if I moved.

I don’t have all that much interest in Hilton’s Aspire credit card which, for a $450 annual fee, comes with complimentary Hilton Diamond status so I’m currently stuck with Hilton Gold status courtesy of my Platinum Card from American Express.

As mid-tier statuses go Hilton Gold isn’t bad but I’d be reluctant to give up the comfort of top-tier status with Marriott if Hilton Gold was my only fallback option…..and Hilton is very well aware of this.

Hilton knows that few people will defect over to them if it means forgoing benefits another hotel group is already offering them so, to keep everyone interested, they offer status matches.

Hilton is currently offering status matches to both its Gold and Diamond levels and the requirements aren’t exactly onerous.

a pink sunset over a lake

What You Need To Status Match

In order to be eligible for a status match you’ll need to have the following:

  1. Mid-tier status or higher in another hotel loyalty program
  2. A minimum of one stay credited to your current loyalty program in the past 12 months
  3. Proof of both of the above.

To prove your status you can use one of the following:

  • A screenshot of your current account status or
  • An image of your current hotel loyalty membership card

To prove that you’ve made a stay in the past 12 months you can offer the following:

  • A screenshot of your previous reservation(s)
  • A hotel receipt

if you feel uncomfortable sending some of the information found on these documents you may redact any personal information other than your name and membership number.

a house on stilts in the water

How It Works

Going For Gold

If you have mid-tier status with another hotel program Hilton will match you to its Gold status level for a period of 90 days after you provide the information detailed above.

If, during those 90 days, you complete 4 stays (which could all be 1-night stays) at any Hilton properties worldwide Hilton will extend your Hilton Honors Gold status through 31 March 2020.

Going For Diamond

If you have top-tier status with another hotel program Hilton will match you to its Diamond status level for a period of 90 days after you provide the information detailed above.

If, during those 90 days, you complete 8 stays at any Hilton properties worldwide Hilton will extend your Hilton Honors Diamond status through 31 March 2020.

Those are not typos – your Hilton status will run through the rest of 2018, all of 2019 and through the first three months of 2020.

That’s a pretty fantastic deal if you’re prepared to put a little effort in.

Here’s a link to the status match page

What Do Hilton Gold & Diamond Status Offer?

Here’s how Hilton sums up what the various status levels offer….
a close up of a chart

…and here is what the earning rates are like for each status level:

a chart of different points

On top of this Hilton offers a pretty nice benefit to some of its top-tier elites in which it allows them to extend their Diamond status for an additional year (beyond the expiration date) one time and for any reason at all. More details via this link.

Thoughts

If you’re in a position to get the Hilton Honors Ascend Card (which offers Gold status for a $95 annual fee) that is probably the more economic way to achieving Hilton Honors Gold status – 4 stays at Hilton properties are likely to cost considerably more than $95.

If the card isn’t for you or if you’re not eligible for the card then this could be an easy path to Hilton Honors Gold status….just make sure you understand the benefits and make sure they’re benefits that are worth making 4 stays for.

The match to Diamond status is the most interesting option here as most of the world isn’t eligible for the Hilton Aspire card and not all people who are eligible for it want a $450/year credit card.

If you already have top-tier status with another hotel chain then you’re clearly already booking quite a few stays every year so moving 8 of those stays over to Hilton (in a 90 day period) shouldn’t be a big task – if it is then the carrot of top-tier status through March 2020 should help!

Bottom Line

If you’re looking to move your hotel loyalties to another chain and you think that Hilton’s portfolio and benefits are a good fit for your needs then these status matches are definitely worth a closer look.