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PSA: Hilton Honor Point Devaluation

escanoe said:
For those who read the forum to learn and may not be versed in all the terminology, what are "FNCs?"
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Theoretically, Hilton issues FNRs (Free Night Rewards) formerly WNRs (Weekend Night Rewards) back when they could only be used on weekends. But the FNC (Free Night Certificates) nomenclature from Marriott and other hotel chains predominates.
 
Last year, we booked the Conrad Tulum with Hilton Honors points at 100,000 points per night, with the 5th night free, for a total of 400,000 points for 5 nights. With a cash rate of $700 per night, the stay would have cost $3,500, giving a redemption value of 0.875 cents per point, which is excellent for a property of this caliber. Additionally, we received an upgrade to an ocean view room, valued at over $800 per night, adding even more value to our stay.

We also added the Flavors of Tulum package for 2 people at $175 per person per night, totaling $1,750 for the 5-night stay. The package included unlimited dining and premium drinks at most restaurants and bars, including fine dining at Maratea, Kengai, and Ukai, along with snacks, specialty cocktails, and wines. The total cash equivalent, including the package, was $5,250, increasing the redemption value to 1.31 cents per point.

Since the package spend was charged to our room at checkout, we also earned 34x Hilton Honors points (from Diamond status and the Hilton credit card) on the $1,750, totaling approximately 65,000 Hilton Honors points, making this an even better value. This combination of points, upgrade, and dining package made the stay an exceptional deal. This was way better than their lounge access to Ceiba Club since you can’t take food and drink outside the club.
 
ljmiii said:
Theoretically, Hilton issues FNRs (Free Night Rewards) formerly WNRs (Weekend Night Rewards) back when they could only be used on weekends. But the FNC (Free Night Certificates) nomenclature from Marriott and other hotel chains predominates.
Click to expand...
I swear there's a certificate in there somewhere lol. But looking up at my last e-mail, they did get rid of that nomenclature. I probably last looked in 2008 when I first signed up, and my memory may be faulty. The nice thing is you can just call and use it just about anywhere (apparently in the very small print there's some exclusions, but TBH I haven't actually found one in real life use - of course YMMV). The stupid part however, IMHO, is having to call in to use it. No idea why.
 
jp10558 said:
I swear there's a certificate in there somewhere lol. But looking up at my last e-mail, they did get rid of that nomenclature. I probably last looked in 2008 when I first signed up, and my memory may be faulty. The nice thing is you can just call and use it just about anywhere (apparently in the very small print there's some exclusions, but TBH I haven't actually found one in real life use - of course YMMV). The stupid part however, IMHO, is having to call in to use it. No idea why.
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Can be used anywhere where a “standard” accommodation is available.
 
Reddart said:
Can be used anywhere where a “standard” accommodation is available.
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You have to look online to get an idea of what dates work for a standard accommodation. It can be a generous perk, if you select a swanky place with the free night.

I think we used at a $500-$600/night place.

Time was running out and had to use it... I know... Don't cry for us! ;)
 
The SLH ones that were added to Hilton Honors were already at the higher prices. I was able to use 3 FNCs to book one as an add on to a ThirdHome reservation I had made (originally booked with points at 130K per night, but switched as the FNCs were added to my account) the Honors discounted rate per night for it is $1,859, which would make it 1.43 cents per point at the point value (1.716 cents per point for a five night stay, but I was planning on the FNCs). The accommodations are a 1,700 sq ft 2-story 2 BR with a full kitchen, 2 1/2 BA, and a private boat slip. Anyone have a boat I can borrow?
 
Eric B said:
The SLH ones that were added to Hilton Honors were already at the higher prices. I was able to use 3 FNCs to book one as an add on to a ThirdHome reservation I had made (originally booked with points at 130K per night, but switched as the FNCs were added to my account) the Honors discounted rate per night for it is $1,859, which would make it 1.43 cents per point at the point value (1.716 cents per point for a five night stay, but I was planning on the FNCs). The accommodations are a 1,700 sq ft 2-story 2 BR with a full kitchen, 2 1/2 BA, and a private boat slip. Anyone have a boat I can borrow?
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Which property is this?
 
Zenichiro said:
Which property is this?
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South Bank in Turks and Caicos. There are a few others in SLH that are an even better value, but I had a trip already booked there for a week through ThirdHome in at this place:

exchange.thirdhome.com

Luxury Oceanfront Penthouse | Provenenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

ThirdHome luxury home exchange details for Luxury Oceanfront Penthouse in Provenenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
exchange.thirdhome.com exchange.thirdhome.com

It will be my first trip to Turks and Caicos; if the SLH property is good, I may wind up coming back using Hilton Honors either at this one or one of the others in the same resort group.
 
Does anyone have a link to an article or thread on how to value Hilton Honors Points? Thanks.
 
Also

www.nerdwallet.com

How Much Are Points and Miles Worth in 2025? - NerdWallet

How much are your points and miles are worth in dollars and cents? We compared the cash and award rates for 16 different hotel and airline programs to find out.
www.nerdwallet.com www.nerdwallet.com
thepointsguy.com

What are points and miles worth? TPG’s March 2025 valuations - The Points Guy

Learn how points and miles from major loyalty programs stack up. Here's how TPG values each major credit card, hotel and airline rewards currency.
thepointsguy.com thepointsguy.com
onemileatatime.com

How Much Are Airline, Hotel, And Credit Card Points Worth?

How much are credit card points, airline miles, and hotel points worth? While there's no right or wrong answer, here's an expert valuation.
onemileatatime.com onemileatatime.com


Cheers.
 
JohnnyO said:
Thanks for the article. This was pre-devaluation so I'm sure the estimates have changed. Trying to figure out when it's just better to pay for the cheap hotel night v using points. This definitely helped.
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I use >¢0.5/point (before taxes and fees) as a rough guideline for it worth it to use points.
 
I haven’t paid for hotel rooms in years except for nights near airports with a park and fly deal. I generally get $0.01 to $0.015 per HH point as a minimum by sticking with higher tier brands, using the 5 nights for 4, and getting upgraded as Diamond with Hilton and Titanium with Marriott. Most of them are ones I wouldn’t pay cash for but I have lots of points from tour incentives and credit cards.
 
Eric B said:
I haven’t paid for hotel rooms in years except for nights near airports with a park and fly deal. I generally get $0.01 to $0.015 per HH point as a minimum by sticking with higher tier brands, using the 5 nights for 4, and getting upgraded as Diamond with Hilton and Titanium with Marriott. Most of them are ones I wouldn’t pay cash for but I have lots of points from tour incentives and credit cards.
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Yeah that's the rub. We have a lot of points too and are also Diamond. We were looking at one night at a Hilton Spark to break up the drive and it costs 31k points @.0038 per point. Not sure to just pay for it or use points. They already offer free breakfast. We've never been to a Hilton Spark but aren't expecting much and don't need an upgrade even if they had one.
 
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My average redemption over the past year has been ~$0.008, so for me if it is less than $0.005 redemption it’s definitely cash.
 
ljmiii said:
Theoretically, Hilton issues FNRs (Free Night Rewards) formerly WNRs (Weekend Night Rewards) back when they could only be used on weekends. But the FNC (Free Night Certificates) nomenclature from Marriott and other hotel chains predominates.
Click to expand...
Used my Hilton FNR at WA Monarch Beach last year. Absolutely loved it!
Have used priors at Grand Wailea at Maui (+ TS promo); nice stay for a minimal cost.
Love my Aspire Amex!
 
mountainboy said:
Used my Hilton FNR at WA Monarch Beach last year. Absolutely loved it!
Have used priors at Grand Wailea at Maui (+ TS promo); nice stay for a minimal cost.
Love my Aspire Amex!
Click to expand...
6 FNRs this year - 3 nights in a 2 BR boathouse at South Bank; 3 nights at WA Los Cabos Pedregal. Spent the points for WA Washington DC a couple of times.
 
RX8 said:
Anyone want a Homewood Suites for 140,000 points?
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Very nice beach in Camarillo, unless there is a neighbring town beginning with "C" that I am confusing. Very nice beach. 140K is high, but considering some of the "resorts" with no beach that peope love to spend $300 on, the $292 is not crazy. Very nice beach in a spot that tends to get above avg weather too. Throw in a couple of platforms just far enough off-shore for a decent little swim to get out to and hang around with, well, other people who like to swim, mostly teens
 
WaikikiFirst said:
Very nice beach in Camarillo, unless there is a neighbring town beginning with "C" that I am confusing. Very nice beach. 140K is high, but considering some of the "resorts" with no beach that peope love to spend $300 on, the $292 is not crazy. Very nice beach in a spot that tends to get above avg weather too. Throw in a couple of platforms just far enough off-shore for a decent little swim to get out to and hang around with, well, other people who like to swim, mostly teens
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There are no beaches in Camarillo. The Homewood Suites is actually located in Oxnard and isn’t near the beach but rather a more industrial area. You might be thinking of Leo Carrillo beach?

If someone had 140,000 HH points burning a hole in their pocket a much better value than this pedestrian Homewood Suites would be the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort for only 90,000 HH points. Santa Barbara is a more upscale and scenic location than Oxnard, you would get the beach and save 50,000 HH points.
 
RX8 said:
no beaches in Camarillo.
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Right. I just realized I was confusing the "C". The very nice beach is in Carpinteria. (maybe 10 or 15 miles north) And being further north Carpinteria is more protected from cooler weather from the NW by Pt Conception. The Oxnard was throwing me. Oxnard makes me think of strawberries, outlets, the way to Hueneme (doubt I spelled that right), and maybe the scene in Sideways, when he visits her at the end in a generic condo kind of place. I have this trivial idea that was filmed in Oxnard. Why? who knows
Leo Carrillo, nice one. Malibu, iirc. More waves. Less swimming. Nice.
 
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