Feb

Priority Club Throwdown, At Least 1000 Free Priority Club Points

I really love this. Priority Cluib throws down the gauntlet on the Hilton HHonors devaluation (see also here).

Priority Club is running the Luckiest Loser competition.

Sign up and you’ll automatically receive 1000 points. If you’re one of the top 20,000 Hilton HHonors losers (you had one of the 20,000 highest Hilton HHonors points balances) you’ll receive 20% of your Hilton balance in Priority Club points, up to 20,000 Priority Club points. And the person who registers with the highest Hilton balance will receive 2 million Priority Club points and be dubbed “the Luckiest Loser.”

Of course, I burned most of the Hilton points because of the devaluation. So my balance is pretty paltry, I won’t be in the top 20,000. They want current HHonors balance, not balance prior to the devaluation. They say that they may require verification, my guess is they certainly will require a statement for the Luckiest Loser but probably not for the top 20,000. Just speculation on my part, I was honest with my current balance.

I love both the free points and the throwdown!

What happened to your HHonors points?

On January 15, Hilton^® increased the cost of most of their hotel rewards, effectively devaluing HHonors points “by about 20%.” (USAToday.com*). That could mean losing an entire free night from that big vacation you were planning to take with your HHonors points.

To see how these changes could impact your next vacation, check out how many free nights you could be losing with HHonors at these popular destinations:

Your HHonors Point Balance Redeemed at this Hotel Your Free Reward Nights

Before After

40,000 points Doubletree Hotel Denver 2 nights 1 night

50,000 points Hilton Garden Inn Chicago 2 nights 1 night

100,000 points Hampton Inn & Suites Orlando 5 nights 4 nights

140,000 points Doubletree Suites Charleston 4 nights 2 nights

175,000 points Las Vegas Hilton 5 nights 4 nights

200,000 points Hilton Times Square NYC 5 nights 4 nights

210,000 points Courthouse Doubletree London 6 nights 4 nights

280,000 points Hilton Hawaiian Village 7 nights 5 nights

For complete details on the examples above, please view our Frequently Asked Questions.

Learn more about the HHonors changes:

USAToday.com — Hilton HHonors to devalue loyalty points starting Jan. 15, 2010

WashingtonTimes.com — Hilton devalues its loyalty program

Your HHonors Point Balance	Redeemed at this Hotel	Your Free Reward Nights
Before	After
40,000 points	Doubletree Hotel Denver	2 nights	1 night
50,000 points	Hilton Garden Inn Chicago	2 nights	1 night
100,000 points	Hampton Inn & Suites Orlando	5 nights	4 nights
140,000 points	Doubletree Suites Charleston	4 nights	2 nights
175,000 points	Las Vegas Hilton	5 nights	4 nights
200,000 points	Hilton Times Square NYC	5 nights	4 nights
210,000 points	Courthouse Doubletree London	6 nights	4 nights
280,000 points	Hilton Hawaiian Village	7 nights	5 nights

15 Comments

Gene said,

I find it hypocritical that Priority Club is slamming Hilton for their devaluation. Gee, what about that 25% IC devaluation a couple years ago, when Priority Club increased the cost of an IC redemption from 30,000 points to 40,000 points?
travelingmore said,

Thanks Gary for the heads up. As stated in the FAQ on the enrollment page, you can also register for the 1000 PC points even if you are not a Hilton Honors member.
IMH said,

Just registered for this and was immediately asked to submit verification (my HH balance is still around the 100,000 mark). They make it easy, though, by letting you upload a PDF (and offering fax and mail as alternatives for the technically challenged).
deltaPMflyer said,

txs gary 4 free points!
Nick said,

I suspect they are more interested in offering status or at least identifying HH Gold and Platinum members. Wish Starwood would do this.
iahphx said,

Sweet promo. Both my wife and I each still have more than 100,000 Hilton points, so this will sweeten the blow of the devaluation. I certainly hope Priority Club checks the balances, because I’m pretty sure they won’t have 20,000 LEGITIMATE claimants with over 100,000 Hilton points.

Of course, the problem with Priority Club is that, other than the 5000 point promo hotels, their awards levels generally suck, too. IMHO, nobody is currently competitive with Starwood, especially with their cash & points opportunities.
Nick said,

Gosh those points post quickly.
The Global Traveller said,

Instant credit. Thanks Gary.
jb831 said,

My HHonors balance is piddly, so I know I don’t stand a chance at being one of the top entrants — but you’ve gotta love 1,000 instant PC points!
charles said,

muchos my man… I owe you lunch on Friday! (For this and those cleverly worded e-mails for my other missing PC points)
Westsox said,

Thanks Gary, I have over 200k HHonors points. Easy to upload a screen shot of my account summary. I was impressed with how quick the points posted. Makes you wonder why all programs take so long to post activity,
Priority Club Luckiest Loser Promotion Rewards HHonors Members - Loyalty Traveler said,

[...] Gary Leff –View from the Wing – Priority Club Throwdown, At Least 1,000 Free Priority Club Points [...]
Priority Club Video Promoting Luckiest Loser Promo - View from the Wing said,

[...] video closes by lingering on the lead-in to my post on the offer: I really love this. Priority Cluib throws down the gauntlet on the Hilton HHonors [...]
charles said,

Thanks for the tip Gary… My bonus just posted…. 21k in easy PC points !!!
Priority Club Increasing Points Requirements for Reward Nights on January 18 - View from the Wing said,

[...] years ago, Priority Club ran the “Luckiest Loser promotion” to highlight that Hilton HHonors was devaluing its points and highlight that you could trust [...]