The Hilton Honors program is widely popular and provides some excellent benefits to its members. However, getting a decent value for your points is not one of them. Unless you’re redeeming them for incredibly costly hotels. (Reviewing the points needed for reward nights at some Hilton properties isn’t for the faint-hearted.)

Fortunately, there’s the ‘5th Night Free on Reward Stays’ benefit. If you are planning a long vacation and looking for ways to stretch your points further, this perk can be incredibly beneficial.

Understanding Hilton’s 5th night free benefit.

Simply put, when you book a stay of five nights or more using Hilton Honors points, you receive the fifth night free.

So instead of redeeming points for five nights, you only need to redeem points for four.

This ‘5th Night Free’ benefit can be used as many times as you want throughout the year. However, you can only receive up to four free nights per stay. That means a single reward stay of more than 20 nights won’t get any additional free nights (capped at 4).

However, it’s important to note that this offer is only available to those who have reached Silver, Gold, or Diamond status within the Hilton Honors program. The good news is that gaining an elite status with Hilton isn’t very challenging.

How does it work?

When you make a reservation for five or more nights using your Hilton Honors points, the cost per night is averaged, and then one night’s average price is deducted from your total. Here’s how it works:

1. Search for your desired destination and select ‘Use Points’ while booking.
2. The total point cost for five nights will be displayed.
3. The system automatically deducts the cost of one night.

Important: The 5th Night Free benefit applies only when you book consecutive nights in the same hotel in one booking.

Maximizing your 5th night free benefit.

Here’s how to make the most of Hilton’s 5th night free benefit:

• Plan Longer Stays: This might sound obvious, but the longer you stay, the more value you get from this perk. For instance, a stay of 10 nights, gets you 2 free nights. Bear in mind that you can get up to 4 free nights per stay (i.e., for stays of up to 20 nights).

• Stay During Peak Season: As there’s no cap on how much value you can get from the 5th Night Free, booking during peak season or events when room rates are at their highest will get you the most bang for your buck. Many people have shared stories about saving thousands of dollars by using points during events or peak season. However, a word of caution: if your goal is to truly maximize your points’ value, consider the worth of the hotel and what you’re getting. An inflated rate (because of an event) at a low-cost hotel isn’t an accurate yardstick.

• Achieve Higher Status: The higher your Hilton Honors status, the more perks you can get. For example, Gold and Diamond members are also eligible for room upgrades and complimentary breakfasts.

Good to know

• The benefit of the 5th Night Free can be utilized when you reserve your accommodation using points only. Bookings done with Cash + Points are not eligible.
• This benefit cannot be combined with any other reward night promotions or discounts.
• It’s important to mention that if your points are insufficient for a five-night stay, Hilton provides the alternative of purchasing additional points. (not recommended unless it’s just a small top-up)
• This benefit is only applicable to Standard Room Reward stays and does not apply to paid stays.

Conclusion

Hilton’s 5th night free is the best way to redeem your Hilton Honors points for maximum value. It offers a direct saving of 20% points. However, you need to have an elite status (Silver or higher) with Hilton to use this benefit.