Hilton is making it easier than ever to use your points to pay for charges on your stay, and you don't even have to go to the front desk to do it.
Hilton has launched the new "Pay with Points" program, offering Hilton Honors members the chance to use points to pay for part their bill while using digital checkout in the Hilton Honors App.
But there's a caveat: Pay with Points is only available to elite members with Hilton Honors Silver, Gold, Diamond or Diamond Reserve status.
Pay with Points is initially rolling out to 150 properties participating in the program across the United States. At this time, Hilton was unable to share a list of those properties but a Hilton Honors spokesperson said that properties in all categories of the Hilton portfolio, including luxury, lifestyle and resort properties are participating, and that "eligible Hilton Honors members will be notified via prearrival email if the hotel is participating in the Pay with Points test."
The program is expected to expand to 800 properties by the end of the year and over 6,000 in 2027 throughout the U.S. and Canada.
If folks are eligible to use Pay with Points, any eligible charges on the bill, including food, drinks, spa and more, can be paid for digitally with points.
Now the question is: Is this a good use of Hilton Honors points? At the moment, Hilton is not sharing a specific points-to-dollar conversion rate, though the Hilton spokesperson told TPG that the program "gives Hilton Honors members more flexibility to use their Points in the way that works best for them."
Hilton, it seems, is the first major loyalty program to offer the chance to use points digitally to pay for incidental charges, but Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt members have ways to do it as well — and with a fixed rate.
World of Hyatt members can "redeem points for a pre-determined dollar value award that can be used as a credit toward eligible redemption charges in participating Hyatt outlets," according to Hyatt's website. Hyatt has its own conversion chart where 1,000 World of Hyatt points converts into $10 to use towards the bill at physical checkout. If you need less than $75, each points is valued at 1 cent, with better redemption value at higher tiers (up to a maximum value of about 1.5 cents per point). It's not great and also not terrible; TPG values World of Hyatt points in October 2026 at 1.65 cents per point.
Marriott Bonvoy members can do the same, using a fixed chart with pretty low per-point value: 250 Marriott Bonvoy points convert to $1, 2,500 points convert to $10, and 25,000 points convert to $100 for a fixed rate of 0.4 cents per point, which is well below TPG's October 2026 valuation for Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.75 cents apiece.
Whether Hilton Honors Pay with Points is a good value or not remains to be seen, but what is good is seeing the program give members more choice for how they pay and a convenient way to do so.
"Our Hilton Honors members have told us they want more flexibility when it comes to using those points," Brad Anderson, vice president of Hilton Honors, said in a statement. "They can already redeem them for free night stays or money-can't-buy experiences around the world. Pay with Points introduces another digitally-enabled tool to our members, reducing the friction of travel and providing them with the choice and control that they value."
Bottom line
Elite Hilton Honors members can now pay for incidental charges at select hotels using points and the Hilton Honors app. While the value of those points is unclear, as is the current list of properties where this option is available, Hilton deserves credit for giving members more flexibility for points redemptions.
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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.