Hilton Honors is the loyalty program of one of the biggest hotel chains in the world, Hilton Hotels and Resorts. Program members have the ability to access a range of perks and benefits as they move up the three elite status tiers.
If you remain loyal to Hilton over a long period of time, you also have the opportunity to earn Lifetime Diamond status.
What Is Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond Status?
The Hilton Honors loyalty program has three elite status levels: Silver, Gold, and Diamond. Currently, Diamond status is the only tier available for lifetime status.
To become a Lifetime Diamond member, you must accomplish the following:
- Earn Hilton Diamond status for at least 10 years, and
- Complete 1,000 stays or earn 2,000,000 Base Points
It’s worth noting that the 10 years of Hilton Diamond status don’t have to be consecutive, and what’s more, Diamond status earned by holding specific credit cards counts towards earning Lifetime Diamond status.
When you earn regular Hilton Diamond status, you’re able to keep your status level from the day you first qualify, through the next year, and until the end of March the year after that.
For example, if you earned Hilton Diamond status in November 2023, and you aren’t able to renew the status the following year, you’ll still be a Diamond member until March 31, 2025.
However, it’s important to note that in this example, even though you’ll be a Diamond elite member in the years 2023, 2024, and 2025, you’ll only be credited with one year of Diamond status towards your journey of earning Lifetime Diamond elite status, since one year of Hilton Diamond status is equal to a calendar year.
Once you’ve held regular Diamond elite status for at least 10 years, you can then earn Lifetime Diamond elite status by reaching the 1,000-stay requirement, or by earning 2,000,000 Base Points.
Both paid nights and reward nights count towards earning the 1,000 nights, whereas Base Points are earned by spending money on room rates and other eligible room charges at Hilton hotels.
Every Hilton Honors member earns a standard 10 Base Points per $1 (USD) spent, so to earn 2,000,000 Base Points, you’ll have to spend a hefty total of $200,000 (USD) at Hilton hotels.
Hilton Honors Lifetime Elite Status vs. Earned Elite Status
The benefits that come with Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond status are almost identical to the regular Hilton Honors Diamond status benefits.
These benefits include room upgrades up to a one-bedroom suite, access to executive lounges where applicable, complimentary breakfast, a 48-hour room guarantee, late check-out, and more.
However, there’s one slight difference between the two statuses: Diamond elite members who’ve reached 60 eligible nights within a calendar year (the number of nights necessary to reach Diamond status) can gift Gold status to another Hilton Honors member, and if a member reaches 100 qualifying nights in a calendar year, they can gift Diamond status.
Comparatively, if you’re a Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond member, the benefit of gifting status isn’t extended just for being a lifetime member; instead, to access this benefit, you’ll still need to organically earn 60 or 100 qualifying nights in a calendar year.
Is It Worth Pursuing Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond Status?
Once you’ve earned Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond elite status, you’ll no longer have to worry about renewing your status year after year for the rest of your life.
However, it’s worth considering if the benefits that come with lifetime status are worth chasing for 10+ years, and also if it’s worth spending 1,000 nights or $200,000 (USD) at Hilton hotels.
Recall that Hilton Honors Diamond status is fairly easy to earn, since you can be granted with the status just by holding the right credit card.
For as long as you have the American Express US Hilton Honors Aspire Card, you’ll automatically receive Diamond status each year just by being a cardholder.
Furthermore, if you hold the American Express US Hilton Honors Surpass Card or the American Express US Hilton Honors Business Card, you can earn Hilton Honors Diamond status by spending $40,000 (USD) per calendar year on either card.
Diamond status can also be earned by staying 60 nights or 30 stays each year, or by earning 120,000 Base Points, which is equivalent to spending $12,000 (USD) at Hilton hotels in a calendar year.
Now, even though Diamond elite status is fairly easy to earn, it may still make sense to go after Lifetime Diamond status in some scenarios.
One such scenario is if you’re getting close to or already have over 10 years of Diamond status. In this case, it’s certainly worth paying attention to how close you are to earning enough nights or Base Points.
Over the span of 10 years, to reach the required number of nights or Base Points, you’d have to average 100 nights stayed or $20,000 (USD) spent at Hilton hotels per year.
This is certainly out of reach for most members, so unless you’re fairly close to these thresholds, it probably doesn’t make sense to change your habits too much just to chase lifetime status.
Lastly, loyalty programs are constantly going through changes. By holding Lifetime Diamond status, it won’t matter if the status is no longer a benefit offered to credit card holders, or if the yearly requirements to earn this status drastically increase.
Rather, by reaching Lifetime Diamond status, you can protect yourself against most potential changes.
On the other hand, Hilton could also choose to end or amend the Lifetime Diamond status at any time.
However, historically, when loyalty programs go through major changes (including a complete revamp of elite status levels), they still provide lifetime statuses to members who’ve earned it under the older program.
Conclusion
The Hilton Honors loyalty program gives members the opportunity to earn Lifetime Diamond status.
Once earned, you’ll be able to enjoy suite upgrades, free breakfast, lounge access, late check-out, and more, for the rest of your life.
For most people, Lifetime Diamond status will be out of reach, and likely won’t be worth chasing; however, if you’ve been a loyal Hilton Honors Diamond member for 10+ years, it’s worth paying attention to how close you are to reaching the total number of required nights and Base Points.
