How to STAY IN HOTELS FOR FREE

Travel

Oct 11

Updated 12/04/23

When it comes to travel, your two biggest expenses are flights and accommodations. By learning the art of Travel Hacking you can get both of those for free.

HOW TO GET FREE HOTEL ROOMS

Today I’m going to share how I travel worldwide and stay in hotels for free.

MY PREFERRED HOTEL BRAND

Hilton is my go-to hotel brand and here’s why…

They offer a wide variety of accommodations all over the world.
Their perks program (Hilton Honors) is free to join.
Hilton Honors members always get the 5th night free. I typically travel Thursday - Tuesday, meaning I always get the last night of my trip free even if I’m using points.
There are no blackout dates for using points. I recently booked a hotel for the busiest week of the year in this particular city.
It’s easy to maximize the tiered membership program. I earned Diamond Status, the highest tier, in just a few months without ever staying in a hotel.
Diamond Members can book the lowest rate room but upgrade for free on arrival if there is space available. Meaning, if the penthouse isn’t booked, it’s mine.

HOW TO STAY AT HILTON FOR FREE

The easiest and fastest way is by signing up for a Hilton Amex. I have the Hilton Honors Card which has no annual fee and is currently offering 100,000 Bonus Points when you spend $2000 within the first 6 months. That amount of points could get you a 4 or 5-night stay plus you’ll get an extra night free (see #3 above). They also offer several other cards with higher bonus offers!

WHY SIGN UP FOR A HILTON HONORS AMEX

No Annual Fee
100,000 Bonus Points - start traveling right away
Earn 5x points on Gas, Groceries, and Restaurants

HOW TO EARN HILTON DIAMOND STATUS

30 Trips or
60 Nights or
120,000 Points (my preferred method)

HOW I USE THE HILTON AMEX

In order to maximize my points, I use this card in place of my debit card and automatic payments and then pay it off at the end of each month. If I’m also trying to earn points for another card (i.e. Southwest), I make sure to use my Hilton Amex for Gas, Groceries, and Restaurants because those earn me 5x points.

MY PERSONAL EXAMPLE

I opened my card in March 2022. At that time the bonus offer was only 70,000 points. I used those points to book 4 nights (+ my free night) in Albuquerque, NM. I started using my Amex card full-time and earned Diamond Status in 5 months and will use those points to book my next trip (currently eyeing Costa Rica). At this rate, I could average earning several 5-night hotel stays per year.

WHY I LOVE TRAVEL HACKING

I am simply using my everyday spending combined with special offers and programs to earn free travel. I am essentially making my own money work for me to earn free trips. It’s estimated that each Hilton point is valued at $0.006 making the 100K bonus points worth $600. Yes, you will spend $1000 to meet the minimum spend but you essentially got a 60% return on your money.