Better Bonus: Get 75,000 Hilton Points With the Citi Hilton Visa! [Expired]

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Update: The Citi Hilton Visa credit card is no longer available, but check Hot Deals for the latest offers!

The Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature Card has an increased sign-up bonus of 75,000 Hilton points.  That’s nearly double the usual sign-up bonus of 40,000 Hilton points.

You can use the bonus for a night at a fancy hotel or up to 15 nights at Category 1 hotels!

Better Bonus Get 75,000 Hilton Points With The Citi Hilton Visa
Get 75,000 Hilton Points When You Get the Citi Hilton Visa Card. This Is a Great Sign-Up Bonus for a NO Annual Fee Card!

I’ll show you what you can do with 75,000 Hilton points!

About the Citi Hilton Visa

Link:   Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature Card

The Citi Hilton Visa is offering 75,000 Hilton points when you spend $2,000 on purchases within the 1st 3 months of account opening.

Better Bonus Get 75,000 Hilton Points With The Citi Hilton Visa
Hilton Hotels Include Lots of Different Hotel Brands

This is the highest bonus ever for this card.  And it’s a great deal for a card that has NO annual fee.  Here’s my review of the card.

Along with 75,000 Hilton points, you’ll also get:

  • 6 Hilton points for every $1 you spend at Hilton hotels
  • 3 Hilton points for every $1 you spend at supermarkets, drugstores, and gas stations
  • 2 Hilton points for every $1 you spend on everything else
  • NO annual fee
  • Free Hilton Silver elite status (late check-out, 2 free bottles of water, and 15% points bonus on Hilton points earned)
  • Free Hilton Gold elite status (free breakfast and internet) after staying 4 times at Hilton in the 1st 3 months or after spending $20,000 on purchases in a calendar year
  • 10,000 Hilton points at the end of a calendar when you spend $1,000 or more at Hilton hotels
Hilton hotels include Conrad, DoubleTree, Embassy SuitesHampton InnHiltonHilton Garden InnHome2SuitesHomewood Suites, and Waldorf Astoria brand hotels.

This is NOT a good card to use outside the US because of the 3% foreign transaction fee.

As with all Citi cards, you’re eligible for Citi Price Rewind, which refunds you money when prices go down on certain items you’ve bought.

Keep These in Mind Before You Apply!

If you apply for the card and are not instantly approved, try calling Citi and ask to be reconsidered.

Better Bonus Get 75,000 Hilton Points With The Citi Hilton Visa
Remember You Can Only Apply for 1 Citi Card Per Day, and No More Than 2 Every 65 Days

Remember that Citi only allows 1 credit card application per day, and will approve NO more than 2 personal credit cards within 65 days.  You must also wait ~8 days between applications.

If you’ve already earned the bonus on this card, you must wait 18 months after you’ve opened or closed it to earn it again.

Who Should Consider This Card?

The Citi Hilton Visa is a good choice for folks who are looking for a NO annual fee card that rewards their loyalty to Hilton hotels.

It comes with automatic Hilton Silver elite status, which earns a 15% bonus on stays at Hilton hotels.

It’s also 1 of the only cards that rewards purchases at drugstores.  With the Citi Hilton Visa, you’ll earn 3 Hilton points per $1 spent at drugstores, gas stations, and supermarkets.

Better Bonus Get 75,000 Hilton Points With The Citi Hilton Visa
Earn 6 Hilton Points per $1 Spent at Hilton Hotels, and 3 Hilton Points per $1 Spent at Drugstores, Gas Stations, and Supermarkets

You can buy lots of types of gift cards at drugstores like CVS or Rite Aid.

And because this card has NO annual fee, it’s a good 1 to keep forever.  If you stay at Hilton hotels occasionally, you can enjoy earning extra points with your Hilton Silver elite status.

And if you stay 4 times at Hilton in the 1st 3 months of account opening or after spending $20,000 on purchases in a calendar year, you’ll get a boost up to Hilton Gold elite status, which is good for free breakfast and internet, and upgrades when space allows.

Note:   Starting August 2015, all guests will get free Wi-Fi at Hilton hotels if they book their stay directly through Hilton.  However, they’ve introduced this perk early at some hotels.

If You Got the Card Recently, Ask to Bump the Bonus!

Some folks might’ve gotten this card recently to take advantage of the benefits above.

If you opened this card within the past month or 2, it’s worth calling Citi or sending a secure message asking to receive the increased sign-up bonus.

Better Bonus Get 75,000 Hilton Points With The Citi Hilton Visa
Ring Ring! It’s Worth Calling to Ask for the Increased Sign-Up Bonus

There are no guarantees, but it never hurts to ask!

What Can You Do With 75,000 Hilton Points?

Link:   Hilton HHonors Points Search Tool

Link:   How to Use AwardMapper

Link:   How to Use Hotel Hustle

After you complete the minimum spending requirements on this card, you’ll have to wait to receive the bonus points in your Hilton account.  Generally, if you complete the minimum spending ~5 to ~7 days before your account closes for the month, you’ll receive the points at the end of the billing cycle.

And then you can use them for Big Travel!

75,000 Hilton points is enough for 15 award nights at a Hilton Category 1 hotels at off-peak prices.

And it’s nearly enough for 8 award nights at Hilton Category 2 hotels!

Better Bonus Get 75,000 Hilton Points With The Citi Hilton Visa
Planning to Visit the Taj Mahal? Stay 7 Nights at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Agra, India, for 70,000 Hilton Points!

For example, you can stay at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Agra, India, for only 10,000 Hilton points per night.  If you want to see the Taj Mahal, it’s ~10 minutes away!

Or you could stay 3 nights at the Hampton Inn Albuquerque during the famous annual Balloon Fiesta for 60,000 Hilton points!

Better Bonus Get 75,000 Hilton Points With The Citi Hilton Visa
If You’ve Ever Wanted to See the Hot Air Balloons at the Balloon Fiesta, You’re in Luck! Stay 3 Nights in Albuquerque This October for 60,000 Hilton Points

This would cost over ~$500 if you paid cash!

A great way to start exploring Hilton points is with Hilton’s own points search tool.

Emily and I always check TripAdvisor before we book a hotel.  And to see where we can use Hilton points for hotel stays, we search HotelHustle (which even shows if award rooms are available) and AwardMapper.

Bottom Line

If you’ve been thinking about getting the Citi Hilton Visa, now is a good time to apply.  I do NOT think the sign-up bonus will get higher than the limited-time offer of 75,000 Hilton points.  And it’s a great deal for a NO annual fee credit card.

If you got the card recently, you should ask Citi to match the current offer.  Some folks have reported success by simply asking via secure message or phone call.  It never hurts to try!

75,000 Hilton points is enough for 15 nights at a Hilton Category 1 hotel or 7 nights at a Hilton Category 2 hotel.  Use Hilton’s points search tool to see how points you’ll need for a hotel stay.

Will you apply for the Citi Hilton Visa?

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

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