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The Highest Ever Hilton Plus Debit Card Bonus Returns
Hilton has just brought back its highest-ever sign-up bonus of 50,000 Hilton Honors Points and 10 extra Elite Qualifying Nights (EQNs) for sign-ups before 14th December 2026.
This is a fantastic increase compared with the usual 15,000 Points bonus and the previous sign-up bonus of 5 extra EQNs.
You’ll earn 10,000 points with your first purchase, followed by another 40,000 points plus 10 EQNs when you spend £2,500 in foreign currency within six months.
The Hilton Honors Plus card has a £150 annual fee and comes with:
- Hilton Honors Gold Status: Valid as long as you hold the card. Benefits include complimentary breakfast for two (or a F&B credit at most US hotels), an 80% bonus on base points and space-available room upgrades.
- Up to 30 Elite Qualifying Nights per year: You’ll earn five EQNs for every £5,000 spent, up to a maximum of 30 EQNs per calendar year. To earn the full 30 EQNs from card spending, you would need to put £30,000 of eligible spend through the card during the calendar year. Add the 10 extra EQNs (£2,500 in foreign currency), and you’ll be just 10 nights away from Hilton Honors Diamond status.
- Points on Your Spend: 1.5 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent in the UK, 3 points outside the UK, 3 points at Hilton hotels in the UK, or 4.5 points outside the UK.
- Annual Bonus: 10,000 Points upon renewal after spending £10,000 during your membership year.
- Low Foreign Exchange Fees: Currensea Realtime Rate plus a 0.5% FX fee.
You won’t be eligible for the sign-up bonus if you’ve held this card before or want to upgrade from the basic card.
This offer is well worth considering. If you value Hilton Gold status alone, the complimentary breakfast benefit can easily offset the £150 annual fee after only a handful of stays. Plus, the bonus is worth more than the card’s cost.
BA Premium Plus AMEX Changes Now Live
The major changes and devaluations British Airways announced to the BA Premium Plus (BAPP) AMEX card back in July have now taken effect.
As a reminder, the changes include:
- Earnings drop from 1.5 Avios per £1 to 1.25
- Earnings with BA and BA Holidays spend drop from 3 Avios to 1.25 Avios per £1
The card still comes with an annual fee of £300, and you’ll still need to spend £15,000 in a card year to earn the BAPP Companion Voucher.
The changes have certainly narrowed the gap between Premium Plus and the free BA AMEX, which earns a slightly lower rate of 1 Avios per £1. Therefore, the card’s most valuable benefit is the Companion Voucher, which can be used in First and Club World, is valid for two years, and offers extra reward availability.
There’s been lots of discussion about these changes since they were announced, and many cardholders are now opting to spend £15,000 on the card to earn the Companion Voucher, then put other spend through other cards with better earning rates and benefits.
There is some good news. From April 2027, you’ll earn 1 Tier Point for every £10 of qualifying spend, up to a maximum of 3,000 Tier Points per British Airways Club collection year. This means you could earn almost enough for the 3,500 Tier Points needed for Bronze status through card spending alone, although you would need to spend £30,000 on the card.
It’s worth checking whether the card is still valuable to you, and how much you’ll now put through it rather than just using it out of habit.
View the AMEX BA Premium Plus card here >>>
Iberia Now Crediting Flights Before Takeoff
Iberia Avios and Elite Points are now credited when you scan your boarding pass at the gate, rather than up to 24 hours after flying.
The change applies to domestic, European and long-haul Iberia flights. It’s also been noticed on some Air Nostrum flights. Unfortunately, IB-coded flights operated by British Airways follow the old crediting timeline. However, since Iberia and British Airways are both part of IAG, it will be interesting to see whether BA follows suit with a similar improvement.
Qatar already offers something similar, with Avios credited up to two hours before departure. This gives the opportunity to spend newly credited Avios during the journey.
Having the Avios in your account sooner will always be a useful improvement. However, as the change is still being rolled out, don’t bank on your Avios or Elite Points being credited before every flight just yet.
