Key takeaways

The Hilton Honors program allows members to pay for rooms with points, and it rewards them for doing so with free hotel stays.
If you’re staying at a Hilton property for five nights or more, you can get the fifth night free of charge if you pay with points.
Hilton Honors members can take advantage of this perk by reaching Silver Elite status or by becoming a Hilton Honors Amex cardholder.

The Hilton Honors American Express Card is the only Hilton credit card that doesn’t charge an annual fee, which is just one of the reasons it remains popular with consumers. Having this card also makes it possible to earn generous rewards for each dollar you spend with the Hilton brand, as well as with everyday purchases like those at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and U.S. restaurants.

More importantly, though, the Hilton Honors American Express Card gives you automatic Hilton Honors™ Silver status, which is the minimum requirement to get a fifth night free when you book with rewards. If you are hoping to get the most value possible out of your Hilton Honors points, read on to learn more about the Hilton Honors American Express Fifth Night Free perk and how to use it.

What is the Hilton Honors Fifth Night Free benefit?

Hilton’s Fifth Night Free benefit is available for Elite members with Silver status or higher, and it can be used an unlimited number of times provided you have the points you need for the booking you want. With this perk, you get a fifth night free when you book at least five consecutive Standard Room Reward Stays at the same property. Reward Stays are hotel stays booked either completely with points or with a combination of points and money, but in the case of getting a fifth night free, the rooms must be booked fully with points to qualify.

This benefit is good on stays of up to 20 nights, in which case you would be charged 0 points for the fifth night, 10th night, 15th night and 20th night of the stay.

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Can the Hilton Honors American Express Card get you a fifth night free?

Having the Hilton Honors American Express Card can get you a fifth night free since it gives you automatic Hilton Honors™ Silver Elite status. This tier of status is what qualifies you for the Fifth Night Free benefit.

If you’re just a basic Hilton Honors member without any Elite status, you can’t get a fifth night free when you book a Rewards Stay. You can only qualify for this benefit when you have Silver status or better, either through being a cardholder or earning Elite status through paid hotel stays.

But, you’re not just limited to the Hilton Honors American Express Card. You can also unlock the Fifth Night Free benefit with any hotel credit card affiliated with Hilton Honors since each one offers Elite status just for being a cardholder. This means you can get it if you choose the:

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card — comes with Gold Elite Status and has a higher points earning potential than the standard Hilton Honors American Express Card. The annual fee is $150.
Hilton Honors American Express Business Card — geared toward business owners and employees and comes with its own set of related perks, including Gold Elite status. The annual fee is $195.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Credit Card* — comes with Diamond Elite status and has the highest points earning potential among all of the Hilton Amex cards. The annual fee is $550.

How does the Hilton Honors Fifth Night Free benefit work?

Hilton’s Fifth Night Free benefit is easy to use because it’s automatically applied to eligible reservations. All you have to do is have Silver Elite status or better and log in to your Hilton Honors account to check for a Rewards Stay. When you’re able to book five consecutive Reward Stays (or more), the fifth night free is automatically factored in.

As an example, let’s say you wanted to book a five-night stay at one of the Hampton Inns in Charlotte, North Carolina from March 3 to March 8, 2025, which costs 30,000 points per night for a Standard Room Rewards Stay.

Instead of pricing itself at 150,000 points when you go to check out, it will automatically price itself at 120,000 because it’s deducting the cost of one night — provided you have enough points to cover the booking in the first place.

However, the American Express Hilton Honors Fifth Night Free benefit is not just for lower tier properties. You can use it on any standard Reward Stay, including properties that cost 95,000 Hilton Honors points per night. This means you could book five consecutive nights at a luxury hotel like the SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton (normally 85,000 points per night for a standard room) for 340,000 Hilton Honors points instead of 425,000 points.

Restrictions on the Hilton Honors Fifth Night Free benefit

Members of the Hilton Honors loyalty program have the opportunity to enjoy the Fifth Night Free benefit when booking reward stays using their points. This benefit allows members to receive a fifth night free when redeeming Hilton Honors points for a qualifying stay of five consecutive nights or more at participating hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.

However, there are certain restrictions and potential limitations to be aware of when utilizing the Fifth Night Free benefit:

Fifth Night Free only applies to standard room reward stays: The Fifth Night Free benefit is typically applicable to standard room reward stays booked using Hilton Honors points. Upgrades to premium rooms or suites may not qualify for the Fifth Night Free promotion.
Must be booked with points only: In order to take advantage of the Fifth Night Free benefit, all five nights must be booked using loyalty points only.
Limited to participating hotels: Not all Hilton properties participate in the Fifth Night Free promotion. It’s important to check the list of participating hotels and resorts before making a reservation to ensure that the benefit can be applied.
Blackout dates and availability: The Fifth Night Free benefit is subject to availability and may be restricted during peak travel periods or special events. Some hotels may have blackout dates where the benefit cannot be applied.

How to maximize your Fifth Night Free reward

To make the most of Hilton’s Fifth Night Free promotion, you can take the following steps:

Keep an eye out for deals

You’ll have to look for properties that offer Standard Room Rewards. This typically means avoiding travel during peak dates and being flexible with your travel plans.

Rack up as many Hilton Honors points as you can

That way, you’ll have access to as many Hilton properties as possible. While you’re at it, keep in mind that Standard Room Rewards with the Hilton Honors program range from 5,000 points per night to 95,000 points per night.

Boost your Hilton Honors points balance

For example, you can start using your Hilton Honors credit card for more of your everyday purchases, and you can look for Hilton promotions that allow you to earn more points on paid stays. You can also explore which travel credit cards you have that let you transfer points to the Hilton Honors program, which could include American Express credit cards that earn Amex Membership rewards points.

Sign up for a new Hilton Honors credit card

By doing so, you can earn a big welcome bonus. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, for example, is offering a welcome bonus of 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in the first six months of Card Membership. American Express lets you earn the bonus on each of its cards once per lifetime, so you can earn this bonus even if you already have a different Hilton Honors card.

The bottom line

Hilton’s Fifth Night Free benefit lets you stretch your points further than normal, but you can also use it to vacation longer than you originally planned to. You just need Hilton Honors Silver Elite status or higher to access this benefit, which you can easily get just for having a Hilton credit card.

The main reason you should consider the Hilton Honors American Express Card to unlock this perk is that it’s the only Hilton credit card that doesn’t charge an annual fee. If you want a higher earning rate or more elite travel perks, however, you should consider other Hilton Honors cards from American Express.

*Issuer-required disclosure statement

Information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate. It has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.

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How to get a 5th night free with the Hilton Honors American Express Card