How to get Hilton Honors status

Hilton Honors status splits into two tiers you can shortcut: Gold, which nine different cards and status matches hand you outright, and Diamond, which comes down to two Amex products. For Gold, the simplest route is a card — the Amex Platinum (US), Amex Business Platinum (US), and Hilton Honors Amex Surpass all confer it complimentary the moment you enroll, and it lasts as long as you keep the card. Canada has its own pair of doors: Amex Platinum (Canada) and Amex Business Platinum (Canada) work the same way.

If you already hold elite status somewhere else, Hilton will match it instead. Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite or Titanium Elite, World of Hyatt Globalist, and IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite status each convert into 90 days of Hilton Gold, and a 12-night stay challenge inside that window upgrades you straight to Diamond; matching in from Marriott Platinum, 6 nights alone is enough to just renew the Gold instead. Each of these matches is a once-per-lifetime move, so it's worth saving for a status you didn't earn through a card anyway.

Diamond has a shorter list of its own. The Hilton Honors Amex Aspire confers it automatically for as long as you hold the card, no spending required. The Surpass — the same card that gets you Gold on enrollment — can also reach Diamond if you put $40,000 on it in a calendar year; that upgraded status then runs through the end of the following calendar year rather than expiring right away.