Hilton Diamond through Velocity Platinum status

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Depends on whether you need it for the Conrad stay, or not. If you can hold out until April 2024 to do the match, then you'll retain the status until April 2026. Do it now - or any time through March 31 2024 - and it will only (!) run to April 2025.

Yeah interesting perspective. It is Osaka so I guess I'm not all that fussed on club lounge access as we will be super busy the rest of the trip, and most amenities should be the same!

 

[serfty]

Depends on whether you need it for the Conrad stay, or not. If you can hold out until April 2024 to do the match, then you'll retain the status until April 2026. Do it now - or any time through March 31 2024 - and it will only (!) run to April 2025.

To be clear, that is only valid if you already have that status and you need to wait for it to drop after March 31st.

If you have a lower status or none and you invoke the benefit from January 1st, you should have it for up to 27 months.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

To be clear, that is only valid if you already have that status and you need to wait for it to drop after March 31st.

If you have a lower status or none and you invoke the benefit from January 1st, you should have it for up to 27 months.

Oh Ok so best bet pull the trigger around then and enjoy it for Conrad stay and into the next few years!

 

[Peso]

No, you can use to extend... but you could let it lapse, which would see it drop to Silver or base from April 2024, and then do the match to bring you back to Gold through to April 2026. Of course, if your status with VA will be gone before then, this may not be an option and the merge might be necessary. I've got no experience with it, but on the surface it seems to work (TBD what happens with status end dates)

I see. Yeah my VA status would lapse end of this year. So are my choices either:

• use it on my existing HH account to extend until end 2024 (Apr 2025), or;
• make a new HH account, use my VA benefit on that one to get Gold until end 2025 (Apr 2026), then subsequently merge both HH accounts?

 

[dairyfloss]

To be clear, that is only valid if you already have that status and you need to wait for it to drop after March 31st.

If you have a lower status or none and you invoke the benefit from January 1st, you should have it for up to 27 months.

Yes, very true - I'm mixing up queries a bit there, aren't I! If no status today, or at least, a lower status than what your VA match would give you, than you could request the match at the start of the year and it should run through the end of 2024, all of 2025 and into 2026 until accounts are updated at the start of April.

 

[Danger]

Depends on whether you need it for the Conrad stay, or not. If you can hold out until April 2024 to do the match, then you'll retain the status until April 2026. Do it now - or any time through March 31 2024 - and it will only (!) run to April 2025.

The below posts are clear that activating the benefit as early as 1 January 2024 (US time) will grant the status through March 2026. Has something changed?

Serfty’s advice in post 8 is relevant

Post in thread 'Hilton Diamond through Velocity Platinum status'
Hilton Diamond through Velocity Platinum status

If you want to use the benefit in February, however you should apply first thing in January because in my experience you have to chase it up and it will take at least a month.

Welcome to AFF @ajn89 Actually, if not already diamond, the best time is in January 2023 as then diamond will be granted until at least the end of March 2025.

This has been verified by people's experiences. See here:

HHonors Gold/Diamond for Velocity Gold/Plat

Of note to members is the new complimentary Gold or Diamond status for DJ Gold/Platinum members: As a Gold Velocity Member you can enjoy complimentary 12 months Gold Elite Membership in the Hilton Honors Program. The exclusive benefits of Gold Elite Membership include: Early check in...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

This is because Hilton give the remainder of the calendar year, the next year as well as the first three month when a status is attained.

 

[dairyfloss]

The below posts are clear that activating the benefit as early as 1 January 2024 (US time) will grant the status through March 2026. Has something changed?

No - was just a bit mixed up between posts and made a statement assuming existing Diamond status, but the matter was later clarified

 

[Aeolus]

No, you can use to extend... but you could let it lapse, which would see it drop to Silver or base from April 2024, and then do the match to bring you back to Gold through to April 2026. Of course, if your status with VA will be gone before then, this may not be an option and the merge might be necessary. I've got no experience with it, but on the surface it seems to work (TBD what happens with status end dates)

That’s the reason why I created a new HH account for VA to match to diamond just before I dropped from VA plat. Now the challenge is to try to get HHonors to merge it with my current diamond account that will drop to gold. I haven’t contacted HHonors yet about this.

If anyone has done this before, I’ld be extremely grateful if you could share your experience with me on how to do it. Thanks

 

[Danger]

That’s the reason why I created a new HH account for VA to match to diamond just before I dropped from VA plat. Now the challenge is to try to get HHonors to merge it with my current diamond account that will drop to gold. I haven’t contacted HHonors yet about this.

If anyone has done this before, I’ld be extremely grateful if you could share your experience with me on how to do it. Thanks

This may help.

https://help.hilton.com/s/article/Can-I-merge-two-accounts

 

[Growing Older]

Urgh I didn't realise the 20 business days thing. Should have done it sooner!

Silly question I should probably already know the answer to - do they recognise the status when you book, or when you check in? I have been waiting to book a few places until the new status was in place but it might not be necessary?

Applied on 9th Dec, Velocity notes that I have now used the WP member benefit but Hilton still says nothing, some 20 days later.

Called VFF today to follow up... was told it is 20 business days, which excludes weekends, so 29th Dec is not quite the 20 business day deadline that I thought it was. VFF has put in a follow-up for me with HH and says to watch for an e-mail update in 5 days time... not sure if that was 5 business days or not, given the holidays. Conrad Tokyo beckons on 9th January, a full calendar month after using my first WP benefit from VA. Let's see if I can nab HH Diamond, just as IHG Diamond slips away (not that I actually earned the latter... hehehe).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Applied on 9th Dec, Velocity notes that I have now used the WP member benefit but Hilton still says nothing, some 20 days later.

Called VFF today to follow up... was told it is 20 business days, which excludes weekends, so 29th Dec is not quite the 20 business day deadline that I thought it was. VFF has put in a follow-up for me with HH and says to watch for an e-mail update in 5 days time... not sure if that was 5 business days or not, given the holidays. Conrad Tokyo beckons on 9th January, a full calendar month after using my first WP benefit from VA. Let's see if I can nab HH Diamond, just as IHG Diamond slips away (not that I actually earned the latter... hehehe).

Yeah… everything is 20 business days with VA. Refunds, contact with guest relations.

Assuming there’s a queue of these things, and the actually matter is resolved in a day, why not tackle the backlog, get rid of the 20 days, and resolve issues promptly?

 

[SYD]

Applied on 9th Dec, Velocity notes that I have now used the WP member benefit but Hilton still says nothing, some 20 days later.

Called VFF today to follow up... was told it is 20 business days, which excludes weekends, so 29th Dec is not quite the 20 business day deadline that I thought it was. VFF has put in a follow-up for me with HH and says to watch for an e-mail update in 5 days time... not sure if that was 5 business days or not, given the holidays. Conrad Tokyo beckons on 9th January, a full calendar month after using my first WP benefit from VA. Let's see if I can nab HH Diamond, just as IHG Diamond slips away (not that I actually earned the latter... hehehe).

As per Post #50, I used a HH Gold comp earlier in the year and it was processed in a matter of days.

December might be a bad time of year in HH land. They’ve just started their annual “Hang tight” status review process which can last a week or so… I‘m expecting mine to tick over to March 2025 off the back of the VA comp I did months ago.

 

[Aeolus]

Applied on 9th Dec, Velocity notes that I have now used the WP member benefit but Hilton still says nothing, some 20 days later.

Called VFF today to follow up... was told it is 20 business days, which excludes weekends, so 29th Dec is not quite the 20 business day deadline that I thought it was. VFF has put in a follow-up for me with HH and says to watch for an e-mail update in 5 days time... not sure if that was 5 business days or not, given the holidays. Conrad Tokyo beckons on 9th January, a full calendar month after using my first WP benefit from VA. Let's see if I can nab HH Diamond, just as IHG Diamond slips away (not that I actually earned the latter... hehehe).

Mine had to be escalated 3 times before it finally happened. Took 2 months

 

[SYD]

Mine had to be escalated 3 times before it finally happened. Took 2 months

Did/do you have the same email address on both VA and HH?

 

[PERLHR]

I am still waiting after months for the europcar match with VA plat. Decided it's not worth it nor pursuing. For Hilton I had to call twice. Was eventually sorted. Don't know why everything is so difficult with VA.

 

[SYD]

I am still waiting after months for the europcar match with VA plat. Decided it's not worth it nor pursuing. For Hilton I had to call twice. Was eventually sorted. Don't know why everything is so difficult with VA.

I did the Hertz President Circle thing as VA WP during VA1.0 days. It came through pretty quickly but subsequent promos with Hertz from other partners have always gone down dead ends. I can only assume they only allow status match once per membership?! No idea what the issue would be with EC….

I must have forgot to try and use of the VA SG rental car offer on the way down. Or maybe it was one of the Hertz things that went no where…

 

[Aeolus]

Did/do you have the same email address on both VA and HH?

Yep, and still took that long!
I guess I better request for merge before my existing membership falls to gold.
I created a new account to match to diamond. If anyone has done the account merger, keen to hear your experience

 

[BRIS_VA_HAWK]

I am still waiting after months for the europcar match with VA plat. Decided it's not worth it nor pursuing. For Hilton I had to call twice. Was eventually sorted. Don't know why everything is so difficult with VA.

Same here. I applied for the Europcar status in early October and still nothing.

 

[jyg]

Hi everyone, a question that is sort of unrelated to the duration of the status match. Does anyone know if the status match is transferrable? my partner has velocity platinum and was wondering if I can input my hilton membership number to get the status upgraded to diamond under my name instead of his?

 

[Aeolus]

Hi everyone, a question that is sort of unrelated to the duration of the status match. Does anyone know if the status match is transferrable? my partner has velocity platinum and was wondering if I can input my hilton membership number to get the status upgraded to diamond under my name instead of his?

The name has to match so it won’t be possible.