Changes to Hilton HHonors Macquarie Platinum Card

[kpc]

Just received this by email :evil::evil: (esp. ATO bit):
Changes to your Credit Card Rewards Program

HHonors Bonus Points earned on eligible transactions/purchases

The list of types of transactions that are not eligible to earn HHonors Bonus Points in section 3.b in your Credit Card Rewards Program Terms and Conditions is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following. This change will be effective on and from 11 May 2016.

HHonors Bonus Points are not earned in respect of the following amounts that may be charged to your Account:

• GST and government charges (including fines paid to any government agency)
• payments made to the Australian Tax Office
• interest and other bank fees and charges (including any GST payable on any of these)
• BPAY[SUP]®[/SUP] payments, i.e. bill payments and other payments made through the BPAY Electronic Payments Scheme
• cash advances
• transactions for items that are directly convertible to cash (including, but not limited to, purchase of foreign currency and travellers cheques) or cash equivalent transactions
• balance transfers
• transactions deemed by us to be for operating a business or in connection with business expenditure
• transactions that are reversed (refunds)
• payments for credit card protection insurance
• transactions used for gambling purposes (including gambling chip and lottery ticket purchases).

 

[foggy]

do you know if you have to make $40k in purchases every year to keep diamond? i got this card feb 2015, reached 40k around june 2015. So i've been charged the renewal fee feb 2016, i've spent 8k on it to this day, still diamond with hilton today, which is suppose to go back to gold?
at the moment the annual fee is offset by the free night certificate as I am picking hotels where it is $400+ a night.

I just need to know how they calculate diamond as to whether or not to keep this card.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

do you know if you have to make $40k in purchases every year to keep diamond? i got this card feb 2015, reached 40k around june 2015. So i've been charged the renewal fee feb 2016, i've spent 8k on it to this day, still diamond with hilton today, which is suppose to go back to gold?
at the moment the annual fee is offset by the free night certificate as I am picking hotels where it is $400+ a night.

I just need to know how they calculate diamond as to whether or not to keep this card.

I'm not 100% sure, but Hilton generally give status for the rest of the year in which it was earned, plus the whole of the following year and then until the end of March in the subsequent year, so I'm guessing that you will have diamond until end of March 2017 (unless you spend the required amount again this year, which will extend your diamond status calculations yet again).

 

[DC3]

I would be surprised if they run two different systems for tracking status, however earned.

I wouldn't be chasing this up but just lay low, regardless of what is contained in the T&C.

 

[DC3]

... and, with that card:



which as swanning_it has said, you have diamond in the year that you obtained it, on spend, as well for the year after that.


Edit: As I mentioned earlier, I would lay low and see how long it lasts.

 

[2tall4Y]

Out of curiosity, what's the expiry card on your HHonors card? In the case of of other arrangements which grant you HHonors status (e.g. the Virgin Australia gold/platinum status match), it's the expiry card on the HHonors card which usually counts (even when this may contradict the terms of said arrangement).

do you know if you have to make $40k in purchases every year to keep diamond? i got this card feb 2015, reached 40k around june 2015. So i've been charged the renewal fee feb 2016, i've spent 8k on it to this day, still diamond with hilton today, which is suppose to go back to gold?
at the moment the annual fee is offset by the free night certificate as I am picking hotels where it is $400+ a night.

I just need to know how they calculate diamond as to whether or not to keep this card.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Out of curiosity, what's the expiry card on your HHonors card? In the case of of other arrangements which grant you HHonors status (e.g. the Virgin Australia gold/platinum status match), it's the expiry card on the HHonors card which usually counts (even when this may contradict the terms of said arrangement).

The operative word there being, usually! The HH card is largely superfluous and the HH computer does trump it. There have been the odd examples of this, described here on AFF and I had one a few years back when I first applied for the VA SM. I was given diamond with a new HH membership and Gold through my existing membership (somehow.....don't ask me how) and both cards showed the same expiry of Mar, two years down the track. My diamond membership was dropped back to blue 6 months after the match and when I rang to enquire, I was told I was on a different SM that was for a fixed 6 month duration only. The confusion had something to do with the VA SM for diamond requiring 4 stays in 6 months (or something like that) which was rarely, if ever, enforced (but which I did comply with anyway) and to cut a long story short, I was given my diamond back again (and I think with another year added).

So the moral of the story is that:
a) HH does have shorter SM periods than what we've come to regard as "normal"; and
b) The date printed on the card is not to be trusted wholeheartedly!

During that time, I was told by the HH diamond desk that the reason for the additional 3 months, was because all status renewals are manually checked and updated (which must be a monumental task), hence why they need 3 months to do it.

 

[Foreigner]

Business-related expenses are excluded from earning HH points. But would expenditure of $40k annually still deliver Diamond status?

 

[kpc]

Business-related expenses are excluded from earning HH points. But would expenditure of $40k annually still deliver Diamond status?

Good Q: I suspect not but not 100% sure...I'm currently putting 40K on the card ASAP before the May deadline!

 

[foggy]

Out of curiosity, what's the expiry card on your HHonors card? In the case of of other arrangements which grant you HHonors status (e.g. the Virgin Australia gold/platinum status match), it's the expiry card on the HHonors card which usually counts (even when this may contradict the terms of said arrangement).

I have no idea where my card is lol. I remember receiving it and misplaced it somewhere.


It will be hard to make $40k worth of purchases with these conditions because it will take away from AMEX spend from me. I'd probably dump the card.

Will hit $40k just before the May cut off and put this card on the shelf

 

[oh_lol]

... and, with that card:

View attachment 67471

which as swanning_it has said, you have diamond in the year that you obtained it, on spend, as well for the year after that.


Edit: As I mentioned earlier, I would lay low and see how long it lasts.

As already pointed out, it will last til the following anniversary year, but you actually retain the status til the end of FEB after that year ends. eg if your 'following' anniversary year ends 2016, you will still be recognized as whatever status you had til the end of February.
Unless they have changed that very recently...

 

[DC3]

... you will still be recognized as whatever status you had til the end of February ...

.... and I would say that it will be retained until 31st March, rather than the end of February ....

 

[oh_lol]

.... and I would say that it will be retained until 31st March, rather than the end of February ....

Just checked my card and you're correct

 

[Buzzard]

Will be interesting how they decide what is for business spend and what is not.
Most of my spend is for business so hopefully I fly under the radar.

 

[kpc]

Good Q: I suspect not but not 100% sure...I'm currently putting 40K on the card ASAP before the May deadline!

Just went past the 40K spend threshold....wonder how long before I get upgraded to Diamond ?

 

[deka2]

Just went past the 40K spend threshold....wonder how long before I get upgraded to Diamond ?

Did the same thing last year and Diamond was showing on the Hilton site after a few days.

 

[kpc]

Did the same thing last year and Diamond was showing on the Hilton site after a few days.

Thanks...have a stay coming up at Hilton Budapest in 13 days, and it would be nice to be a Diamond at checkin

 

[2tall4Y]

Thanks...have a stay coming up at Hilton Budapest in 13 days, and it would be nice to be a Diamond at checkin

I hit $40k last Wednesday, rang up Macquarie Card Services on Thursday as I was staying at a Hilton property over the weekend and my account was showing Diamond by Friday - strongly recommend you ring up!

 

[Buzzard]

Just went past the 40K spend threshold....wonder how long before I get upgraded to Diamond ?

You dropped below Diamond

 

[DC3]

Thanks...have a stay coming up at Hilton Budapest in 13 days, and it would be nice to be a Diamond at checkin

You dropped below Diamond

But you are already diamond, kpc: