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Until 16 September, Hilton HHonors is running a “mystery offer” when you buy HHonors points – you will either get 30%, 40% or 50% off the price you pay.

I am not sure how widely offered the 50% discount is, but I certainly got it. At this rate, you are paying 0.5 US dollar cents a point (a touch under 0.4 pence). If it’s offered to you (and possibly even at the lower discounts when you’ve done some maths – see below) you should give it some serious consideration.

Why?, I hear you ask.  

A valid question. As a rule, I am really not a fan of buying miles or points. You generally get poor value, even with supposed offers, and in any event parting with your hard cash for something that you generally try and collect for free, to save you money, seems counter-intuitive.

However, there is some serious value to be found in buying Hilton points at half price.

Value Point 1: Redemptions at low Category Hilton properties

There are 60 Hilton (Category 1) properties where you can stay for just 5,000 points per night. As such, if you buy Hilton points at this 50% discount, you are paying US$25 (£19!) per night for your stay at these hotels.

There is a Category 1 Hilton hotel in the UK – the Hampton by Hilton Newport/East. Given that the standard rate there is £89, if you need to stay here you would be getting a bargain by purchasing the points to stay in this hotel.

Moving up a notch, there are also 140 Hilton (Category 2) properties available at just 10,000 points per night. Again, taking advantage of this 100% bonus on points purchases, you are paying a very reasonable US$50 (£38) a night for these hotels.

Category 2 hotels in the UK are as follows:

• Hampton by Hilton Corby/Kettering
• Hampton by Hilton Liverpool John Lennon Airport. I reviewed this recently, precisely to show what good value 10,000 Hilton points could get you.
• Hampton by Hilton Newcastle
• Hilton Newport
• DoubleTree by Hilton Sheffield Park
• Hampton by Hilton Sheffield

Of course, these are just the UK properties – there is a huge number of lower-end Hilton properties abroad, whether Hilton category 1 (5K HHonors points) or Hilton category 2 (10K HHonors points).

If you buy Hilton points at a 50% discount, and then using them at Category 1 and Category 2 Hilton hotels, you will almost certainly get a great value stay. Indeed, it is very likely to be cheaper than simply buying your room with cash directly: and you don’t have to just take my word for that – compare the prices, it’s a simple comparison! Look at the cost if you buy directly, versus the points cost (with each 1,000 points costing you £3.80).

It’s worth remembering, too, that you get a free breakfast for all at Hampton by Hilton hotels, with 2 adults and 2 kids often able to stay in the room via a sofa bed.  A stay for 4 people, including breakfast, for £19? Now there’s value.

At 5k points (£19) or 10k points (£38) a night, I think you have an absolute steal.

Value Point 2: Combine this 50% Hilton HHonors points bonus with a status fast-track

As noted above, this bonus deal effectively allows you to buy Hilton nights for as low as £19 a night. Also currently available to you is a Hilton Status challenge, which allows you to fast-track to Hilton Gold status by making 4 stays (cannot be consecutive nights) within 90 days.

So, if you signed up to this status challenge, you could get Gold Hilton Status and 4 nights at a Hilton hotel for as little as £76! The process is as follows:

• Sign up to the Gold fast-track status challenge
• Buy 20,000 points for $100 (£76),
• Stay 4 separate times at a Category 1 hotel, costing 5k Hilton HHonors points each time
• Hey presto! You’re Gold!

Bear in mind you don’t have to go with Category 1 hotels, of course, you still generally get fantastic value at the 10k a night Category 2 hotels (where you are effectively paying £38 a night), so if they work better for you, I would go for that option – you are still getting 4 nights at a Hilton and Gold status for an amazing £152!

And, by the way, Hilton Gold status is well worth having.