Hilton and Amazon have teamed up on a new initiative that will allow member of Hilton’s Honors loyalty program to shop Amazon using their points. This is the first time a hotel brand has offered such a deal, Amazon says, and will be available to all Hilton Honors members.
To use the new benefit, Honors members have to link their account to their Amazon profile. This is a one-time setting, and afterwards they can shop Amazon’s site as usual. When it comes time to make a purchase, an option to choose the amount of points you want to use will appear on the checkout screen.
When your order is place, the points applied will be deducted from the order total and displayed as “Rewards Points” on the screen. You can also click on “Change” under the Payment Method option to use available points.
According to Amazon’s FAQ, 500 Hilton Honors Points will equal one dollar on Amazon.com. The retailer’s millions of products are eligible to be shopped using points, including pricier gifts down to everyday household purchases.
However, there are some things points can’t yet buy, including Amazon Kindle downloads, digital music, Amazon Video titles, Amazon Appstore apps, AmazonFresh items, Subscribe and Save items, Prime Memberships (unless they’re a gift), pre-order items, textbook rentals, Amazon Allowance or Reload (gift cards).
In addition, shoppers need to be aware that using points means they may not be able to use the one-click checkout option to complete their purchases.
“We are excited that customers can now use yet another one of their favorite rewards programs – Hilton Honors – to shop at Amazon.com,” said David Williams, Vice President, Amazon Payment Products, in a statement. “Amazon continuously strives to delight our customers with new paying experiences and we are pleased to launch this new program with Hilton Honors.”
The companies declined to disclose the details of their business arrangement, including how money will exchange hands as customers shop using points.
Of course, the real advantage here for Amazon is the potential for increased sales. As Honors members shop Amazon, it’s not likely that the whole of their purchases would be covered by points. That means the points work more as a draw to bring people to Amazon, similar to how coupons entice people to come into retail stores.
While Hilton is the first loyalty program that’s working with Amazon in this manner, we understand that it will be the first of several to come. In the future, Amazon will continue to roll out more Shop with Points programs.