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Points Atelier Daily · Tuesday, Oct 13

An Amex Offer pays 15,000 bonus Hilton points on one stay. Plus: Marriott's upgrade line comes to the Bonvoy app, and LifeMiles at about 1.35 cents each until Oct 20.

Points Atelier October 13, 2026 3 min read

Today: targeted Amex Offers that add Hilton points to one stay, Marriott's upgrade line coming to the app, and a LifeMiles sale that ends Oct 20.

The lead

Amex Offers add 15,000 bonus Hilton points to one stay

Targeted Amex Offers on Hilton co-brand cards now add a one-time Hilton Honors bonus to one paid stay, through Dec 31, 2026. Versions differ by card and account. On a Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, one version reads: spend $400 or more on room rate and room charges at a participating Hilton, booked on Hilton.com, and get 15,000 bonus points. The same offer has shown on the Hilton Honors Surpass Card. Other cardholders report a version that pays 20,000 points on $200 or more.

Run the numbers. A $400 stay on the Aspire earns 5,600 card points at 14 per dollar, plus the 15,000 bonus: at least 20,600 points, about $82 at TPG's value of 0.4 cents per Hilton point. Hilton Honors base and elite points come on top.

Early reports suggest at least one version excludes advance purchase, Save Now & Pay and non-refundable rates, so a flexible rate is the safer choice. The terms on your own offer are the ones that count.

Do this now: open the Amex app, check the Offers on your Hilton card and add this one before you pay for the stay. Pay by Dec 31. Hilton Honors Aspire Card

The Atelier Take: Add it if a Hilton stay is already on the calendar before year-end. Booking a stay just to trigger it rarely pays.

Also worth knowing

Marriott will show elites their place in the upgrade line

After its Oct 12 Member Day, Marriott announced a Complimentary Upgrade List in the Bonvoy app, according to TPG. It is in beta at a small set of hotels and shows Gold Elite members and above where they stand for an upgrade before they arrive; Marriott says it will reach more than 250 hotels in the US and Canada by November. A new Marriott Bonvoy Lounge standard is reported to start in February 2027 at 100 premium hotels in Asia Pacific. Gold Elite and above: before your next stay, open the Bonvoy app and see whether the list shows. Most hotels won't have it until November.

LifeMiles appears to be selling miles at about 1.35 cents, through Oct 20

Avianca LifeMiles is reported to be running a bonus of 125% to 145% on purchased miles until 11:59pm Central on Oct 20; the top rate applies from 51,000 miles. At that rate, 200,000 miles costs $6,600 and lands 490,000 miles, about 1.35 cents each, against TPG's value of 1.6 cents. Price the exact award first, buy only what it needs, and check whether your bank points transfer to LifeMiles, which usually costs less. Purchased miles generally can't be refunded. LifeMiles