How To Expedite Your Citi Hilton Reserve Card Free Night Certificates

I recently applied for the Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card, which comes with a sign-up bonus of 2 free weekend night certificates after making $2,500 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening. Weekend nights are defined as Friday, Saturday, or Sunday and the certificates can basically be used at any Hilton HHonors property worldwide, with just a small list of excluded locations.

How will I receive my free night certificates?

You will receive your free night certificates via email with the subject “HHonors Reward”. There will be 2 separate emails, each of which contains a “Rewards Certificate ID” that will need to be referenced when you call in to redeem the certificates, and unfortunately can’t be done online.

When will I receive my free night certificates?

If you follow this thread on Flyertalk, you’ll notice that one of the most commonly asked questions is when you can expect to receive your certificates. Since it appears to be a somewhat manual process, in short there simply isn’t a standard answer. Some people have reported receiving certificates roughly 7 days after statement close in which minimum spend is met, while others have had to wait an additional 1-2 statements before receiving theirs.

What was my experience? I met the minimum spend for the statement closing on December 20th, and received my free nights on December 20th! Since I was anxious to receive my free nights for a trip I already had planned in early 2015, it was a pleasant surprise to get them so quickly.

In hopes of expediting the process, I had pre-paid my statement prior to it closing, and this appears to have helped in my particular situation. While I can’t guarantee that this will work in all cases, it’s certainly worth a shot especially if you’re in a rush to get your free night certificates.

How long did you have to wait to receive your certificates, and any other tips to help expedite the process?