Lyft and Hilton just announced a new partnership that can help you get free nights in hotels

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• Starting Tuesday, you can earn Hilton Honors hotel loyalty points every time you ride with Lyft.
• After you register for the new partnership, you'll earn 2x Hilton points per dollar on shared Lyft rides, and 3x points per dollar on regular rides (on up to $10,000 of spend each year).
• The partnership can help Hilton Honors members get closer to their next award stay. Hilton's three credit cards are another way to earn extra points.
• Lyft riders can also earn Delta SkyMiles on rides - a Lyft spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that users can effectively double-dip, earning both SkyMiles and Hilton Honors points on rides.

Hilton and Lyft have announced a new partnership enabling any users to earn Hilton Honors hotel loyalty points any time they take a Lyft.

A common misconception is that you need to fly or stay in hotels all the time in order to earn enough frequent flyer miles or hotel points for a free trip. However, it's often possible to amass points through spending on rewards credit cards, shopping through rewards portals online, or taking advantage of rewards partnerships.

The Hilton-Lyft partnership is an example of the latter. Users will earn Hilton points on every Lyft ride within the US and certain Canadian cities. Points can be redeemed on free stays with Hilton, as well as several other options like shopping on Amazon or experiences.

Hilton Honors members will receive 3x points per dollar spent on every Lyft ride, except for Shared rides, which earn 2x points per dollar. Members can earn points on up to $10,000 of spend on Lyft each year. Effectively, that's a maximum of 30,000 points per year. While that alone isn't much, it can help members top up their rewards balances as they save up for award nights.

In order to register for the promotion, Hilton Honors members must link their accounts at HiltonHonorsLyft.com. If you don't have a Hilton Honors account already, it's easy to sign up for free - click here to get started.

The partnership is the first of its kind for the two companies, although it isn't the first such partnership between a rideshare provider and a hospitality company. Uber and Starwood Preferred Guest began offering Starpoints on rides in 2015 for qualifying members - the partnership ended in December 2017, as Marriott continued its acquisition of Starwood.

Lyft also offers the opportunity to earn Delta SkyMiles on rides - riders can earn 1x Delta SkyMile per dollar spent on most rides, and 3x miles on rides to or from the airport, regardless of airline. Users can link their Lyft and Delta accounts here.

A spokesperson for Lyft confirmed to Business Insider that users will be able to earn both Delta SkyMiles and Hilton Honors points on rides by connecting their respective accounts. The ability to double-dip means that, in a regular Lyft to the airport, a user can earn 3x Delta SkyMiles and 3x Hilton Honors points per dollar spent.

In a phone interview with Business Insider, Hilton's SVP of customer engagement, loyalty, and partnerships, Mark Weinstein, suggested that the ability to earn points on all Lyft rides was the first phase in a future series of integrations and partnership for Hilton.

"We've explored a number of things that we'll be working on together for the next several months and years to come," he said. "But we wanted to launch [the first part of the partnership] as soon as we possibly could."

Weinstein also suggested the possibility that in addition to deeper functional integrations with Lyft, Hilton is exploring additional avenues to provide a more seamless experience for members.

"We're constantly spending time with our members, understanding the things that matter most to them. For all the different parts of the travel journey, we're always trying to find like-minded partners that think about the [travel] space the way we do."

Earning more Hilton points

If you're looking to earn more Hilton points than just from Lyft rides, or if you stay at Hilton hotels even just a few times a year, you may want to open a Hilton credit card.

Hilton offers three different personal American Express credit cards - the "regular" Hilton Honors American Express Card, the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card, and the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express.

Each card offers useful benefits and rewards, although there are some pretty big differences between them.

The Aspire comes with the most benefits, but also has the highest annual fee, so it's best for those who are fairly loyal to Hilton. However, if you plan to apply for the card and stay before a stay in one of Hilton's luxury resorts, and expect maybe another weekend stay at a Hilton property within the year, the card's annual fee will pay for itself.

1. Hilton Honors American Express Card

Welcome offer: 75,000 Hilton Honors points when you spend $1,000 in the first three months.

The baseline Hilton Honors credit card is a stellar option for those who occasionally stay in Hiltons and have use for the welcome offer or benefits, but aren't true brand loyalists or road warriors.

It offers complimentary Hilton Honors Silver elite status, which includes benefits like late check-out, free water bottles during stays, a free fifth night on reward nights, and more points earned during stays. When you spend $20,000 on the card in a calendar year, you'll get upgraded to Gold status, which includes the same perks as silver, plus free breakfast and room upgrades.

The card earns 7x points per dollar spent on Hilton purchases, 5x points per dollar spent at restaurants, gas stations, and supermarkets within the US, and 3x point on everything else.

Travel website The Points Guy subjectively values Hilton Honors points at 0.6¢ each - that makes the bonus worth $450.

Click here to learn more about the Hilton Honors Card from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

2. Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card

Welcome offer: 125,000 Hilton Honors points when you spend $2,000 in the first three months.

Instead of Silver status, like the no-fee card, the Ascend offers complimentary Gold status. That comes with the same benefits as silver, plus two major additions: you'll get free breakfast during your stay, and you'll be eligible for a room upgrade, assuming there's a free room available.

The Ascend earns 12x points on Hilton purchases, 6x points at restaurants, gas stations, and supermarkets - all within the US - and 3x points on everything else.

Between the 125,000-point welcome bonus, and the fact that the Ascend card offers a free weekend night when you spend $15,000 on it within a calendar year, you've got the makings of a nice long hotel stay without having to pay a thing.

The card also comes with 10 free day passes to Priority Pass airport lounges, and offers a free weekend night when you spend $15,000 on it within a calendar year. The Ascend has a $95 annual fee, but chances are the benefits will offset that for you.

Click here to learn more about the Hilton Ascend Card from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

3. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Welcome offer: 150,000 Hilton Honors points when you spend $4,000 in the first three months.

The premium Hilton Honors American Express Aspire card has a hefty $450 annual fee, but it comes with so many perks, benefits, and rebates that it's more than worth paying for Hilton loyalists.

First, it offers up to $250 in Hilton resort statement credits each card membership year, as well as a up to $250 in airline fee credits per calendar year. Right away, those two credits cover more than the annual fee.

And there's more. The Aspire also offers a on-property credit up to $100 every time you book a stay of two nights or longer at a luxury-level Hilton property - including the Waldorf Bangkok. You just need to book through a specific website for cardholders.

The card also offers a free weekend night reward each year - regardless of how much you spend - and a second weekend night if you spend $60,000 on the card in a calendar year. I recently used my first-ever free weekend night at the Waldorf Astoria in Edinburgh, Scotland.

It also comes with complimentary top-tier Diamond status which, as you'd expect, entitles you to greater benefits than other levels of status.

The Aspire earns a tremendous 14x points per dollar spent with Hilton, 7x points on flights booked with the airline, car rentals, and at US restaurants, and 3x points on everything else.

Click here to learn more about the Hilton Aspire Card from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

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