Hey {{first name | reader}},

Happy Monday!

Friday's post about the different ways to book Paris to Dubai got a lot of responses, which I loved. Several of you sent questions and other routes you wanted me to look at, so today I am starting by answering one of them.

Then there is some interesting speculation happening around Hilton Honors and yet another potential elite tier.

Here's what's inside today's post:

Reader John sent me this after Friday's post:

"I would love to see you try the same thing, using London as your starting point instead of Paris. I think that would show up some startling differences."

So I did.

London to Dubai is a huge market. Dubai to Heathrow is Emirates' busiest international route according to OAG, and the route currently ranks among the busiest international routes in both Europe and the Middle East. Dubai and Heathrow are also currently the world's number one and number two airports by international seat capacity.

And unlike Paris, London gives you several airports to work with.

The example I found is from London Gatwick to Dubai. Emirates has business class availability for 59,000 Skywards miles plus £579 in taxes. There were three business class seats available on the 1:35 PM departure and three on the 11:55 PM departure.

The mileage price is the same as Paris: 59,000 miles for seven hours in Emirates business class is a redemption I would happily consider, particularly if you already have Skywards miles or transferable points.

The problem is the cash component.

£572 is around $759 at today's exchange rate. Compare that with the Paris example from Friday, where the cash component was around €479, or roughly $545. So you are looking at roughly $214 more per person departing London.

That is where the discussion gets interesting.

Emirates awards already tend to come with substantial surcharges, but departures from the UK can be particularly expensive because the cash component also reflects the UK's high taxes on premium cabin departures.

Would I reposition to save $214?

If repositioning meant taking another three-hour flight, probably not. By the time I buy the positioning ticket, deal with another airport, potentially collect luggage, and add the risk of separate tickets, I have probably cancelled out most of the saving.

But London to Paris is not a normal positioning flight.

You can take the Eurostar straight from central London to central Paris in just over two hours. So if I found a cheap train ticket and the award worked better from Paris, or even Amsterdam, I would absolutely consider it.

That is one of the great advantages of award travel in Europe. Countries are small, cities are incredibly well connected, and changing your departure point can sometimes be as simple as getting on a train.

I would not automatically reposition just because Paris is cheaper. But for two people, we are suddenly talking about more than $400 in savings. At that point, I would at least check the Eurostar fare before booking from London.

Now to something I have been reading about over the weekend.

There are reports that Hilton Honors may be preparing another elite tier called Black Diamond.

I want to emphasize the word may. Hilton has not officially announced Black Diamond as a new public status tier, and the reports are based on the name appearing in internal materials. For now, this is speculation.

But it is interesting because we have seen this movie before.

Hilton announced Diamond Reserve in November 2025 and launched it for 2026. Before that, Hilton Honors was one of the easier hotel programs to understand: Silver, Gold, and Diamond. Diamond was the top published tier.

Now Diamond Reserve sits above Diamond and requires 80 nights or 40 stays plus $18,000 in eligible annual spending. In exchange, members receive guaranteed 4 PM checkout, Confirmable Upgrade Rewards, a 120% bonus points multiplier, Premium Club access at participating properties, and elevated customer service.

There is also something called The Honors Society, an invitation-only level that began appearing in internal Hilton materials before later showing up in Hilton marketing. That is partly why I am paying attention to the Black Diamond rumors: according to current reports, Black Diamond is now appearing above The Honors Society in internal materials.

We do not know the requirements. We do not know the benefits. And we do not even know whether Hilton will ultimately launch it under that name.

But I hope Hilton does not go too far in this direction.

What I liked about Hilton Honors was its simplicity. If you were Diamond, you knew you were at the top of the published program.

Now imagine someone who spent years earning and maintaining Diamond status. Suddenly there is Diamond Reserve above them, an invitation-only Honors Society, and potentially Black Diamond above that.

At some point, adding more elite tiers can make the status below them feel less meaningful, particularly when benefits like upgrades depend on availability and there are increasingly more top-tier members competing for the same rooms.

This is one of the things I do not love about Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott already has Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador, with Platinum requiring 50 nights, Titanium 75, and Ambassador 100 nights plus $23,000 in qualifying annual spend. Some credit cards can also grant elite status automatically. The whole structure has become very hard to explain to someone who is just getting started.

I do not want Hilton to become unnecessarily complicated just for the sake of creating increasingly exclusive levels above levels that were previously supposed to be exclusive.

For now, Black Diamond is only a rumor. But if Hilton confirms it and we learn the benefits and qualification requirements, there is going to be a lot more to discuss.

More coming on Wednesday.

Catch you in the clouds,
Tomi from Points Master

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