What happened
A LoyaltyLobby reader reports that Hilton Diamond status is being sold for around RMB 90 (~$13) in China via the Hilton Honors partnership with Didi (Chinese ride-hailing platform). The mechanism involves Didi V8 members offering their Hilton Diamond benefit to others. Buyers pay for a temporary V8 trial card, complete a 'sprint' of 20 Didi rides, and then unlock the Hilton Diamond offer (120 days of status, extendable to Gold if 12 nights are completed). Reseller groups recruit people to complete these ride requirements in bulk, allowing them to sell the unlocked status benefit separately. Crucially, there is no effective identity matching between the Didi member and the Hilton account holder, allowing the status to be transferred to accounts outside mainland China. This creates a low-cost, transferable status upgrade market, effectively allowing Diamond benefits (upgrades, breakfast, lounge access) to be purchased for less than the cost of a single breakfast