After years of frustration with loyalty programs I proudly freed myself of the elite status grind. I hated it and came crawling back to both airline and hotel status.
Why Chasing Status Had Run Its Course
Every year the requirements get higher, the benefits are fewer – what’s the point in being loyal to a brand when it won’t be loyal to its clients? I had been loyal to American Airlines for more than 20 years achieving status (often Executive Platinum) for more than half that period. But following an experience in which Qatar sold business class for 40% less than American flying to the same airports with the same access to catering and seeing the contrasting experience, I realized that the grass was greener elsewhere.
Yet I moved to United because, for my travel plans, that made more sense.
The frustrations shifted from an inability to find flights to redeem systemwide upgrades, to paying more for a far ejust to have the chance to potentially upgrade. The award prices were also incompatible.
Coming back to American after a failed United experiment, the world had changed. What used to qualify for Executive Platinum status was now just Platinum (not even the newer 3rd level tier, Platinum Pro.) It seemed the goal posts had moved ever further out.
At Hyatt, the program separated its loyalty tiers from the benefits associated with reaching them, instead shifting to milestones. It also moved the target from 50 nights or 25 stays to 60 nights flat. For someone who qualified on short stays, that was a problem. Hilton didn’t move the goal posts but also struggled to deliver meaningful benefits.
End of year status runs across the globe could be fun but were often inconvenient and stressed family relations.
Many Loyalists Have Tried To Quit
I’m happy to raise my hand as one that had experienced enough chasing for less and less and decided to quit. Matthew’s own travel plans have changed and he doesn’t see himself chasing status in 2026. He’s not alone, everywhere in the travel blog space loyalists are being loyal to themselves and their wallet, choosing better prices, better service, and avoiding connections to achieve their travel goals.
Frankly, with hotel programs like Virtuoso and Tablet, there’s less of a need for status on properties and far more flexibility. For a very long time there were just a handful of Hyatts in New York City and it was difficult to be loyal when the location is so important. (My agency’s booking engine has both feeds and a lot more but it’s behind a password to restrict access to clients, email me kyle@scottandthomas.com if you’d like the password.)
Why I Came Running Back
I had become less a creature of habit and more of a house cat when it came to traveling. My issues came when travel plans changed and I found that without status, it was as if I was a stranger even to travel brands I frequented often in the past. I don’t mind boarding later in the process or paying for a better seat (though those costs add up quickly over the course of a year) but it was when I really needed a little support that I realized the value of holding status.
It’s the same thing at hotels, of course. The smallest ask, something as simple as a slightly later check-out (noon instead of 11 AM) was met with deep sighs and clacking on a keyboard instead of yes and amen.
Service should be better across the industry and you shouldn’t have to hold status to ensure you’re treated like an elite customer, that’s not how our staff treat clients and I don’t frequent establishments that require something extra to be treated with dignity… except in travel. Until I find brands that change their philosophy and execution at scale, it’s back to the status missions of old.
My Focus Programs In 2026
American Airlines has made it so easy to qualify for business owners counting Loyalty Points from credit card spend and offering big bonus opportunities across the shopping portal and hotel bookings too. They are a no brainer and I compliment my business credit card spend with flying – a 180° flip from a few years ago.
I’ll return to Hyatt as well, but award stays are now about 30% of my elite earning mix. I hold Gold with Marriott and Hilton from the American Express Platinum card and though I am not that far away from Lifetime Diamond with Hilton, I am not going out of my way to earn Diamond again nor am I adding the requisite credit card to grant me the status.
Access to Virtuoso, Tablet Plus, and the other premium amenity programs give me the flexibility I need.
I won’t be going for Spirit Gold again for two reasons, the first is that due to cuts it no longer flies the route most convenient for me between Pittsburgh and Fort Myers. Second, I don’t trust the shifting sands with potential mergers or shutting down altogether.
I hold JetBlue Mosaic 4 due to a status challenge last year and I will be looking to fly them more especially as they evolve their European offerings. I still haven’t flown Mint and I aim to correct that this year.
Conclusion
Elite status adds real value to my experience and helps me overcome challenges. I don’t care about the luggage tags or the early boarding as much, but save real money on preferred seat selection and confirmed upgrades for long haul flights when I can secure them. At hotels, it seems to be even more important and Hyatt is the only destination for me with Virtuoso and Tablet Plus filling in the gaps. For custom itineraries, I also like and work with ABCTrips.
What about you? Ar eyou chasing status this year?
It’s all fun and games for “free-agents” until summer thunderstorm season hits and the 1Ks are getting home while the general members (including those in premium cabins) are sleeping in the airport.
It’s no longer worth manufacturing elite status, but if you fly a lot/spend a lot on airfare, it’s stupid not to focus on one airline to achieve status.
I’ve requalified for Star Gold till March 2029 already so happy to keep flying them and enjoying status.
How’d you pull off confirmed status for the next 3-4 years with Star Alliance?
@1990/Sean M – Indeed, inquiring minds want to know.
When I called for assistance, Hilton knew I *was* diamond then gold, Marriott knows I am lt Titanium, UA knows I am lt Platinum. can’t they find an AI programmer to figure out who is paying for an expensive product vs the basic one and divert the call to a higher priority? I fly biz now on almost all flights and choose good accommodations and suites which include bfast, club level, etc. but last flight on Hawaiian (changed to AS), had to wait an hour to find out i needed to wait another hour on the phone for the other airline, because changing seats and flights can’t be done online or in one stop even for paid first class.
It would be great to see an article about the travel company where service is provided courteously and in a timely manner. They would get my business.
@Clem Corona – To the first points, I have some bad news. Airlines that are using AI are not to improve customer experience, it’s to incrementally increase revenue and profit. From seeing behind-the-scenes and interacting with travel backend systems from my travel agency – you’d be floored to see what the technology that keeps a quarter of a trillion dollars annually flying.
To the last point, in my opinion, you described Hyatt. They seem to go out of their way on-site and over the phone/email but only if you’re Globalist or Discoverist. I was actually shocked when I received a proactive late check-out as Discoverist while I am arm wrestling for a noon check out as a Diamond at Hilton.
You’ve mentioned quite a few companies in your post. Every. Single. One. Of them is based in the same country, with the exception of Qatar Airways with which you never tried to get status. I’m not going to say that the grass is greener at Accor, Vietnam Airlines or whatever, but surely the idea of obtaining and/or using elite status in relation to international travel must mean that you should at least consider providers from more than one country.
It’s a really good point you make. I have lifetime status on UA but getting a confirmed upgrade I haven’t been able to do in years.
Thinking about changing to Lufthansa and building status there. Anybody have comments about Lufthansa Miles & More? They are Star Alliance, but I’ve found it almost impossible to book upgrades with them as well.
It may be that Matthew’s earlier post about getting upgrades is right – just pay for it. Only problem is Business tix on international flights are now blindingly expensive.
@PM – In the past I have been BA Gold, bmi Diamond, Aeroplan Super Elite, Copa… something, I was top tier Accor, maintain top tier IHG (but I forget about that all the time), whatever the top was at Club Carlson, and of course, Platinum at SPG. I have yet to find value in the Chinese carriers but maybe I am missing something there. Turkish looks interesting, maybe Cathay Pacific but redemptions seem high. ANA would be interesting to look at, maybe JAL too. Qantas doesn’t offer anything that makes sense to me, and Vietnam is giving away status matches every six months it seems. Maybe I should look further afield. Any recs?
Sadly Americans have to fly a lot to travel to decent places but europeans can enjoy nice places within a short flight and far less stressful to fly in Europe than the us. In case something goes wrong there is a legal protection and most airlines adhere to it even if you don’t have a status. So I think it depends on who and your travel pattern. Plus business class tickets out of Europe are quite reasonable so I usually do one or two long hauls in paid business and rest in economy on LLCs. Much happier this way.
Well said on “preferred seat selection and confirmed upgrades for long haul flights when I can secure them” (I’ve found Delta’s RUCs and GUCs, and jetBlue’s Move to Mint, the only two reliable confirmed-in-advance upgrades; AA’s SWU and UA’s PlusPoints burned me so often, I gave up on those.)
As for hotels, it’s just through credit cards for me (and technically IHG Diamond via CSR $75K+), so some free breakfasts and sorta early check-ins and late check-outs, if they honor it; I’d argue the guaranteed late checkout with Amex FHR is better for not having to deal with Virtuoso or an agent.
I don’t consider getting airline status through CC spending to really be “chasing” status. To me, chasing status is sticking with flying only one airline (or its partners) even though value and price on others are better. Being a free agent means flying whatever airline offers the best combination of route, time, product and cost, regardless of where the miles will get credited.
@Arthur – Perhaps not in the traditional sense, I’d agree with you there. But in today’s world, I think that has changed. Few Executive Platinums are earning exclusively by flying, and I think there are probably a lot of casual spenders with AMEX cards trying to get to $75k/year, and now Chase too. I don’t think free agents are ignoring the miles and points entirely, they just aren’t going out of their way to only fly that carrier, only stay in that hotel.