After traveling for an extended period of time, annual qualifications become a forgone conclusion, but lifetime status overtakes the annual goal. Here are my hotel and airline lifetime progressions and why I seek them.
If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com.
If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today.
What Is Lifetime Status?
Lifetime Status is awarded to elite travelers after years and copious amounts of flights and nights over an extended period of time. The purpose of lifetime elite status is primarily to continue to drive business travelers to stay with the brand for life. If a business traveler will qualify for elite status with an airline and hotel chain every year, they can match to another provider and gain status with a competitor. Those pursuing lifetime status are less likely to do so.
Then there’s me, but more on that later.
Some providers offer tiers similar to elite status offered in their program. For example, United offers Gold, Platinum, 1K and Global Services at one, two, three and four million lifetime miles respectively. Those who cross those thresholds will hold the earned status level and the associated benefits until death do they part.
Is Lifetime Status Worthwhile?
At some point, I will no longer travel for work and while I would hope to have enough miles and points to last me for awhile, I won’t re-qualify for status. Some leisure travelers do qualify for significant status, they are few and far between but should be commended.
The biggest risk pursuing lifetime status with a travel provider is that they may change what that status entails and how to achieve it. United did this some time ago, American Airlines too. Hyatt changed their program a few years ago that caused me to reconsider my own loyalty to the brand. Pursuing lifetime status may not be worth what it is whilst you pursue it, they own their program and members are powerless. If you don’t trust the brand now you won’t trust them more in ten years, benefits are unlikely to improve.
Which Airlines/Hotel Chains Do I Pursue?
I spent 15 years loyal to American Airlines, most of which were at lower tiers – in my first decade with the carrier I barely crossed 100,000 miles – I was an infrequent but loyal flyer as far as American was concerned. I switched from American Airlines to United a couple of years ago because Doug Parker has wrecked the airline. I abandoned my pursuit of lifetime status just over halfway to their entry level, Gold.
At my current pace, I will finish 2019 with about 180,000 lifetime miles with United. I have about seven years until I achieve million miler lifetime Gold status with United.
Hotel chains don’t track lifetime status progress as easily from the account page. I reached out to both Hyatt and Hilton to see where I stood. Neither Hilton nor Hyatt offer anything other than top tier status, Lifetime Globalist and Lifetime Diamond respectively. I have held IHG Spire for several years with hundreds of nights but they don’t offer lifetime status because they hate their elites.
My Concierge, who delivers a ton of value for me, indicated I am nearly 20% of the way to lifetime status. Since the earnings are derived from base points, I have a long way to go. Lifetime Globalists need one million base points ($200,000 spent with the brand); it will likely take me until I retire to achieve it.
Hilton, who trialled a Concierge program for some Diamonds but hasn’t rolled one out yet, stated they would get back to me on it. I’ve been waiting a few days so I will have to go off of my back of the napkin math: about five years and approximately 500 nights to this point, around halfway there.
Conclusion
Lifetime status isn’t for everyone, but it is something I will personally continue to pursue. It’s frustrating to abandon my progress to lifetime Gold with American; had I stayed with them instead of switching to United I would earn million miler in the next two years. Hilton has been the easiest to make progress toward due to availability of properties. Hilton and Hyatt continue to add to their Diamond/Globalist benefits and I continue to pursue them.
What do you think? Are you pursuing lifetime status? Already have lifetime status? Who returns the most benefit for your long term business?
I’m working my way to 3 million United lifetime. Maybe another 16 months of flying. One problem with achieving these milestones is that you’re pretty exhausted of flying by the time you get there. I still like United and am friends with a lot of the FAs on my main international route. But getting in an airplane to go on vacation no longer has much excitement for me anymore. It’s mostly just annoying or blah.
Different lifetime statuses (stati?) are worth different amounts. 1 million miles on American gets you Lifetime Gold, which is their lowest tier and gets you very little chance at an upgrade. 1 million miles on United gets you Lifetime Gold which is mid-tier and has led to me getting several upgrades a year (~25% of my flights) plus your spouse/SO also gets that status.
I’m at 275K United lifetime but accumulate slower than you so I calculate it’ll be another 10 years or so before I get there.
Hilton I’m Diamond for last 3 years but only have probably 250 lifetime nights, so again a long slog, but if I keep my current job I’ll be there by the time I’m ~45 yrs old.
I have it with American, Delta, Marriott, and Hyatt.
1. American is moot for me as an exec plat. I have lifetime Plat but still do over 100K a year. Regular Plat would be pretty worthless for upgrades these days. I am actually close to 3M miles now but with no additional tier (why?) for lifetime on AA it means nothing to me. Gee, wow, four additional systemwide upgrades that I can never use anyway for flights that matter.
2. I have 1.96M miles on Delta so am close to lifetime Gold with them. But who cares. Upgrades will still be scarce and the awful redemptions rates on Delta discourage me from them as much as possible. I will probably go for it anyway next year – for what reason I have no idea.
3. Lifetime Titanium at Marriott. Titanium is all but worthless in my opinion. All I care about is upgrades at premium properties and they never happen. Not even at mid level properties. I will make Ambassador this year though for actual stays so will see if that has any difference in tangible benefits.
4. Lifetime Globalist with Hyatt. This is the most useful and BEST lifetime I status I have. The perks and benefits are real and wonderful. My concierge who I share with you Kyle (starts with a Q) is outstanding, proactive, and a real gem. Further, with the smaller footprint of Hyatt – making Globalist with stays is not always there for me depending on my travel destinations for the year. With Lifetime I don’t need to worry on those years when I am spending more time in cities that have little or no Hyatt presence. This IS THE ONE that people should work to attain first, imho. Hyatt rocks!
United is obviously the least trustworthy of the above companies, since they told the Supreme Court that their promises are completely worthless.
Any idea if the dollar figure for Hyatt is room only or all charges?
United might have stated such in court, but the other programs have all acted the same manner and operated the same way – they just didn’t get called to the carpet or have the tenacity to say it out loud.
Hyatt states it is for base points to the account, I presume that is from any room charges that earn such, but probably not credit card or purchased points. I can’t confirm that one way or another.
I’m currently debating whether to give up on trying for 1MM on UA. At yearend I will be at 750k, but I fly almost entirely on my own dime with cheap economy fares so after next year with the program changes I won’t have any status until I hit 1MM.
If I push for it, I can put about 100k per year to UA vs about 30-40k per year that would go there as a “free agent”. But after my status runs out next year, I’m not gonna wanna put in 100k per year on UA with no status.
And then theres the issue of trust. I would hate to push for it only to have them remove 1MM benefits right after I get there. But I would also hate to not push for it and then for them to change qualification in 6-8 years right before I would otherwise qualify.
I’d encourage to look into some of the posts written about re-qualification techniques in the new program. You may not earn as much in the way of lifetime miles but may qualify at a lower cost than in the past by using partners.
I’m in the very same boat. ~650K lifetime miles but this will be my last (of 5) year as 1K with the new spend (as I’m 60% OPM, 40% my own).
If I really push it, I could do it in 4-5 years. But, I’m worried about UA moving the goal post – or at least reducing the bennies, so since I’m already going free agent in 2020 (already ditched the Explorer, got Sapphire Reserve and AMEX Plat and have the Club) my conundrum becomes – how much do I give to UA and how much am I willing to sacrifice for better schedules/less time away.
I would love to see these stats for Matthew! Curious where he stands on United in particular.
Lifetime with Marriott. It’s rare I get an upgraded room and when I do, I need to fight for it, which is annoying.
I would say five or so years ago before hitting lifetime, I got nice upgrades. My annual spend is the same now so it’s seems status is worth less now.
One of the lifetime status benefits for United that you failed (OK, maybe forgot is a better way to put it ;-)) to mention is the extension of one’s current benefits to a designated Mileage Plus member … intended to be a spouse. As a colleague once put it to me, his SO now has ‘skin in the game’. So long as I maintain 1K, my wife has it, too. That benefit is not worth to her in and of itself, but it is very nice when we all travel as a family.
I earned 1MM status with United this past spring. And I maintain guarded optimism that United will not make any sweeping changes to that program without grandfathering people in … even as I realize that they have the right to do so.
I do feel as though United makes some effort to recognize that 1MM status. And I like knowing that I can never fall lower than gold (the above caveat withstanding). It’s a motivator that works for me. While I’m still far away from attaining 2MM status, the motivation of those benefits is keeping me on United metal when I fly for the time being.
I’m lifetime Silver with Marriott at the moment. Probably one of the easiest lifetime statuses to get I’d imagine. I’m close to lifetime Gold in terms of nights stayed, but not the 7 years of Gold or higher which may take me some time as I’m no longer out on business trips as often.
VX has an interesting ten-year approach to lifetime Gold status.