For the first time in more than a decade, I’ll enter next year with almost no elite status, but there are upsides to that too.
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Limited Business Travel, Opportunities, and Focus
The last year has involved far less business travel for me for a few reasons. The world has absolutely changed and while I support in-person meetings, sales calls, and events, sometimes customers are less willing to make time to meet in person. Instead of being able to conveniently and predictably meet at their office, workers are stationed at home, making lunch meetings an awkward affair.
For me personally, I partner in a couple of businesses and watch my expenses closely. The costs of travel this year have been very, very high even without factoring in inflation that seeps into the periphery of business travel like meals, entertainment, and in-town transportation. It’s incredibly difficult to justify (to myself or to my partner) thousands of dollars for meetings that used to cost a few hundred dollars especially when clients, staff, and partners are completely willing to meet for free on a video conference – loathed as they may be.
Further, my waning status with United Airlines and mixed experience with Delta on a trial this year left me jumping between carriers for important flights, taking Spirit on flights to Florida, and spreading myself too thin to maintain with one carrier.
Hotels too haven’t been as concentrated due to availability and costs.
First Time In a Decade Without Status (almost)
For the first time in more than a decade, I will have no status on major international carriers when the calendar resets in January and I do not intend to try for it before then. Just a few years ago I held both American Airlines Executive Platinum status (earned for about half a decade and then granted for one additional year as a Hyatt Globalist) and United 1k at the same time. During some of that overlap period, I also held Spirit Gold status.
For hotels, immediately prior to the pandemic I held Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Spire, and Hilton Diamond. At the turn of the year I will likely only hold Explorist with Hyatt and Hilton Diamond (unearned) as a benefit from my current Diamond status:
“Diamond status extension
Enjoy an extra year of Diamond perks with a one-time extension. Available when you have been a Diamond Member for 3 years and stayed 250 lifetime nights or earned 500,000 Base Points.” – Hilton
I assume I am eligible for that perk based on my years as a Diamond but I haven’t requested it yet and don’t know if I will receive it because status has been extended via COVID for so many years.
Regardless, I’m not that worried about it.
What Are The Upsides of Losing Status
Could there be upsides to losing status? Absolutely, and chiefly among them is the ability to be a free agent. I was a long-time loyal American Airlines Aadvantage member but felt freed when I left and moved to United. Most of that experience was positive, but I found that securing international upgrades – for me, the most important element of status – was often waitlist-only or required a very expensive fare that I would not have needed with American to be eligible. I tried Delta Air Lines this year and it was ok, but the points are worthless (see post later today) and I found the partner experience to be inconsistent.
I liked being able to purchase the best ticket for either value, time, or convenience that I wouldn’t if I had been chasing status. Sometimes elite status felt more like shackles and it was nice to be free of them.
Second, I am confident that status challenges will give me the option to regain my prior levels in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to obtain before. I have been away from American status for more than two years, and I will drop from Premier Platinum with United to nothing. But I will also have a chance to resecure my place (assuming challenges are offered) with more attainable requirements as things return to normal. I’ll finish with more than 40 Hyatt nights this year, too few for Globalist, but all year they have been generous with challenges offering the same level with just 20 nights, something I was ineligible for before but won’t be in the future.
There’s one more thing I look forward to: trying something new. I haven’t given Alaska a real shot in years and while it would be hard to maintain status on Alaska flights, its membership in oneworld changes its value to me and the opportunity for obtaining and retaining status. Maybe JetBlue will be worth considering, or a foreign carrier I haven’t given much thought to. Who knows?
What Does Next Year Hold?
My goal is to travel more in 2023 than I did in 2022 on paid tickets. For the most part, I have been living without significant status this year without any real consequence. I haven’t needed it which reduced my dependency on it. In fact, the only status I will really try to hold through the end of next year is Hyatt Globalist, perhaps Hilton Diamond, and Spirit Gold. Yes, that’s an odd mix, but allow me to elaborate.
In the pandemic I realized I was hoarding points despite preaching the opposite. It wasn’t clear to me that I was hoarding points because I was comparing myself to people who held millions, sometimes tens of millions of points. It was only when I couldn’t use those points to fly at all that I came to the conclusion that they need to be spent, but thanks to credit cards, replenishment is part of the mix.
I can usually find a decent deal for where I’m going, even if I need to cobble something unconventional together and that means I don’t need status to allow for the experience I want so I very well may not pursue it.
What’s really important to me is the hotel experience with upgrades and perks, something I will be hard-pressed to go without. But for flights, finding good deals or using miles for the long haul premium trips is easier to execute than relying on status to enhance my itinerary.
I frequently travel to Florida and that’s why Spirit Gold is important to retain. As a Pittsburgher, flying to Florida (or elsehwere as I will in the coming week) it’s not only less expensive to fly Spirit, it’s far more likely to get me where I’m going by simply being a nonstop flight. Even when I compare routes on competitors where I held status (like American and United) and the price was the same (Spirit Gold is essentially American Airlines Platinum or United Gold status) Spirit allows me to avoid a connection in fun airports like Charlotte and the risk of a delay or missed connection. It’s more valuable to me to arrive in two hours instead of four as well.
Conclusion
It feels uncomfortable to lose status after all of these years, but doesn’t seem worth the investment in maintaining or achieving status. Hard to use upgrades have all but gone away (American issues half the upgrades and releases very little space, United requires more expensive fares and almost all of the upgrades offered are waitlist-only) and without a large amount of domestic travel, status holds little value on airlines for me at the moment. However, I have considered – even attempted – to go without status before and returned. There are upsides to losing elite status, certainly, and I look forward to weighing whether status or free agency is better in 2023.
What do you think? Will you lose status at the close of 2022? What are you planning to do about it?
Reached Delta Diamond for first time this year, trying to add some kind of American status before February. Key benefits of status nowadays are enhanced earnings on paid flights, upgrade priority (pretty good on Delta out of NYC, but not great), ability to select Comfort + / Main Cabin Extra seats (consistent across the airlines now), and the various choice benefits / other perks. I still think it is worth it, but only if you can get there somewhat organically and/or through credit card spend. Too many mileage runs get to be cumbersome.
Also, in terms of your upcoming Skymiles post – my best redemption this year was 74K business class each way, JFK to BCN, Delta Skymiles on Delta Metal. Otherwise book domestic flights at 1.2 cents to 1.4 cents per person. I find Delta miles actually very easy to burn (plus they earn status miles and dollars).
Don’t take a flight that you would not take anyway. Buy domestic first or discount business class international when possible. Note that while UA has almost eliminated upgrades for miles or points at booking, some other airlines still have a decent amount. Stays is nice, but not worth sacrificing for.
Also, I put my DL flights on Flying Blue. Much cheape redemptions there.
Smart. If one can afford it, premium cabins offer all of the perks that tier status offers and upgrades become irrelevant. With the exceptions of point-earn rate and support during irregular operations. As for upgrades, some people receive them regularly. For me, my flights are usually transcon or international long-haul out of JFK and LAX. And, according to recent reports, the airlines have been selling J and F at a substantially higher rate than the historical rate. And, I simply don’t want to gamble on upgrades.
As a family we almost exclusively stay in air bnbs now. In Vietnam we have an incredible villa with a private pool and staff for $249 a night. It was that or twin beds at the Sheraton. American platinum is great for economy plus bookings but otherwise who cares. We have upgraded cheap economy flights using emirates and flew around Europe using <10k point flights using mileage plus. I’m Ana platinum from a status match and that’s all we need.
I currently have 1K on UA and Gold on AA (I’m still not sure how I got that, but it had something to do with the status system change earlier this year). Since I’m out of ORD, I have a choice on which one I go for. Since I fly constantly for business in which my travel is reimbursed, I don’t do points travel; my only UA points expenditure each year is for United Club membership. UA goes to where I need to go, so I fly on them in most cases.
I’m roughly thirty points away from getting 1K for next year and will reach that next week on my next flight, so that renewal is done. I have AA Gold until the end of March and will let that expire, since the only benefit I have from it is boarding in Group 4 rather than Group 6, since they changed the ability to upgrade seats using points.
As for hotels, we’re encouraged to save money on those, so I don’t stay at the Hyatts and Hiltons of the world. I have had maximum status at Wyndham and Choice for years now, but status isn’t an impetus for me to stay with them. It’s just that I smoke, and the lower strata of Choice and Wyndham locations still have smoking rooms at a number of locations. I have used points to book rooms with them on my rare leisure travels and have points saved up for that.
I know I’m in a rather unique position in that all my travel is domestic and I have to book in Economy (longest trips are LAX and SEA) and that my point accumulation is rather limited being in the center of the country. It makes it a challenge to get and retain status, but I make do.
I am not familiar with the US market, but just about everywhere else it’s always cheaper and easier to pay for a junior suite or similar in whatever local hotel happens to offer a good deal than restrict yourself to one or two chains and hope for a status upgrade.
On the other hand, airline status gives benefits on the ground that you often can’t buy unless you purchase a business class ticket.
I’m not clear what a status challenge would be. I dropped from United Premier 1K to nothing a couple of years back and I don’t recall being issued any challenges to get it back.
In 2023, I will be cattle class elite with every airline. It would be nice to have priority boarding and seat selection but I have no choice. However, it will allow me to be a totally free agent, flying any airline that I desire.
Airlines should allow complementary 1 year elite for anyone with a previous elite status in 2020 and have that offer until the 2025 year. One could only select one year so that if they prematurely select 2023 but don’t requalify, that’s it. Of if business travel doesn’t pick up until 2024, then select 2024 as the free year.
Derek, airlines did do that…as they extended status in 2021 and 2022. I started flying in 2020 for my job..earned Platinum on Delta that year. Last year earned Diamond (without the 50% bonus they added in April). I earned Diamond again this year for 2023…because I fly a lot. Airlines gave a lot..but they are a business. You can’t expect them to just keep giving free status away for people not spending money with them.
One of the greatest things about Million Miler status is not having to stress about status! I’m trying to get 2 million on United but am about 600K short so by the time I get there, they’ll probably change all of the rules/requirements/perks. Happy with Gold though!
I finally reached United 1k this year for the first time. I’ve only flown once since. I got on the plane and was flown to my destination like every other passenger, and in the process realized I’d been chasing status pretty much just for the bragging rights. These programs are designed to benefit the airline; the customer comes a distant second. Like you, I’ve realized I’m better off searching for deals online. I don’t care if I don’t get my first choice of meal, and I certainly don’t need flight attendants to thank me for my loyalty (which they rarely do anyway). I’m going to enjoy my freedom to choose.
There’s no upside to not having status. None. The “freedom” to opt out of alternative airlines with lower fares, better routing, etc is not an upside. It’s a weak justification.
Ha yes this is true.
Lol yup.
Kyle: AmEx Hilton Aspire card is a simple, no-brainer way to maintain HH Diamond status plus $50, a free night and a few other perks in your pocket every year ($450 AF, easy $250 Airline Fee credit – UA Travel Bank for many, easy $250 Hilton Resort credit – book reservation requiring first night prepayment, get credit, cancel reservation).
I have had Marriott Titanium status for 5 years now, and, after spending a month touring Europe and staying at a lot of small independent hotels this last summer, I find myself wondering if its worth it any more. Marriott franchises don’t seem to care what your status is, they give the same crappy service everywhere. The perks are not that good. Marriott properties seem to be amongst the most expensive. And I really enjoy giving my business to a small hotel that appreciates it. I will probably let my status with Marriott expire and just be a free-agent. The only thing I really used much was the late check out.
The biggest upside is that, by it’s very nature, not earning elite status means you didn’t fly that much on these ever more crappy airlines.
Welcome to the real world Matthew. Enjoy being free and not thinking how to sustain your elite status..it is like being addicted to sth. and you need to keep up with your addiction. It is a devil’s circle.