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I've held top-tier hotel elite status with several brands for over a decade, so I know earning elite status with a hotel program can be both tough and expensive at times. Despite the expense, earning status can be quite rewarding if you're using the benefits often enough. It's possible to achieve mid-tier hotel elite status with credit cards quite easily, though the best perks are reserved for top-tier elites. Naturally, a question we're asked regularly at AwardWallet is “Can you earn top-tier hotel elite status from credit cards?”
Let's take a look at some of the reasons you need top-tier hotel elite status and ways to earn it via credit cards.
Page Contents
- Benefits of Top-Tier Hotel Elite Status
- Can You Earn Top-Tier Hotel Elite Status From Credit Cards?
- Shortcuts to Hotel Elite Status via Credit Cards
- How to get Choice Privileges Diamond status through credit cards
- How to get Hilton Honors™ Diamond status through credit cards
- How to get IHG Diamond status through credit cards
- How to get Marriott Bonvoy® status through credit cards
- How to get World of Hyatt Globalist status through credit cards
- How to get Wyndham Diamond status through credit cards
- Final Thoughts
Benefits of Top-Tier Hotel Elite Status
Originally the domain of a select group of A-list guests, top-tier elite status was created to reward frequent guests who remained dedicated to a hotel brand. The hotel awards perks, privileges, and special access to those travelers it considers an asset.
When I started my elite status journey, it was generally easier to earn top-tier elite status with hotels than it is now. Some of this is due to more brands competing, more focus on stays versus nights to determine status, and fewer credit card partners to boost elite qualifying nights and stays.
A few of the benefits top-tier elite status can offer include:
- The highest level of perks and benefits available to loyalty program members, including suite upgrades and free breakfast.
- The ability to earn more points than other loyalty members, like receiving 30%–100% bonus points during paid stays.
- Opportunity to status match to the highest elite tier of other loyalty programs.
- There also can be a “cool factor.” The special treatment from hotel staff, welcome gifts, ability to skip long check-in lines, and complimentary lounge access all combine to give you the sense that you are genuinely appreciated.
Can You Earn Top-Tier Hotel Elite Status From Credit Cards?
It is absolutely possible to earn top-tier hotel elite status from credit cards. However, it's not possible with every brand. Cards that offer this perk will always incur a higher annual fee than credit cards offering cash back — and even higher annual fees than other co-branded credit cards for the same hotel chain.
You'll find some credit cards offer the top-tier status just for being a cardholder, which can make earning status stress-free but might balloon elite ranks and water down benefits. Others might offer a “fast track” to top-tier status through nights or stays automatically added to your elite qualifying year. This can be great to help earn higher status with a brand that you stayed with in the past, delivering better perks every time you check in.
Shortcuts to Hotel Elite Status via Credit Cards
Most hotel loyalty programs offer a helping hand or a fast track to top-tier elite status, and combining this with your credit card benefits can be a winning shortcut. However, some programs make it much harder than others.
How to get Choice Privileges Diamond status through credit cards
The Choice Privileges program has several membership tiers, with Diamond being the highest. It's earned with 40 nights stayed each year. Earning Diamond will grant 50% elite bonus points, guaranteed room availability, and free breakfast for two.
While no card offers Diamond automatically, the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® offers automatic Platinum status through 20 elite nights credited to your account when you hold the card. You can earn Diamond by staying 20 additional nights at Choice Hotels each year. The no-annual-fee Choice Privileges® Mastercard® grants Gold status and 10 elite nights. That means cardholders need to stay 30 additional nights with Choice each year to earn Diamond.
How to get Hilton Honors™ Diamond status through credit cards
Diamond is the top tier in Hilton Honors. Earning Diamond status grants members 100% bonus points on paid stays, space-available room upgrades, enhanced Wi-Fi, lounge access, and a daily food and beverage credit or breakfast, depending on the hotel's location.
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is the best way to earn Hilton Diamond status since you receive the status automatically just for being a cardmember. You'll keep the status for as long as you continue to hold the card. This is a great savings on time and effort. Normally, you'll need to have 30 stays or 60 nights at a Hilton property to earn Diamond each year.
Two of Hilton's co-branded credit cards offer a fast-tracked method of attaining Diamond elite status. The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card both offer automatic Gold status, plus a path to Diamond status by spending $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year.
The Centurion® Card from American Express, aka the Black Card, also offers Hilton Diamond as a benefit.
You may be able to receive Diamond status through one of Hilton's status challenges as well.
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Related: Using Hilton Credit Card Spending for Elite Status
How to get IHG Diamond status through credit cards
A 2022 revamp of IHG One Rewards gave a new name to the top elite tier: Diamond. Diamond comes with a number of perks, including 100% earning on spend, a welcome amenity like breakfast, and dedicated Diamond support. Members earn Diamond by staying 70 elite nights per year or earning 120,000 elite qualifying points each year. No IHG co-branded cards come with Diamond automatically.
Both the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card and IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card come with lower-tier IHG Platinum Elite status among their many benefits. In addition, you can earn top-tier IHG Diamond Elite status by spending $40,000 on one of these cards in a calendar year.
Alternatively, you might be able to take advantage of a fast-track promotion to IHG Diamond Elite status, and you can earn Platinum Elite status is by purchasing InterContinental Ambassador status for $200 or 40,000 IHG points.
Related: How To Get Hotel Elite Status for Free (or Almost Free)
How to get Marriott Bonvoy® status through credit cards
Marriott Bonvoy has several “top tiers” of elite status. The highest tiers, Ambassador Elite and Titanium Elite, can't be obtained automatically with a credit card, but holding the right co-branded Marriott card (or cards) can help you satisfy the elite night requirements each year. Ambassador status also comes with a $23,000 eligible spend requirement in addition to 100 nights. Titanium “only” has a requirement of staying 75 nights each year. The benefits of the upper tiers of Marriott's program are debatable, but Platinum Elite status earns you standard suite upgrades at most Marriott brands, free breakfast at many brands, and 75% more Bonvoy points, among other perks.
The easiest way to achieve Marriott Platinum Elite status is by holding the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. It provides complimentary Marriott Platinum Elite status as one of its key benefits.
It's also possible to unlock Titanium Elite status via spending on Marriott hotel credit cards. However, it's not easy; spending $75,000 on your card in pursuit of this goal has obvious opportunity costs. You can start with up to 40 Marriott Elite Night Credits by holding the right cards, boosting you toward these elite status levels. But you need significant spending on your cards to climb beyond that.
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card provides one Elite Night Credit for each $5,000 spent, but earning 35 Elite Night Credits — the difference between the 40 nights you can start with and the 75 nights needed for Titanium Elite status — requires $175,000 of purchases.
It's also possible to attain Platinum Elite status through a challenge. Call Marriott at 800-627-7468 (see here for numbers outside the U.S.) to request the challenge. You'll need to stay eight paid nights for Gold Elite or 16 paid nights for Platinum Elite, and this must be done by the end of the third month after the month in which you start the challenge. Thus, if you register in June, you have until the end of September to complete the challenge.
Related: How To Earn Marriott Elite Night Credits
How to get World of Hyatt Globalist status through credit cards
Hyatt Globalist status is my personal favorite hotel status. Globalist is earned with 60 elite nights each year, and you'll earn many great benefits. Free full breakfast at most properties, space-available standard suite upgrades, no resort fees, and an annual Category 1–7 free night award are just some of the many benefits of Globalist.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card and World of Hyatt Business Credit Card only provide automatic Discoverist status — the lowest elite tier of Hyatt’s loyalty program. However, you can achieve Hyatt Globalist status solely through credit card spending or through a mix of stays, events, and credit card spending.
Hyatt qualifying nights are earned at the following rates:
- World of Hyatt Card: Two qualifying nights for each $5,000 of purchases
- Hyatt Business Card: Five qualifying nights for each $10,000 of purchases
Remember that the World of Hyatt Card also provides five qualifying nights annually as a built-in cardholder benefit.
Lastly, Hyatt's partnership with American Airlines has provided status matches and fast-track opportunities on multiple occasions, and Bilt Rewards offered a Globalist challenge in 2023. Watch for these to re-open if interested.
Related: Shortcuts to World of Hyatt Elite Status
How to get Wyndham Diamond status through credit cards
Wyndham Diamond status is earned with 40 nights stayed at Wyndham properties in a year, and it comes with nice perks like space-available suite upgrades, 20% more points on qualifying stays, and welcome amenities, among other benefits.
The Wyndham Rewards® Earner℠ Business Card grants cardholders automatic Wyndham Diamond status for holding the card and paying the $95 annual fee. The no-annual-fee Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card only grants you Gold status with Wyndham, and the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card grants you Platinum.
Once you earn Wyndham Diamond status, check out the Ceasars status match to get Diamond status there as well.
Final Thoughts
It's possible to use credit cards to earn top-tier hotel elite status. Some (like the Hilton Aspire) provide this benefit as a built-in cardholder perk. Others provide significant shortcuts by holding the right credit card(s).
Always keep in mind the value that a particular status gives you. Are you staying enough with the brand that chasing top-tier status makes sense?
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