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Having elite status with an airline can make your flying experience more enjoyable. With many airlines, you'll enjoy preferred seating, free checked bags, and even airport lounge access when flying eligible routes.
That said, earning frequent flyer elite status for the first time can be somewhat of a paradox. Elite status will improve your travel experience, but the airline only gives it to you after you've flown thousands of miles or spent even more. That's potentially dozens of flights without the perks you want.
Thankfully, many airlines provide fast tracks to elite status — and in some cases, you can earn elite status without stepping on a plane. Let's take a look at the best ways to earn elite status without flying.
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Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Alaska Mileage Plan is one of our favorite mileage programs, thanks to its mileage-based rewards-earning structure. Alaska Airlines is a Oneworld member with non-alliance partnerships with Aer Lingus, Icelandair, Singapore Airlines, and others. This gives you more ways to redeem miles and enjoy elite status benefits.
You earn Alaska elite status by earning Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) by flying (even on award travel), spending on a credit card, and leveraging the airline's partners. Further, you can earn milestone rewards when you hit specific EQM thresholds. These include (but are not limited to) lounge passes, upgrade coupons, and bonus miles.
Moreover, you'll unlock one of four tiers of elite status as you earn EQMs:
- MVP: 20,000 EQMs
- MVP Gold: 40,000 EQMs
- MVP Gold 75K: 75,000 EQMs
- MVP Gold 100K: 100,000 EQMs
Earning Alaska elite status without flying
Alaska Airlines recently revamped large parts of its loyalty program, adding new benefits and making it easier to earn elite status without flying.
Among the changes is how you earn EQMs with the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card and the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card. These cards earn 1 EQM per $3 spent on an eligible Alaska co-branded credit card — up to 30,000 EQM per year. You can earn up to entry-level MVP elite status by spending on a credit card, but you'd have to spend a lot.
- LIMITED TIME ONLINE OFFER-Buy One, Get One + 50,000 Bonus Miles!
- Buy one ticket, get one for just the taxes and fees ($0 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) and get 50,000 bonus miles with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
- Get Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Valid on all Alaska Airlines flights booked on alaskaair.com.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases. Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases. And earn unlimited 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. And, your miles don't expire on active accounts.
- Earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® account.
- Free checked bag and enjoy priority boarding for you and up to 6 guests on the same reservation, when you pay for your flight with your card - Also available for authorized users when they book a reservation too!
- With oneworld® Alliance member airlines and Alaska's Global Partners, Alaska has expanded their global reach to over 1,000 destinations worldwide bringing more airline partners and more ways to earn and redeem miles.
- Plus, no foreign transaction fees and a low $95 annual fee.
- This online only offer may not be available elsewhere if you leave this page. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
- Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases
- Earn unlimited 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
Further, you can earn 1,000 EQM per 3,000 miles earned with eligible non-airline partners. These include Lyft, the Alaska Airlines dining program, the airline's shopping portal, and more.
Other paths to Alaska elite status
- Receive gifted status: Existing Alaska elites have two opportunities to gift entry-level MVP elite status to others. The first is after earning the 85,000 EQM milestone reward, where one reward option is nominating another person for MVP status. Further, MVP Gold 100K elites can nominate one other person for MVP status as a benefit of their elite tier.
- Status match: Alaska has an elite status match program. Elite members from nine North American airlines can match their elite status up to MVP Gold 75K for 90 days with the option to extend by earning a posted amount of EQMs during the trial period.
American Airlines AAdvantage®
American Airlines completely overhauled how AAdvantage members earn status in 2022. Since then, the loyalty program awards elite status based on the number of Loyalty Points you earn every year, which is tied to how much you spend on American flights, with its credit cards, and with its airline and non-airline partners.
In short, you earn 1 Loyalty Point for every base mile you earn with American. Base miles are earned by flying, credit card spending, eShopping portal, dining rewards, SimplyMiles, and spending with other eligible partners.
And after earning lots of Loyalty Points, you can unlock AAdvantage elite status.
- Gold: 40,000 Loyalty Points
- Platinum: 75,000 Loyalty Points
- Platinum Pro: 125,000 Loyalty Points
- Executive Platinum: 200,000 Loyalty Points
Earning American Airlines AAdvantage status without flying
- Dining rewards, shopping portals, and SimplyMiles: Earning Loyalty Points towards elite status with SimplyMiles, AAdvantage eShopping, and AAdvantage Dining.
- Credit card spending: The miles earned from welcome offers do not count towards elite status. However, the miles you earn from regular spending count toward elite status but not those earned from bonus categories. As such, you'll earn one Loyalty Point per dollar spent. Thus, $40,000 of credit card spending would yield 40,000 Loyalty Points — enough for AAdvantage Gold.
- Loyalty Points boost: Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® members receive a 10,000 Loyalty Point bonus after earning 50,000 Loyalty Points in a status qualification year. Plus, cardmembers can earn an additional 10,000 Loyalty Point bonus after earning 90,000 Loyalty Points in the same status qualification year.
- Complimentary Admirals Club® membership for the primary cardholder
- Admirals Club® membership for authorized user accounts
- First checked bag free on domestic AA flights for you and up to 8 companions
- Priority check-in, TSA screening lines, and boarding
- 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points after you spend $40,000 in purchases within the year
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Earn 10X miles for every $1 spent on eligible hotels booked at aa.com/hotels and eligible rental cars booked through aa.com/cars
- Earn 4X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases (increased to 5X miles through the end of the calendar year after you pass $150,000 in purchases annually)
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
And while there are a lot of ways to earn AA miles, several methods do not earn Loyalty Points, including:
- Transferring points to AAdvantage from other programs like Marriott Bonvoy.
- Gifting, transferring, or buying AAdvantage miles.
- Miles earned with Bask Bank.
- Any miles considered “bonus” miles, including shopping portal bonuses, dining program new member bonuses, credit card spending bonuses, etc.
Other paths to American elite status
- Free elite status promotions: American Airlines is known for periodically gifting elite status to non-elite members. Keep an eye on your email for an invite.
- Hyatt partnership: In the past, Hyatt Globalist members have gotten free AAdvantage Executive Platinum elite status. More recently, Hyatt elite members have gotten an elite status fast-track option. Though it's worth noting that this partnership is changing in 2025.
- Status challenge: Non-elite members can use Instant Status Pass to challenge for AAdvantage elite status if they receive the targeted offer. While you start with some level of elite status, you'll need to meet certain Loyalty Point thresholds every four months to keep it.
Delta Air Lines SkyMiles
Like American, Delta SkyMiles also uses a single metric — Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) — to qualify for elite status. However, there aren't as many ways to earn MQDs as there are Loyalty Points.
But comparatively, the thresholds for earning Delta elite status look a lot more digestible than what the AAdvantage program imposes:
- Silver Medallion: 5,000 MQDs
- Gold Medallion: 10,000 MQDs
- Platinum Medallion: 15,000 MQDs
- Diamond Medallion: 28,000 MQDs
Earning Delta elite status without flying
The main way to earn MQDs without flying is by leveraging Delta's premium co-brand credit cards. These cards earn MQD on everyday spending and receive an annual headstart toward elite status. Specifically, Delta gives cardmembers an MQD headstart of 2,500 per card type if they hold one or more of the following cards:
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
- Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Receive a Companion Certificate on a Main Cabin round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of the government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $20 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Resy Credit: Get up to $10 in statement credits each month after you pay with your enrolled Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: earn up to $10 in statement credits each month after using your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card on U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- You can check your first bag free on Delta flights, saving up to $70 on a round-trip Delta flight per person. For a family of four that's a potential savings of up to $280 per round-trip flight.
- Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Members with an eligible ticket will be added to the Complimentary Upgrade list, after Delta SkyMiles Medallion Members and Reserve Card Members.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $350 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 3X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 3X miles per dollar at hotels
- 2X miles per dollar at U.S. supermarkets
- 2X Miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
This means you can earn up to $10,000 MQD if you have all four of these Delta credit cards in your wallet. Plus, you can earn MQDs from spending with these cards at the following rates:
- Platinum Delta Amex and Delta Business Platinum Amex: 1 MQD for every $20 spent on your card.
- Delta Reserve and Business Delta Reserve: 1 MQD for every $10 spent on your card.
Earning Delta Medallion Status without flying is possible, but you must be a big spender to earn higher tiers. These cards have relatively high annual fees, so it might not be worth earning Delta status from the annual MQD boost alone.
Other paths to Delta elite status
- Receive gifted status: Delta Diamond and Platinum Medallion elites earn Choice Benefits when qualifying for status. There are various perks to choose from, with one being the ability to gift status to two other travelers. Platinum Medallions can gift Silver Medallion status to two other members, while Diamond Medallion can gift Gold Medallion to two others.
- Match from another airline: You can match your status from competing airline loyalty programs to Delta. If you do this, you'll enjoy complimentary status for three months with the option to extend by earning a set number of MQD while you have complimentary status.
JetBlue TrueBlue
For years, JetBlue TrueBlue had one elite tier called Mosaic. However, in early 2023, JetBlue revamped its loyalty program to include four Mosaic elite status tiers. Now, all tiers of Mosaic get the following benefits:
- Two complimentary checked bags
- Free same-day flight changes
- Access to “Even More” seats at check-in (Mosaic 2 members can confirm at booking)
- Complimentary wine, beer, and liquor
- Priority boarding
- Expedited security (in select airports)
- Dedicated Mosaic customer service line
Elite status level requirements for JetBlue Mosaic status:
- Mosaic 1: 50 tiles
- Mosaic 2: 100 tiles
- Mosaic 3: 150 tiles
- Mosaic 4: 250 tiles
Mosaic 3 status includes four Move to Mint certificates that let elites confirm an upgrade to Mint business class before departure. And that's great news, as JetBlue Mint is perhaps the best domestic business-class product in the sky. You will receive two more Mint upgrade certificates when you reach Mosaic 4 status.
Earning JetBlue elite status without flying
There are two main ways to earn JetBlue Mosaic status, and both require a fair amount of spending. First, you can earn 1 tile for every $100 spent on JetBlue flights, JetBlue Vacations packages, and Paisly by JetBlue, which offers car rentals, stays, and activities.
And if you don't want to fly, you can earn 1 tile for every $1,000 spent on co-branded JetBlue credit cards. You'll earn Mosaic 1 elite status for one year by spending $50,000 in one calendar year on these cards:
- JetBlue Card
- JetBlue Plus Card
- JetBlue Business Card
There's no limit on how many tiles you can earn with a JetBlue credit card. However, earning Mosaic status through credit card spending alone would require considerable spending.
Other paths to JetBlue elite status
JetBlue will match the elite status of a handful of competing airlines. Depending on your elite tier, you can match to Mosaic 1 or 2. Status is valid for three months with the option to extend to the end of the following calendar year by earning a set number of tiles. Tiles earned by spending on a credit do count.
United Airlines MileagePlus
United MileagePlus has four status tiers, which can be earned in one of two ways. You can earn enough Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) to earn your desired status tier, or you can earn a combination of PQP and Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF) to earn status, with the PQP requirements being lower if you go this route.
PQP is earned based on the cost of your flights or through credit card spending. Meanwhile, PQFs are essentially flight segments. In most cases, every flight you take is one PQF that puts you closer to the next status tier.
These are United's elite status requirements for the 2026 status year. To earn status, you must also fly at least four United or United Express segments in 2025.
- Premier Silver: 5,000 PQP + 15 PQF or 6,000 PQP
- Premier Gold: 10,000 PQP + 30 PQF or 12,000 PQP
- Premier Platinum: 15,000 PQP + 45 PQF or 18,000 PQP
- Premier 1K: 22,000 PQP + 60 PQF or 28,000 PQP
Earning United elite status without flying
United made major changes to how elite status is earned with credit cards for this status year. In the past, it let you earn some PQP with credit cards but not enough to earn status outright. That's recently changed as PQP earning caps were increased for some of United's premium credit cards.
Here's how many you can earn PQP with United credit cards:
- The New United Club℠ Card: 1 PQP per $15 spent, up to 28,000 PQP per year.
- United Club℠ Business Card:1 PQP per $15 spent, up to 28,000 PQP per year.
- The New United Quest℠ Card: 1 PQP per $20 spent, up to 18,000 PQP per year.
- The New United℠ Business Card: 1 PQP per $20 spent, up to 4,000 PQP per year.
- The New United℠ Explorer Card: 1 PQP per $20 spent, up to 1,000 PQP per year.
- Limited-Time Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus miles
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
- 2x miles on United® purchases, dining, and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
- Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club℠ with 2 one-time passes each year for your anniversary
- Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
- Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
- Earn a $100 United travel credit after spending $10,000 on purchases with your United℠ Explorer Card within a calendar year
- Over $400 in partner credits each year
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 2X miles per $1 spent on purchases from United®
- 2X miles per $1 spent on dining and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
- 1X mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
These limits are per card, so you can open multiple types of United credit cards to bypass the single card's PQP limits. So, if you have a business with high spending, you can open a United Club℠ Business Card and a United Business Card to earn up to 30,000 PQP per year.
Other paths to United elite status
- Marriott status match: You can get United Silver Elite status by being a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite member.
- Receive gifted status: United Million Milers can gift their lifetime status to another member. Additionally, Premier Platinum and Premier 1K members will soon be able to redeem PlusPoints to gift elite status to another member.
- Match from another airline: If you have elite status with another airline, you can use United's status match challenge to shortcut your way to United elite status.
Related: Strategies for Earning United Premier Qualifying Points by Flying
Southwest Rapid Rewards
Southwest has two elite status tiers, A-List and A-List Preferred. You can earn Southwest status by collecting tier points or flying a set number of Southwest flight segments in a calendar year.
- A-List: 20 Southwest flights or 35,000 tier points.
- A-List Preferred: 40 Southwest flights or 70,000 tier points.
You can earn tier points when you fly Southwest and spend on its co-branded credit cards. When flying, you earn 1 tier point per Rapid Rewards point you earn on paid flights. Award tickets do not earn tier points.
Note that Southwest also has the Companion Pass that lets you take another person with you on all Southwest flights, including award flights. This perk is earned with Companion Pass qualifying points — which are earned differently from tier points. You must accumulate 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points in a calendar year to earn the Companion Pass.
Earning Southwest elite status without flying
There are currently four co-branded Southwest credit cards that allow cardholders to earn qualifying points:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card: Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card: Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 3X points per $1 spent on all Southwest® purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on all Rapid Rewards® Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
- 2X points per $1 spent on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Each card earns 1,500 tier-qualifying points for every $5,000 spent on the card, with no cap on the total number of tier-qualifying points you can earn.
Meanwhile, Companion Pass qualifying points are easier to earn. These are some of the easiest ways to earn them without flying:
- Southwest credit cards (including sign-up bonuses)
- Southwest hotels
- Car rental partners
- Rapid Rewards shopping portal
- Rapid Rewards Dining
Even better, having a Southwest credit card in your wallet gives you 10,000 bonus Companion Pass qualifying points per year. However, you can only earn this bonus from one Southwest card, as the benefit does not stack across multiple credit cards.
Other paths to Southwest elite status
If you're starting from scratch, you can utilize Southwest's status match to earn status quickly. You can match most other U.S.-based carriers' status for 90 days. You can extend your status for another 12 months by flying three round-trip or six one-way Southwest flights during the promotional period.
Related: Why Southwest Rapid Rewards is the Easiest Airline Loyalty Program
Final Thoughts
Delta Air Lines is the easiest airline to earn status with if you don't fly a ton. In theory, you can sign up for four credit cards — the Platinum Delta Amex, Delta Business Platinum Amex, Delta Reserve and Business Delta Reserve. That would get you a total of 10,000 MQD headstart — which is enough for Gold Medallion. However, you'd pay over $1,500 in credit card annual fees to do this.
If you can spend a lot on your credit cards, American Airlines is a good option. Just spend $40,000 on an American Airlines card and get AAdvantage Gold elite status without stepping on a plane. Of course, you can combine credit card spending with other Loyalty Point-earning methods, too.
Related: Chasing AAdvantage Elite Status? Here’s How to Earn 25K Miles and Loyalty Points From Home
That said, you don't necessarily need airline elite status to improve your travel experience. In many cases, airline credit card benefits mirror some benefits offered to elite members. Plus, it's easier to justify paying an annual fee than to dedicate tens of thousands of dollars of spending (or more) to one airline's cards. An annual fee of less than $100 might offer the perks you want, like free checked bags and priority boarding.
Lastly, anyone interested in earning elite status the “easy way” should stay informed on current status match opportunities. These can transform one elite status into many, delivering a far better return for obtaining the first.
Do you have tips on earning elite status without much flying? Let us know in the comments.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (Rates & Fees), and The New United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Welll if you don’t fly. What’s the point of earning status? Just pay for the seat selection and bag fee that one time you do fly.
SQ status via points transfers right now too (1 elite mile per 5 points earned), so transferring in 250k KrisFlyer miles = SQ Gold.
Details: https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/plan-travel/promotions/global/kf/kf-promo/unlock-status-credits/
Excellent way is to sign up for bonuses cancel them right after they issue them… This is a big response. I love elite status on Jet Blue
Seems to me like Delta’s program is the best choice.
Never thought I’d see the day where you could spend your way to Executive Platinum status on AA, though 200K is a pretty steep requirement – but it’s not quite as absurd as Delta’s 250k requirement to get a waiver for Diamond Medallion status – I mean 250K plus you still have to qualify in another category – why even bother Delta?
It depends what you mean by “any good”. In my experience points earning on partner airlines is poor and taxes and charges on redemptions high. From a status point of view if you can get the four required QF or JQ segments each year and achieve Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald then it can be worthwhile having because outside of the Oneworld alliance Qantas status is also recognized by Emirates (and I think perhaps Air France/KLM).
These are good news in COVID times
Interesting. I’ve read elsewhere that some airlines’ status match programs are once-in-a-lifetime only.
This helps me a lot, thanks!
Wow can’t believe you can get American status with credit card spending only even for Executive Platinum. I feel there will be backlash from real “flyers” on that when it’s implemented.
Aeroplan allows you to earn status through nonflying activities.
Another question?
Can I use my Brazilian Airlines Status (TudoAzul, Smiles or LATAM Pass) to match any american airline?
Thx!
Alice – I just checked AA, Delta, Alaska, United & Air Canada. None of them accept status match from these airlines, unfortunately. Infelizmente, os “3 grandes” dos EUA (AA, Delta, United) não consideram essas programas, normalmente, por 2 razões. 1-não quer roubar de parceiro. Azul é parceiro com United & Air Canada. Delta & Alaska com LATAM. AA com GOL. Isso atrapalha. 2-programas da América Latina normalmente são considerados “inferiores” pelas essas cias, e “status match” tem que começar como “troca de igual por igual”. Se essa muda ou oportunidade aparece no futuro, vou vir aqui para responder de novo. Abraço!
If you have that kind of credit card spend, you can probably afford $50 to check a bag and pick a decent seat especially if you don’t fly a lot to earn status.
Most people still think airlines are charging too much anyway.
Is the Qantas program any good besides the distance-based award sweet spots?
It is if you’re in Australia, we can earn hundreds of thousands of points with very little effort.
Good information!
Very good information for AAdvantage users!…I’m planning to visit USA this next year and I’m looking forward to receive those status upgrade!…and even without flying!..thank you very much for those tips!
I wish there were more ways to earn status without flying, particularly in these times when flying is reduced. Qantas (OneWorld) recently had some offers that allowed you to earn Status Credits from booking hotels, shopping in supermarkets etc, but unfortunately these offers seem to have dried up.
Very interesting article and the comparison between the different airlines programs.
Thank you for this blog, I can share this with friends now so they can be aware of this and reap the benefits of this information.
Thanks for this. I wasn’t familiar with Alaska’s MVP Gold 75K status gifting. I just status matched from United 1K so I’ll be taking advantage of this.
Looking forward to Alaska joining Oneworld (tomorrow?).
Anytime you can get a freebie (IE:elite status) it’s worth looking into
The United Silver Marriott Platinum status info is outdated. For the last 2-3 years (since the spg/Marriott merger resulted in the Bonvoyed abomination) you need Marriott Titanium to get united Silver. You can not spend to that with the Ritz or the Amex brilliant bonvoy card, as $75,000 only gets you Platinum not the Titanium status required for United Silver.
Shooot. You’re exactly right! Thanks for catching that. We’ve fixed it now.
also worth noting, the shortcut to titanium if you were a previous titanium elite from 2019…
Last year Marriott awarded 2019 titanium’s with 38 nights toward 2020 status, which is a little more than half of the 75 needed to renew as titanium again. My travel days ended in march of last year, but I still managed 68 nights getting the 38 from Marriott, and 30 from amex cards (Marriott bonvoy and business cards give 15 each). I did manage 7 nights myself, so that got me titanium for 2021. Same thing has already happened for me in 2021, I have 68 nights between the 38 Marriott gave me for being titanium in 2020, and 30 for having both credit cards. 7 nights on my own in 2021 gets titanium status again for next year. I am going to start flying again in the next few months on United, and even with Silver I have gotten bumped to business on several routes, so definitely worth having.
I’m in the exact same situation! The 30 credit card nights + the 38 nights from the elite status boost + early 2020 travels = easy Titanium elite status. Now I just need 7 nights this year to requalify.
While this is indeed a great shortcut, it really only works for those of us with prior elite status and the ability to get a small business card. So, we left it out of this post. But, we definitely told about the credit card shortcut here: https://awardwallet.com/blog/marriott-bonvoy-earn-40-elite-nights-credit-cards/
Ha this article is definitely so interesting! Wondering if there is a summary on how to get elite hotel status without staying? 🙂
We sure do! https://awardwallet.com/blog/how-to-get-hotel-elite-status-for-free/
This information is very useful nowadays. Some loyalty programs have not extended the validity of their members’ status. With the reduction in travel due to Covid-19, it is essential to have other ways to preserve the status. Thanks for the information.
Very intriguing but I don’t think I will try to get any elite status with an airline. I might be able to reach it once my kids are older or just try to fly first and then I don’t have to worry. That’s why we are trying to earn points and miles to enjoy these more comfortable seats.
I dont seem to comprehend the elite status of airlines. I got status one year for flying business class transpacific. However I was never able to use it as I did not fly again the following year.
The UA and Marriott partnership is truly one of a kind.
Of all the “Elite” perks/programs mentioned in this article, the Companion pass has by far the potential to deliver the most value. I wish other airlines had something similar besides their one-off companion pass offers (if they have anything at all) that are not always a great value.
I have benefitted from the reduced requirements this year to do two status matches from my AA Executive Platinum Status. First to Delta Platinum and now to United 1K. It is interesting comparing how the three major airlines work with their higher status passengers.
I know that Delta does not have MQD requirement spend for those who don’t live in the US, is this the case with the other airlines? This tip might be helpful for those readers who live outside the US or might have a home in another country as well as the USA.
Unfortunately as a Hyatt Globalist the fast track to AA Executive Platinum is no longer available. Hopefully this offer will get reinstated soon.
The last year in particular has been pretty confusing and we’ve basically been grounded. I appreciate the clear spelling out of the alternatives here.
Nice initiative, in this pandemic period! Thanks for the information.
It seems like business owners get the most benefits based on spend. Are the benefits of being elite status truly worth it? What does elite status offer for each carrier?
While I can’t get rich (or point full) using it, I do use the Dining Rewards program from various airlines and hotels to keep my accounts active. Their sign up bonuses are indeed initially worthwhile, but the incremental value from subsequent dining in general is not so high as to make me go out of my way to dine at a listed restaurant (unless I have a large party or am on business and go somewhere expensive). I do go out of my way, however, when I need to keep miles or points active.
Got any tips for your European readers?
Your best bet for now is likely status matches or perhaps a program like FoundersCard?
Thanks for the info. Now that the programs of all major US airlines were devaluated, it’s good to know about other options.
You can also use a cash back site along with the credit card promos in order to get lower price when you do online shopping.
Something I never quite understood, is there a way to transfer normal miles into status qualifying miles? For any airline really since I know theres two different kinds but were never really explained to me. Maybe make a post in the future about this?
Not possible. They are two different types of points. It would be like trying to convert apples into paperclips. While you earn both while flying on a paid fare, think of them as two completely separate and unrelated entities.
The amount of spend is daunting…and I have a small business! But I don’t spend anywhere near what I would need to for getting elite status. However, the info is still worthwhile and in the meantime I will continue to get new credit cards and use those offered miles to fly business class! Thanks for all your research!
I always check to see the latest credit card affinity offers then apply and use that card exclusively till I earn all the bonus miles.
This info was not helpful to me. I used to have a US Airways card and was able to travel preferred. Now that they switched I am eligible for zone 1 and have to pay extra for seats up front. Not worth having the card if you ask me.
I’m sorry! I wish AA made things easier.
Valuable information:) Although I’m more apt to use my chase card to accrue reward points, I will look into the airline card benefits in detail. Thanks!
Even if I was going to come close on the spend, I think there are so many other attractive options in terms of miles/points than an airline card with limited bonus categories.
Great summary – thank you
fwiw, I am Plat at Marriott; they gave me gold status (not silver) on United (which I had never flown). Recently flew to HNL and United upgraded family to first class on outbound and return…
Same thing happened to my mother — she’s a Platinum Premier (undocumented Marriott level?) 100+ nights and a lot of meeting room reservations.
That’s awesome! I wish I had a small business so I could spend some of the money and get this travel cards.
So, now I plan to review my “point spread” and see where I can add to take advantage of some of these!
I have 116,531 from chase reserve credit card, should I transfer the points to AA to get elite status?
You cannot transfer points earned on the Sapphire Reserve (Ultimate Rewards) to American Airlines. Additionally, the only way to earn elite status, other than flying, is using the techniques listed above. The rewards you earn through credit card spend typically don’t earn you elite status — with these exceptions.
I’ve just received Silver status with Singapore airlines via my Australian Amex card, higher airline statuses just seem very hard to get without substential spend. Any tips for Australians?
We could probably learn a few tips from you on status in Australia. Sorry, speciality here is U.S.
“they will typically offer a status challenge if you ask nicely.” This is probably a newbie question but what is a status challenge?
A status challenge is where an airline “challenges” you to fly X amount in Y amount of time. For doing that you receive Z elite status.
Good to know in case i need to consider switching to any of these airlines.
Definitey beneficial for small business owners. I have charged 90k in a month on my business amex plat buying inventory.
Might be a good idea to get a delta business amex plat just for status.
awesome deal
For AA you can also do a status challenge if you have the Founders Card. The annual fee is 395 or 295 with a two-year subscription, but the AA status challenge was raised to $240 this year and is complementary with FC.
I more than made up the remainder of the FC price by staying at a couple hotels, and got AA Platinum through the standard 12,500 miles flown over 3 months.
Excellent suggestion! Glad it worked out for you.
Founders card also I think gives oneworld ruby status through Cathay Pacific.
I guess American needs to step up their game. I used to fly them often but do to job change and relocation it seems like Jet blue might be the way to go.
As a frequent flier that doesn’t have the luxury of spending big bucks on flights or credit cards, I’m glad that Alaskan Air still offers the miles in the seats option to earn status. However, I currently have status with American and have been very pleased with their service (albeit not the recent changes regarding mile devaluation). American and One World provide the best service out of my hub airport, where Alaskan does not.
Valuable insight. Thanks for the information.
What options exist for trying to open a credit card of a non-US airline and then getting status through say Stat Alliance and then back to United??
Sagar, I we’ve never looked at doing that. I don’t know of any international airline / US credit cards that help you get status.
Its really difficult to decide if we shall go with single rewards program to keep building the miles balance to save money later or should we just go with the cheapest fare and put the money back in pocket right then and there. I feel 1 bird in hand is better than 2 in bushes.
With so many rewards program we sign up its hard to keep track of those and mostly these miles expire without utilizing. Thanks to AwardWallet – we can keep track of all the programs in one location plus get notifications as well.
Something always to keep in mind — when collecting rewards, look at how you redeem them. In some cases cash back may make more sense and in others points/miles are the way to go. There is no one answer for everyone but we’re glad we can help to keep things organize.
“Perhaps the most interesting route is once again the Ritz-Carlton Card, which gifts Platinum across Marriott Rewards and SPG after $75K of spend, thereby earning elite status benefits on four separate airlines due to partnerships and reciprocal earning agreements between airlines and hotels.”
Which Airlines do you get elite status on? I see that Marriott gives you United Silver Status but what other airlines do you get?
Shawn, you get United Silver, and then benefits through the partnerships SPG has with Delta, Emirates and China Eastern — details on the final three: https://awardwallet.com/blog/double-dip-on-points-with-marriott-rewards-airline-partners/
This is great info, especially when combined with the miles for comments program.
This is all great in concept, but I have trouble getting enough spend to actually earn status that way. The past couple years I’ve been able to get part of the way to Delta status with card spend and the rest with actual flying. Layovers and their extra qualification miles are your friend.
I retired from a job that took me all over the world and I had status on several airlines. Other than the bonus miles and occasional free upgrades (usually with United) I found the application of elite benefits pretty inconsistent and of minor value in the long run. Priority boarding is one benefit that is a joke as they have so many categories and so little time during boarding to honor them that one seldom got on the plane more than 30 seconds before the next category was called. I earned a bunch of segment upgrades which I can’t now use as I am no longer elite on any airline!
You can get lower level elite status with some credit cards but they come with high spend for the bonuses. What is a good way to do manufactured spend to meet the spending requirement?
AwardWallet has been a great discovery.I have so many airline miles stashed all over the place, I’m happy to have found this tool to organize and leverage them.
Thanks! 🙂
United might not have the crossover agreements, but you can earn extra miles in other ways such as surveys. Would love to see other options for those of us that are brand loyal to American but don’t fly as often.
The fastest way to earn status is to do a status challenge. I received platinum with aa for flying 12500 miles instead of the usual 50000. It has been a huge benefit for my wife and I. We have been upgraded on the vast majority of our flights and the baggage benefits and priority seating and international admiral club access are a no brainer. I don’t know why anyone would fly 50000 when you can do it for a quarter of the miles.
Can you explain how that deal works with getting status at 4 airlines after charging 75,000 on the Ritz Card?
Stephen, you get United Silver, and then benefits through the partnerships SPG has with Delta, Emirates and China Eastern — details on the final three: https://awardwallet.com/blog/double-dip-on-points-with-marriott-rewards-airline-partners/
I have a lot of American miles, and I’m practically close to elite status.
I like to apply for the status but only when I’m going to fly, otherwise in my opinion is quite useless especially when you can ask the status match only one time.
yeah you really need to have REALLY high spend these days… and MS is getting more difficult to do.
Thank you for all the great information.
Wow! Great info. I did not know that you could nominate someone for status with Alaska Airlines. Good to know!
Another fantastic, informative post. Thank you and keep up the good work!
You used to be able to get status with American just via expenditure as all miles no matter how earned counted towards Million Miler Status. Unfortunately they stopped this a few years ago.
Yes, there was even a time years ago when people were opening large-denomination CDs at a particular bank to get AA miles as a CD opening bonus.
Even better was when one could order $1 gold coins directly from the government, using a card for the miles/points, obviously. Then, as soon as the coins arrived, taking them to the bank and exchanging for standard money. According to a reliable source, he used this strategy to amass over 100k miles. But once the rest of us caught on, the well ran dry.
The other way to get status on United Airlines MileagePlus is to get a status on delta or american and ask united to do a status match.
see this for united status match https://www.united.com/web/en-US/apps/mileageplus/promotions/registrationDetails.aspx?promoCode=TB8230
wow, I think American Airlines is great. Have traveled with them for many years. I also like that they are affliated with some of our local airlines. Keep up the good work American!
While I have a considerable amount of American miles, it’s hard to pass up great airfare deals offered by Virgin America and Southwest Airlines, so I don’t seem to continue racking American mileage very quickly…I guess that only leaves their credit card to keep those miles adding up.
Award wallet provides the best online credit card info out there, letting you chose miles, cash back, low interest rate, transferable balance, etc.
I have purchased wonderful cards at their suggestion and trust the.
But don’t apply for too many Chase cards or they will turn you down.
Ron
whoa thanks 🙂
I have the JetBlue cards but not for the potential to get status, but because I want to fly in JetBlue Mint from now on when I fly back east to visit my friends and family. Although status is great with the other airlines, Mint is so affordable that I don’t have to worry about the cost and can just be treated like an elite simply by picking a business class fare.
I am with Jason and Rob, If only I had money, or if there was a a way with a credit card. But this is a great article and will definitely save it for the future.
I wish there was a way with credit card spend for American. Also that I had that much money… Sadly I only really ever fly American (and occasionally their partners when American isn’t available) so it seems like I’ll need to fly a ton to get any sort of rewards.
I finally registered for American’s Advantage Dining program and Rocketmiles and have been able to rack up a few thousand miles very quickly. I highly recommend these options.
Great tips — easy ways to rack up more miles. The dining programs do their magic in the background (just sign up, link a credit card and dine) and RocketMiles is a great alternative to accumulating hotel points if airline miles are you want.
Do they work for any restaurant? I thought it was only for a few higher end ones and that was it?
Only select restaurants — all the ones near me are inexpensive however. Check the specific dining program for your preferred airline/hotel.
You also should try shopping through their shopping portals. If you browse through them, you will find many if not all the stores you shop at anyway. You just have to shop online instead and click through the shopping portal. This has become our new favorite tool.
wow- if i only had that much money to spend
That is the truth. Small business owners win big with these kind of bonuses.