Starwood Hotels has renewed its 2017 Status Challenge program for 2018, allowing some members to earn Gold or Platinum status with significantly fewer nights. Though not everyone is eligible for the program, it’s an excellent opportunity for those looking to jump on the elite bandwagon who qualify.

There are two rewards credit cards that stand out from the crowd when it comes to earning elite status. Do you know which ones they are?

The Marriott acquisition of Starwood is now a done deal, and that has a significant impact on attaining elite status for both programs. If you currently hold elite status with Marriott, now is the time to link your accounts and receive an automatic status match to an equivalent status in SPG. There are now multiple paths to earning elite status via credit cards, which we’ll detail below, and the merger has opened up some fantastic new avenues to get elite status across SPG, Marriott, and Ritz-Carlton Rewards.