Club des Actionnaires Master Thread
 

you can get immediate platinum status when buying (50 Accor shares (traded On Paris Euronext stock exchange).
Then fax the receipe your bank will give you to A-club.
You will get teh statut "club des actionnaires" corresponding to the platinum status.

From day one you will get double points.

Club des Actionnaires Master Thread
 

Hi,

Just a small correction. You mention that one needs 50 Accor shares to become a member of the shareholder's club and thus be entitled to Platinum status.

According to the membership terms of the "Club des actionnaires" (sorry I only have it in French):

http://www.accor.com/fr/finance/espa...num.html#c1862

the exact wording is:

"Tout actionnaire détenant au moins 50 actions au porteur ou une action au nominatif peut devenir membre du Club"

which translates to:

"any shareholder with 50 bearer shares or one registered share can become a member"

So in my understanding, one just needs to register a single share to be entitled to Platinum status in their program. If that's true, it could be the cheapest top-tier status from any hotel program.

I plan to try it and see if it works but I need to open a trading account somewhere first :D

I want to try this too! haha... Did you find out it this worked out for you?

Club des Actionnaires Master Thread
 

A year and a half later, 50 Accor shares can be had for not much more than 1,000 EUR.

We hold some and -- with two Sofitel, a Novotel and a few Mercure bookings coming up -- I've applied to register as a shareholder and get my A|Club membership bumped up to Platinum.

Has anyone done this recently?

Can anyone supply details for purchaseing these shares - have looked on web but getting nothing

Was going to ask the same. Accor looks in reasonable enough financial health and a €950 investment for platinum status seems like a good deal.

In French only: http://www.accor.com/fr/finance/espa...ionnaires.html

Well, that was a painless process. Completed the online Club des Actionnaires registration form, then before I had time to send proof of share ownership I received an email (in English, presumably based on my address) asking for it. I sent a PDF and a note of my existing A|Club number, then went to bed.

Today I have an altered membership number (this time the sixth digit is a 6) and my status shows as Club des Actionnaires.

Now let's hope that (i) this percolates through to my existing bookings and (ii) the actual card is obviously Platinum -- I imagine that some of the places we'll be staying don't see actionnaires cards very often.

Since I've never made a direct share purchase before I need some advice. Can anyone suggest a broker with whom I can buy Accor shares relatively cheaply and painlessly? I'm struggling to find one which allows me to buy shares listed in France.

Where are you based and which language(s) are you comfortable doing business in?

I've got an online brokerage account with DKB in Germany and can buy/sell Accor shares on seven or eight different exchanges.

In the UK I used to have a Halifax Share Dealing account and could access stock exchanges in New York and Europe (Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Milan, Brussels).

I'm sure there are many other options.

Prices can vary by 5% or more between exchanges and it's worth doing comparisons. Limit orders are essential protection against unfavourable prices in thin markets. Trading fees also vary widely: the last time we bought French shares it made sense to pay 50 EUR higher commission in order to buy in Paris and save 500 EUR on the share price.

You should also research and consider tax implications and requirements to report dividend income and/or brokerage accounts. I'm taxed in the US and the paperwork involved in owning "foreign" shares would not IMO be justified purely in order to own 50 Accor shares.

Mods: maybe this topic is worth splitting off into a separate thread in order to keep the FAQs concise?

Club des Actionnaires Master Thread
 

Please use this new thread for any Club des Actionnaires questions

If I buy enough shares, will I get a Platinum status for as long as I hold those shares?

That's the deal, yes.

You will have Platinum status for as long as you continue to hold the shares and are registered with Club des Actionnaires and the rules remain unchanged.

According to Accor's company report, as of 2010 there were some 8,000 members. If they experience a sudden influx of members owning just a handful of shares, no one should be surprised if they raise the threshold.

Thanks for the information, everyone. :)
Appreciated.