Hilton HHonors - Q: Maintain Status

Hi,

my Gold VIP is vaild thru 04/2006. The account statement says

Maintain Gold VIP status by completing...
2 more qualifying stays before the end of September 2005

Not very hard for me to make the two stays, but the question is how long is my status vaild after that?

Thanks

Great question. Unfortunately, no one (including the geniuses at HH) seems to know the answer. Do a search on rolling tier and you should be able to find discussion around this topic.

Cheers,
LBBZman

Your status should be extended to the end of 2006 then, but your membership card will probably say 4/07. At least, that's how I've always read the rolling tier status.

I had the same question when earlier this year, my # of stays exceeded 28 and # of nights exceeded 60. I did not get a new card for 07. Yesterday I called and after a long drawn out discussion on what this meant, the agent agreed to send me out a card good until 07. I realize that I will have to earn my Diamond again next year, but I was planning on that anyway.

Hi,

my Gold VIP is vaild thru 04/2006. The account statement says

Maintain Gold VIP status by completing...
2 more qualifying stays before the end of September 2005

Not very hard for me to make the two stays, but the question is how long is my status vaild after that?

ThanksYou will be Gold until April 2007.

Sounds good :)

One more question, will a stay from Sept, 30th to October, 1st count for September or October?

Sounds good :)

One more question, will a stay from Sept, 30th to October, 1st count for September or October?

If you check out in October, I believe it will count for October. The best thing to do, if you want to keep status, is to try to find two cheap one night stays prior to the end of September.

Status is good from the time you obtain it to the second December 31 after that date, and Hilton extends that to April of the following year. Your card will usually show expiration after one year, Hilton has never gotten the cards right, there are many threads on people getting multiple cards with different dates on them.


so if you qualify today, you will be good until April of 07

If you check out in October, I believe it will count for October. The best thing to do, if you want to keep status, is to try to find two cheap one night stays prior to the end of September.Experience has shown that it is the month in which the stay posts as opposed to the month in which the stay occurs.

In my case I stayed at a Hampton in late June (checking out in the 29th); the stay posted on or about July 5th and showed up in the rolling wave table as a July stay.

Others have had success in calling the service center to have a late-month stay manually posted to the account before the end of the month.

Status is good from the time you obtain it to the second December 31 after that date, and Hilton extends that to April of the following year. Your card will usually show expiration after one year, Hilton has never gotten the cards right, there are many threads on people getting multiple cards with different dates on them.


so if you qualify today, you will be good until April of 07

although we havent passed 31 December since this new rolling tier thing was introduced so its possible the extend to April thing is gone now - for all (re)qualifications since rolling tier brought in

my point is no-one actually knows although there are some theories which sound very plausible

although we havent passed 31 December since this new rolling tier thing was introduced so its possible the extend to April thing is gone now - for all (re)qualifications since rolling tier brought in
FWIW, the Gold card I received in July (status earned via rolling tier) has an expiration date of April, 2007.

Not that the dates on the cards can necessarily be trusted...

so does my card - which was sent out before rolling tier status was announced

great if its true but I'm not counting on it

Well, I just re-qualified for Gold VIP on a fast track in July 2005 (after being lowered to Silver in May 2005). I received my new Gold VIP card this week and it had a 04/2006 expiration date on it. What gives?

My translation of the fast track type promos are that they get you gold/diamond or whatever in short number of stays so that you can have that status while you re-qualify the real way (i.e. under std terms) so that the fast track status would be thru April of the next CY.

Well, I just re-qualified for Gold VIP on a fast track in July 2005 (after being lowered to Silver in May 2005). I received my new Gold VIP card this week and it had a 04/2006 expiration date on it. What gives?


Regarding the rolling VIP question, I have been writing to Hilton Honors for some time now, filed a formal case (another word for complaint) and I've called them three times and never rec'd a response to my answer to my question which in short was "Is my Diamond status good thru 4/06 or 4/07?" based on my July 2005 rolling tier requalification of 28 stays in the preceding 12 month period.

Finally I got PO'd and called again (last week) and wouldn't take the standard "we will get back to you on your question" for an answer.. I spoke with a supervisor who goes by her stage name "JEY" and she said I'm good thru 4/07. When I asked for it in Writing or at least an email... she would not do this..

So I'm still a bit skeptical as to how long my diamond status is really good through.

Well, I just re-qualified for Gold VIP on a fast track in July 2005 (after being lowered to Silver in May 2005). I received my new Gold VIP card this week and it had a 04/2006 expiration date on it. What gives?

Same for me. I just requalified for gold after getting downgraded to silver last April. My new card says 4/2006.

I believe the fast track offered mentioned that status would only be good until 4/2006 with four stays (see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=417340 ). I think the original poster's status will be valid until 4/2007. Of course it all depends on how things are keyed into the system and who you are talking to.

Same for me. I just requalified for gold after getting downgraded to silver last April. My new card says 4/2006.

Well, I just re-qualified for Gold VIP on a fast track in July 2005 (after being lowered to Silver in May 2005). I received my new Gold VIP card this week and it had a 04/2006 expiration date on it. What gives?IIRC, the fast-track offer gave status only until April 2006. You should still be able to qualify the "normal" way on 2005 and earn status that is valid until april 2007.

If you think about it that makes sense for fast track. It isnt a full comp but rather giving you status early to encourage you to requalify. If the fast track gave status until April 2007 then you'd have no incentive to stay at Hiltons in 2005 once meet the fast track criteria.

This whole deal that Hilton is trying to do has to be the most counter productive and confusing thing they have ever done...I'm completly lost.....!!

There's never a straight answer. I have no idea what the rolling-tier bar chart on my account page means. Sadly, because I can't tell what I'm supposed to do to requalify and nobody else at Hilton can either, I'm paying a lot less attention to HHonors overall, which was surely not their intent.

My Hilton stays this year are practically nill since the rolling tier came out. [Exactly how many stays I've had this year I don't know because the website no longer displays that, but it ain't very many!] I truly just can't figure it out, and for whatever reason I find myself just working off Marriott & SPG this year as I can check and see where I'm at for the year and keep track. I had a pretty good feeling I couldn't maintain top tier on all three programs, so the rolling tier mess made it easy for me to decide which program should go by the wayside.

Between the rolling tiers, the myriad of point/miles earning options, the myriad of diamond welcome gift and benefit tradeoff options and my general absolute confusion, HH has just become too complicated for my little mind to comprehend. Each new email I get with a new benefit "choice" just causes me to shrug my shoulders.

although i hate the rolling vip, you can rather easily figure out your stays/nights this year by looking at hotel activity, setting your months to say as far back as you wish to view and just count the stays/nights.. thats how I do it since they don't summarize it anymore.. but I do agree with your point of view on the rolling vip

[Exactly how many stays I've had this year I don't know because the website no longer displays that, but it ain't very many!] I truly just can't figure it out, .

I'm w/ bearx220 & HeadintheClouds on this one. Marriott's getting more of my bizness this year cuz of the confusion on Hilton program.

I legit qualified in 2004 for Gold in 2005 (which I believe takes me through April 2006). I know how many actual nights/stays I've got w/ Hilton this year. When I check the rolling it says differently & I've about given up on it.

It's the rolling thing I truly don't get - was my doing the 19/36 last year for Gold for naught? Am I actually losing status before I think I am, in which case Hilton will get even less of my bizness (and I'll be pissed I tossed the extra bizness their way last year)? If I do 19/36 again this year by end of calendar year, will I still be Gold or was that blown apart by the rolling tier thing? I'm not trying for Diamond; I just want to keep Gold.

And given you all are much smarter than me when it comes to this thing and there still seems to be confusion & different (or no) answers given, I think the Freddie should go to Hilton for Worst-Designed Something or 'Nother!!! Grrrr.

Anyone interested in getting an FT petition going to be sent to the President of Hilton complaining about the program & the ill-will it's caused? Or should we just keep it to ourselves? :D

I think the rolling-wave is a good idea, but there are problems with the execution and/or communication of the program.

Communication: Why can't a member go online and see the current expiration date of his/her status?

Communication: Once I've gained (e.g.) Gold in 2005, why does the rolling-wave calendar entice me to meet additional 12-month counts for the remainder of 2005? These won't extend my status beyond it's current 4/30/07 date (at least I think that's the date).

Communication/Execution: No one has thought to ask whether this new process has a built-in soft landing provision. Example: if I have 2 stays per month in all of 2005 I requalify Silver with only two stays in all of 2006, since I would have four stays in the period Dec 05-Dec 06. Example: If I have 3 stays per month in 2005 I do requalify Gold as soon as I have one stay earlier than the end of April? 24 stays in May-Dec '05 plus one in Jan-Apr '06 is more than the 12-month threshold for Gold.

Communication/Execution: In the above scenario do I even need to make any stays in 2006 to achieve Gold status? With no stays in January or February I'd still have 33 stays in the period Feb'05-Feb'06 (or 30 stays Mar'05-Feb'06 if you read the criteria literally) which meets the rolling-wave requirement for that 12-month period.

Execution: Since earning status is no longer based on a calendar year, why is the exiration of status still based on the calendar year. Why not make status last 12 or 18 months after the last month in which the rolling 12-month count can be shown to have been met? (I know that this last sentence makes grammatical sense. Think about it). If this rule were implemented and properly communicated it would make the "requal next month! and the next! and the next!" spiel more believable.

Execution: Why can't the rolling wave mind in the sky figure out the date of the stay as opposed to the date in which it posts? If I check out on June 29th and the stay posts on July 5th it should show up as a June stay, not a July one.

Execution: Why is the 12-month period used by the online rolling wave calendar 13 months long? (probably because of the glitch immediately above this one. But it works in our favor overall, so I'll just keep quiet... :) )

But it's a good idea overall if the execution and communication can rise to the challenge...

I think the rolling-wave is a good idea, but there are problems with the execution and/or communication of the program.

Communication: Why can't a member go online and see the current expiration date of his/her status?

Communication: Once I've gained (e.g.) Gold in 2005, why does the rolling-wave calendar entice me to meet additional 12-month counts for the remainder of 2005? These won't extend my status beyond it's current 4/30/07 date (at least I think that's the date).

Communication/Execution: No one has thought to ask whether this new process has a built-in soft landing provision. Example: if I have 2 stays per month in all of 2005 I requalify Silver with only two stays in all of 2006, since I would have four stays in the period Dec 05-Dec 06. Example: If I have 3 stays per month in 2005 I do requalify Gold as soon as I have one stay earlier than the end of April? 24 stays in May-Dec '05 plus one in Jan-Apr '06 is more than the 12-month threshold for Gold.

Communication/Execution: In the above scenario do I even need to make any stays in 2006 to achieve Gold status? With no stays in January or February I'd still have 33 stays in the period Feb'05-Feb'06 (or 30 stays Mar'05-Feb'06 if you read the criteria literally) which meets the rolling-wave requirement for that 12-month period.

Execution: Since earning status is no longer based on a calendar year, why is the exiration of status still based on the calendar year. Why not make status last 12 or 18 months after the last month in which the rolling 12-month count can be shown to have been met? (I know that this last sentence makes grammatical sense. Think about it). If this rule were implemented and properly communicated it would make the "requal next month! and the next! and the next!" spiel more believable.

Execution: Why can't the rolling wave mind in the sky figure out the date of the stay as opposed to the date in which it posts? If I check out on June 29th and the stay posts on July 5th it should show up as a June stay, not a July one.

Execution: Why is the 12-month period used by the online rolling wave calendar 13 months long? (probably because of the glitch immediately above this one. But it works in our favor overall, so I'll just keep quiet... :) )

But it's a good idea overall if the execution and communication can rise to the challenge...
This is precisely why the execution and communication cannot rise to the challenge. Even if you had the answers to all these questions, no average person would be able to comprehend it. If they want to recognize people who rise to a higher level on a rolling year vs. a calendar year, just have some transparent function in the programming that recognizes this and promotes the person without creating a system more complicated than the US tax code.

OOPS! I spoke too soon! New HH Diamond offer just arrived in my email box!
"Now it's your choice! You can choose to earn 72.5% qualifying base points plus 1.17 rolling year qualifying stay credits plus 22.4% bonus airline miles plus 1 a cookie in your room but no upgrade for 79% of your earned HHonors points OR 113% qualifying base points plus .93 rolling year qualifying stay credits plus 220% bonus airline miles but no welcome ammenity but with an upgraded room and 124% HHonors points! Just indicate your preference at www.hhonors.com/whothehellcares!"

Wow, I got an answer from HHonors!

I have to leaeve the hotel Sep. 30th, a stay from Sep. 30th to Oct. 1st. will not count for September!

Completing the two stays in September, status will be valid to 04/2007.

I'd avise completing your second stay by about the 24th or 25th so it has time to post before the end of the month. I know what the rules say but I also know how stays near the end of the month go on your account. Save the answer you received, a printout of the message about 2 more stays by the end of September, and receipts from your two final qualifying stays, just in case.

I got a final statement from flyertalk@hilton.com


Thank you for your reply.
I apologize, the current year is 2005. Your status, if earned in 2005 will
be extended to April 30, 2007.
To clarify, anything posted to your account on September 30 will be counted
as activity for October. Anything posted to your account on or after October
1 will be counted as October activity. We cannot add a stay to your account
until 24 hours after checkout. That means you must checkout before September
30 for us to add it to your account on September 30.

Please let me know if there is anything further I can do for you.

Regards,


So, checkout at the last day of a month is pointless. Its there policy, for me its a joke. They should modify their rules in the way that the checkout day is relevant for the account status.

Conclusion: If have to make the two stay within the next weeks. Will do it in a Scandic a couple of blocks away for a good weekend rate :rolleyes:

I wonder if anyone can give any guidance on this? On qualifying base points I am now getting the following:

Maintain Diamond VIP status by completing...

6,302 more qualifying base points before the end of March 2006

In other words I've got more than 100,000 base points until those for stays in March 2005 drop from the system. Does this mean I'm diamond until April 2008 since I have qualified for diamond in 2006 already?

Any guidance on this insane system would be welcome - even more insane because HHonors refuse to clarify the situation :mad: .

Thanks,

bmifly

Maintain Diamond VIP status by completing...

6,302 more qualifying base points before the end of March 2006

In other words I've got more than 100,000 base points until those for stays in March 2005 drop from the system. Does this mean I'm diamond until April 2008 since I have qualified for diamond in 2006 already?
If you can find 100,000 points over the past 12 months you;ve qualified in 2005 for 2006, unitl 2007.

If you can find 100,000 points over the past 12 months you;ve qualified in 2005 for 2006, unitl 2007.

I'm not sure about this. In, say February 2006, I will still have more than 100,000 base points. Doesn't this mean that I've already qualified for diamond in 2006 and so my status should run through to April 2008?

bmifly

I'm not sure about this. In, say February 2006, I will still have more than 100,000 base points. Doesn't this mean that I've already qualified for diamond in 2006 and so my status should run through to April 2008?

bmiflywarning: What follows is conjecture and educated guessing...

In January your rolling tier qualification counter will say "X more qualifying base points before the end of XXX" I think you'll have to meet that threshold in that time frame; i.e., it won't be automatic in 2006 based on points earned in 2005.

It could mean that your 2007 status could be earned with only one stay in 2006. Right now my counter says that I'll requalify Gold with only one stay before April 2006. When I achieve that stay the counter will change to say I need 2 stays before May 2006.

If I meet the one-stay threshold in 2005 it's still a 2005 qualification; but if I don't have any stays between now and January I will cross the threshold and requalify with only one stay in January. My understanding is that the calendar year of qualification determines when the status expires, so with one stay in January (and none between now and January) I should earn status in 2006 good through 2007.

Of course if I do have stays between now and January, I'll just be that much closer to my July or August 2006 thresholds. It's not like I will realistically be in risk not meeting 2006 status because I had more stays in 2005.

We may have to wait until February or so to find out whether it actually works this way... ;)

If you think about it that makes sense for fast track. It isnt a full comp but rather giving you status early to encourage you to requalify. If the fast track gave status until April 2007 then you'd have no incentive to stay at Hiltons in 2005 once meet the fast track criteria.

hi kiwi,

i think the same thing, but my Diamond card shows clearly 04/2007. i made the diamond challenge between june and july this year.

i only need 4 more stays in 2005 to qualify for diamond but i will wait and do 6 stays in 2006 so my card will be extended to 04/2008?

i think that they should implement that function online to see when status exp.

dp

there are many old threads/posts where date on card didnt mean status valid until that date (ie card issued for 2 years but status only valid for one)

there are many old threads/posts where date on card didnt mean status valid until that date (ie card issued for 2 years but status only valid for one)

may be i can rely on that :)
but as i am only 4 stays (2005) or 6 stays (2006) short of diamond, i will just requalify in 2006 July so i will extend it for another 1.5 years than.

dp

So I'm a newbie to the HH forum, and I've just read a bunch of HH rolling tier threads and am thoroughly confused.

Here's my situation. I was on a fast-track offer to Gold from HH which I met based upon number of qualifying stays. However, after my stay to get me gold via fast-track was posted, checking my rolling VIP-status on HH.com says I need 3 more qualifying stays to maintain Gold with Fast Track by Dec 05 or 6 more by April 06. Looking at rolling-VIP by number of qualifying nights, I need 7 more by April 06.

My gold card in the mail says expires in April 07. Does that mean if I do nothing that I am gold until April 07 regardless? Or is April 06? If I do complete 3 more stays by end of Dec, am I still only Gold until April 07? If I complete 6 stays by April 06 does that mean I can be gold until April 08?

Also, wasn't sure from other posts, but does award stays count as qualify night stay for elite?

Thanks in advance.

mnredfox,

I'm in the same situation as yourself. I'm currently Diamond and was given a challenge to renew Diamond by staying x nights or y stays before the end of the December.

When I met y, the goal got raised. This repeated twice more. Each time I reached the goal, the website would report that I needed more stays to reach the goal. Finally, I spent a half-hour on the phone with a supervisor last Saturday. She gave me a bunch of goobledegook and circular arguments. At that point, my account showed I needed 1 nights/3 stays to meet the fast track offer. I got her to guarantee that if I stayed one more night before the end of the year, I would requalify for Diamond.

I had a one night stay earlier this week that posted today. Now, my rolling tier says that I need 4 nights/3 stays to meet the fast track!

I'm looking forward to calling the supervisor back tomorrow. It will be interesting to hear her explanation.

BTW, I have printouts of my account showing my tier nights/stays needed going back to May.

Award stays only count toward stays, not nights.

BillMorrow,

Yes, it is messed up to say the least. What's extra confusing is that if I look at rolling-tier by stays I have a red bar saying I need one more stay by end of Dec 05, but if I look at nights I need 6 more nights by April 06 with no bar.

After reading some more threads, I'm guessing that since I made gold, I get it for this year until the end of the subsequent year (Dec 06). However, since HH goes by EOY being April (grace period), I have gold until April 07. In otherwords, ignore all this other sillyness on the HH website about maintaining gold. I assume that if I make the qualifying stays in 2006 I get it til april 08.

This whole thing is silly. The confusion and misunderstanding has been going on for a year with no clarification or explanation from Hilton. :rolleyes:

Can they not be aware of the issue?? Is it possible that no one has told management that this program is becoming a huge source of irritation to Hilton's best customers?

There must be a management person somewhere whose position oversees this silly program. :rolleyes:

Too bad Hilton doesn't have a "William" to lurk and help us out.

Can they not be aware of the issue?? Is it possible that no one has told management that this program is becoming a huge source of irritation to Hilton's best customers?

Correction, Hilton's best customers stay over 60 nights, 28 stays and 100,000 points and the website confirms that they are Diamond on every page they visit. :)

Maybe some of the consfusion is over the fact that you can qualify 3 different ways. If you qualify on stays, it can't matter that you're short on points or nights.

BillMorrow is in a unique situation and it certainly must be frustrating, but surely the answers are clearer for the rest of us. Hopefully, you have sufficient hardcopy documentation to make your case. Best of luck. If you can convince someone at HH that you are qualified, have them make the change to your file immediately.

Correction, Hilton's best customers stay over 60 nights, 28 stays and 100,000 points and the website confirms that they are Diamond on every page they visit. :)
Correction, he is right. This IS most definitely "becoming a huge source of irritation to Hilton's best customers". When people can't figure out where they stand or what their goals are or need to be, they tend to just throw their hands in the air and go elsewhere. That is what is happening, despite Hilton's admittedly good intentions. There is a reason companies don't use rolling tiers for things: they are impossibly confusing. People who think they are only one night away from a level, stay it and then discover they are three nights away get tired of the game very quickly. It generates frustration, irritation and anger towards the program.

I am no longer "one of Hilton's best customers". Not singularly over this, I was ready to return to Marriott anyway, but this made my decision easier. I had no idea where I was or needed to be. That combined with the dizzying array of point, mile, amenity and benefit options left me with no desire to remain in the program. As I said, I believe Hilton has the best of intentions here, but this is a text book lesson for 'keep it simple, stupid'.

Correction, Hilton's best customers stay over 60 nights, 28 stays and 100,000 points and the website confirms that they are Diamond on every page they visit. :)


Agreed that Hilton's best customers are diamond and that they should get preferential treatment. But why can't they post how long until your status expires? Something like, "HH Gold until April 2007". Honestly it is not that difficult for a computer program to do. All airlines do it and it's a nice feature. Plus, this would clear up all of this confusion.

Maybe they do post when status expires, but I sure can't find it. I've read some posts that some people can find it, so help us all and post if you know where to find it.

Agreed that Hilton's best customers are diamond and that they should get preferential treatment. But why can't they post how long until your status expires? Something like, "HH Gold until April 2007". Honestly it is not that difficult for a computer program to do. All airlines do it and it's a nice feature. Plus, this would clear up all of this confusion.

Maybe they do post when status expires, but I sure can't find it. I've read some posts that some people can find it, so help us all and post if you know where to find it.

I haven't seen it either. And you're right, it would be a simple thing to define and post on the HH website. But, I don't need to spend any time looking for it because on a rolling and annual basis, I have exceeded 28 stays and 60 nights. It won't help anyone this week, but it is possible that I will know more when my current Diamond card is replaced. The one I have says it expires 04/2006. Maybe the next one will expire in 04/2007, 04/2008, 12/2006, 12/2007 or ??? and that will tell us something. I'm hoping it says it's good through at least 12/2007. Worst case, like my Avis Preferred Select card, it will no longer carry an expiration date. Kind of like the US postage stamps that come out right after a rate change and show a letter instead of a monetary value.

Agreed that Hilton's best customers are diamond and that they should get preferential treatment. But why can't they post how long until your status expires? Something like, "HH Gold until April 2007". Honestly it is not that difficult for a computer program to do. All airlines do it and it's a nice feature. Plus, this would clear up all of this confusion.

Maybe they do post when status expires, but I sure can't find it. I've read some posts that some people can find it, so help us all and post if you know where to find it.

HH doesn't post status expiration, nor do all airlines (as your post suggests) - my online AA statement tells me, for example, that I am Platinum, but it doesn't tell me when it expires.

(Then again, per the T&Cs of AAdvantage, I know that my status expires on February 28, 2007, unless I requalify for PLT during the 2006 calendar year. See below.)

It won't help anyone this week, but it is possible that I will know more when my current Diamond card is replaced. The one I have says it expires 04/2006. Maybe the next one will expire in 04/2007, 04/2008, 12/2006, 12/2007 or ??? and that will tell us something. I'm hoping it says it's good through at least 12/2007.

I still fail to see why this is so hard to understand. Per the T&Cs, the status expires in April of 2007 (or April of the second calendar year following when status was earned/renewed). This is no different than the old (pre-rolling tier) system, where a 2005 qualification would have given Diamond for the remainder of 2005, all of 2006, and the first four months of 2007.

Mike

I just called HH about this. Well about my situation.
I am a Gold who was fast tracked or comp'd in 2004.
I do NOT stay enough nights in a year in a hotel to make this on my own.
Hense HH is the best program for me as they give upgrades at lower levels than the others.
Also I travel mostly in winter for cheaper fares. All my own dime. No work travel.
I have currently 4 stays. come April 30 when my status expires I will still have 2 of those active. I was told specifically that the status going forward is based on when you requal. If I finish my stays (12 or so) before end dec I will be thru april 30 2007. When I really finish them by April 30 06 I will have requal'd thru april 30 2008.

I was told specifically that this is for people who travel more fall winter spring. and requal is based on the date you requal. Also that the qualification period is on a slider but the status is still maintained on the april 30 after the second dec 31 like always.
This was all specifically pointed out to me.

Hope this helps.

HH doesn't post status expiration, nor do all airlines (as your post suggests) - my online AA statement tells me, for example, that I am Platinum, but it doesn't tell me when it expires.

(Then again, per the T&Cs of AAdvantage, I know that my status expires on February 28, 2007, unless I requalify for PLT during the 2006 calendar year. See below.)



I still fail to see why this is so hard to understand. Per the T&Cs, the status expires in April of 2007 (or April of the second calendar year following when status was earned/renewed). This is no different than the old (pre-rolling tier) system, where a 2005 qualification would have given Diamond for the remainder of 2005, all of 2006, and the first four months of 2007.

Mike

Actually, NWA says right when you login how long your status lasts til. In any case, NWA is easy since elites know the elite year runs Mar 1- Feb 28. As for HH, it is seemlingly becoming more clear, but I would argue that their rolling system is far from clear by itself. I would think that if it were really "clear", anyone going to their website without reading FT threads would understand and that is NOT the case.

Thanks for your input though, it helps.

As I get closer to maintain my gold status, I have been checking the website. Today I am no longer seeing the rolling tier calendar. Anyone else lose it?

Interesting thing happened. I got an email today saying I was still Silver VIP. So I checked my status online which correctly posts that I am gold. But last week my rolling VIP status had a red bar saying I needed 1 qualifying stay to maintain status by end of Dec 05. Today, that bar is gone and now I just have a green bar stating that I need 4 stays until April 06.

I guess that resolves my original inquiries and that the majority of you are correct. If you get a new status (or reach qualifying status to maintain), then you get that status until April 30 2-calendar years later (so end of next calendar year PLUS 4 months til end of April for HH's "grace" period).

Also the easiest is to just call.
They will always tell you how long it is valid for if you ask.

Mda.. confusing. I was told by Diamond Desk that I have two choices to re-qualify [till 2008]: 1) either to have enough 12-month-stays/nights/points by end of April 2007 as stated on my card or 2) by end of November 2006, which is the month I first time was qualified for Diamond.