<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ronin:
>>>Perhaps Doc was referring to the offer extended to non-card-holders in November: Sign up for the MR Visa, and get instant Gold Status through 2003.
Pardon me for a slight digression... I applied for the MR VISA in late November, it arrived in December. I don't recall the Gold promotion, just the typical silver status. Can you confirm this was Gold and not Silver?</font>
Yes. I signed up for the card in late Nov to get Gold status. Usually the card gives you Silver status, but I had never responded to any of those offers. The Nov. offer was the first I'd ever seen for Gold, so I jumped on it. My bonus points on first purchase was only 5,000 points, whereas other offers sometimes include 10K. I figured trading the extra 5K for Gold status was worth it for me in 2002 because I have a handul of Marriott stays already planned (including a couple resort stays where an upgrade would sure be nice...).