I was redirected from here. I searched the forum to no avail.

Say, in hotel program X, you stay

- 10 nights in a year: you are silver
- 25 nights in a year: you are gold
- 50 nights in a year: you are platinum

We can say most programs work like this; so far it is clear. For this example, let's assume you get status by actually staying in hotels.

However, where I lost the line is how do you maintain status in the next year and the year following that...?

Do you have to stay 10, 25 or 50 nights every year, or fewer nights, or simply using the credit card you maintain status? (No card here.)