I don't think the people running room upgrades in the back or the associates at the front desk give a hoot how you earned your status. But as a lower-level elite member in any program, your upgrades are going to be rare. As Kacee said, they can happen, but if you're not staying in hotels enough to get status EXCEPT because of credit cards, you're simply going to hit the jackpot less often (less play = fewer wins).