Sorry I misunderstood the question. And yes, if one follows the "proper" procedure for issuing a cert in someone else's name, they very likely would not get elite benefits based off the account holder's level. But while trying to use an award in the account holder's name for a friend or family member might allow the friend to get the holders elite benefits, it also might cause problems when that friend tries to check-in. I had an award stay at the Imperial Palms MVCI (3-bedroom unit) where my friends arrived before I did. They were not allowed to check-in until I arrived. So just realize there could be "complications" if someone were to try and game the system.