And nearly anyone who wants Marriott Platinum status can have it, thanks to Marriott’s partnership with Fliggy – which is Alibaba’s online booking platform, akin to Trip.com.

• Fliggy offers a 120-day Marriott Platinum status challenge. They provide temporary status, and members can stay 8 nights within that timeframe to keep it through the end of the next member year. The challenge is free.
• Initially it was only open to Fliggy “F4” top tier members. However in mid-April, Fliggy revamped their tier structure moving to 6 tiers instead of 4. And as a correspondent writes,

"The threshold for the original F4 level was halved, aligning it with what was previously F3, yet Marriott didn’t adjust its requirements accordingly. Now, F4, F5, and F6 members can all obtain a Platinum Card and participate in the 8-night challenge, significantly lowering the bar."

"Fliggy operates similarly to eBay, relying on merchants to sell travel products. These merchants need high ratings and sales to gain consumer trust and better visibility, which has fueled a large gray market for fake transactions.

People working in this gray market sell high-level Fliggy accounts after boosting them through fake transactions, profiting from both sides. Fliggy accounts are tied to Alibaba’s ecosystem, covering about 70% of China’s population. Therefore, nearly anyone in China who wants a Marriott Platinum Card can easily purchase one for as little as $10 to $20."