Originally Posted by ILUVCITIBANK
aviators, mid-tier with "four major US" chain hotels or with domestic US airlines are available with minimal effort in a given year's span.
A) HHONORS GOLD obtainable w/ $20K spend w/ their HHONORS AMEX
B) starwood GOLD obtainable w/ even less spend w/ their AMEX/SPG card (I don't have the time to check but $10K comes to mind)
C) My spouse received an unsolicited offer for AA/GOLD last year, via starwood (I think was the co-sponsor of the promo), having not paid for an AA tix in years nor spent 2 paid nights w/ starwood last year in her name
THree quick off the top of my head examples.
In any given year, there are numerous ways to get mid-tier elite levels with almost any given airline or hotel, and not through massive effort...usually if not often just by watching flyertalk threads and calling in or doing some mundane task or registering for some obscure promo.
In short, mid-tiers are of little value w/ many if not the majority of hotel and airlines...and mid-tier TANGIBLE benefits (not paper tiger benefits, or benefits "subject to some cap control) are degrading more and more each year. If mid-tier is the best AMEX CENT can come up with, then they will continue to bleed off subscribers.
Yes, I know what you say is true, but it does not contradict what I said. I made no mention of the hotel status at all (I think it's useless; thank goodness I already have SPG plat.). There's a big difference between mid-tier elite status on 1 airline from mid-tier elite status on multiple airlines. It has changed the whole way I travel since I got the card in July. It used to be that I only flew Continental (since it is the only airline I had mid-tier status on my own). Now I can pick my airline based on schedule and comfort. I find that to be a big benefit.
That being said, I agree (and this also doesn't contradict what I said) that Centurion will lose subscribers if that's all they have to offer. They won't lose me because I still think it's worth it, but for many people it's not worth it anymore.