Want to purchase Platinum status
 

I currently am Gold and would like to be Platinum. Is there a way to purchase Platinum status using either money or points. I could not find anything on that using google. Also, am I correct that it would last through 2022? Thanks in advance!

-wahoohfd

Charging 75k per year on either the Ritz Carlton card (discontinued to new applicants) or the Amex Bonvoy Brilliant card will get you Platinum status.

Having a business and personal credit card will get you most of the way there for as little as $125(Bonvoy Business and Bonvoy Bold).

Current double elite night credit promotion further reduces number of nights by 2.

+1
After the cards you will need only 20 nights, which you can do by staying in a cheap hotel (if any clos near where you are) for 10 nights.

If you are currently gold, you might have received the marriott Goodwill bonus, which I believe is 13 nights for gold without staying. Get the credit cards would give you Plus the 15 nights on Bonvoy Business and the 15 nights on Bonvoy Bold. You're at 43 nights at that point. If you stay during the promotion period 4 times, you'll be at platinum.

You have to stay just twice for 2 night @ or once for 4 nights to get there with your example. 4 single nights (or 3 nights + 1 night) won't work because the promo is only for stays of 2 nights or more.

Does the AmEx Centurion card give Bonvoy Plat? It used to be good for SPG PlatMinus (and long ago the same was true for the regular AmEx Plat charge card).

It would help to know why you want to do this? Is it because you want to take advantage of perks for a big trip? Might be worth just paying for whatever you are focused on (pay for breakfast, book a suite, etc.) vs the incremental cost and hassle of getting platinum for one or two trips. If you are expecting to start travelling a lot and don't want to build up status from scratch, look into status challenges where they will provide you with an "advance" on status for say 90 days that then gets locked in once you meet a certain threshold.

Centurion just get Gold which anyone can get easily. Amex Centurion seems to think their Centurion customers are idiots in my opinion. Amex has been in denial ever since CEO Kenneth had a team of his lower level employees fly to Costco in advance of his arrival like he was royalty. Amex will have hard time fighting the image when Centurion is known to be card for idiots with money.

I want to do this for the lounge access/ breakfast, but also because I have 8 years at Platinum and I just need 2 more for lifetime Platinum...

How many lifetime nights do you have?

In that case card strategy (30 nights) + double nights promo is your best bet to get to LTP.

Well, just book the cheapest Marriott near you either on points or for cash. If you use points make sure you add at least one paid night to the same reservation to ping the double nights promotion.

I don't think that's a problem Amex will have anytime soon. It actually sounds like they achieved exactly what their intent was - they priced you (and many others) out of the Centurion product. We can speculate about whatever their motivation for this is and what their data about spending of various demographics shows. In Germany they just sent out emails now offering "Centurion Art Cards" that look hilarious.

FWIW I totally agree that the price/service of the Centurion product in many markets including the U.S., Germany etc is out of whack nowadays. They also stopped giving Cathay Pacific Diamond. If you're looking for squeezing value then Centurion isn't the card to have anymore. Platinum is the sweet spot.

Marriott Gold for a Premium Card such as this is almost an insult given that there are three level above that in the Bonvoy food chain.