"Buying Back" Gold
 

I just got bumped from gold down to silver. But along with that depressing notice came an interesting offer: for 35,000 points, they'll let me "buy back" my gold status.

I have 113K points, but am sort of jealous of them. But you can buy points @ $12.50 per 1000, so Gold status would run $437. That's not so bad for upgrades and concierge lounge for a year. And if I pay for only half the points I use (and dip into my stash for the other half), the price is down to a pretty reasonable $200 or so.

Seems a no-brainer. Are there any demoted gold people out there who've resisted doing this?

I would think it all depends on how much you plan to stay at Marriotts this year. If it's going to be enough nights to earn gold back the usual way, then it's probably well worth it. But if you're only to spend a few nights enjoying those perks then the decision could be different...

Do you have the Marriott Premier card? If you don't, you should get it since it gives you 15 nights elite credit each year. That makes it easier to get to gold and platinum.

Thanks guys

I'm definitely not reaching gold again under my own power (with or without premier card) as I'm no longer traveling on biz.

But I do really like upgrades and concierge lounge, and just a single night of paying my way up to that level of room would cost a couple hundred bucks. If I can buy a year of that for the same, it seems an obvious thing to do.

The other factor is that if I do NOT buy my way to gold, next year I'll definitely lose silver....and so lose the pathway to buying gold at this price. Whereas if I buy gold now, next year I'll just slip to silver.

The credit requirements on this seem weird to me, as I keep getting rejected (not because of poor credit as I hold numerous big name credit cards and have been financed on multiple luxury vehicles)...

It has been awhile since I was Gold - so this could have changed - but I do not remember always getting upgraded at that level???? If I am going to pay for something, I want to insure I am going to get it!

Silver only takes 10 nights; most CL's are not open on the weekend; and resorts and other properties (RI, CY, SHS, etc) do not even have one. When you take that into consideration, I am not sure that the expenditure is worth it. I am also not sure which hotels you are looking at where an upgrade is $200+ - I don't recall ever seeing that.

Since it appears that you will be spending SOME nights, you shouldn't be more than a few short of maintaining Silver. I would just check for MEB,M11, or other specials that bring the rates down (usually on a weekend) and "pay" to maintain silver status that way.

If you are "jealous" of your points, (understandable :D); then you also need to insure that you are maximizing your earning potential whenever possible through the extra promotions MR offers....

ex: I am currently in a FS on a MeB rate of $99 per. I have a BB for $100; so 2 nights will cost me $99 - but I will earn an extra 5K points for being in a FS on the weekend, due to a promotion that is currently being run. So I am basically earning 7000 or so points for an expenditure of $128. ($99 + tax).

SO - if you were to do the same thing - you could do it twice (roughly) would earn 4 nights towards Silver status, AND gain 14,000 points rather than spending any for the $200 + points you are proposing to spend.

In another post, a guy is at a CY for $59 - has a $50 BB - so is spending 2 nights for $9 +tax - - - with a free breakfast thrown in.

Just a thought............

No upgrade is guaranteed, even for Plats. If a Gold/Plat is staying at a non-resort FS Marriott then one will get breakfast during the weekdays (and possibly the weekends) all the time. But lets expand a little on what sophiegirl mentions.


A couple of points for the OP. First, as has been mentioned the Marriott Premier Signature comes with 15 nights toward elite status. Also, the regular Marriott Signature Visa now comes with 10 nights toward elite status. That means just have either card gets one Silver status right there. There are many threads here that detail the benefits of both, so I won't rehash here.

Second, given that "upgrades" are not guaranteed, the real benefit of Gold/Plat at FS Marriotts is access to the CL (or breakfast if there isn't a CL.) The issue here is given you won't be travelling very much, how much of a benefit is this really? You state that purchasing the points needed to buy back your Gold status at just over $400. So just how many nights do you really expect to be staying at FS Marriotts this year? At a lot of the Marriotts that have a CL, it is only around $20 or so per night extra for a CL level room. So that means you could "upgrade" yourself for about 20 nights in a year and be close to a break-even point. The benefit here is that you will definitely have an Executive or CL level room this way. With Gold, you may not get upgraded to one of those rooms, though you will always have the lounge access.

Before I shelled out $400 (or $200 plus some of my already earned points), I would take the time and make my best guestimate of what/where my stays will be this year. I would then look at what it costs reserve a CL level room and then figure out if I can save my hard earned cash and points (and even make a few more by paying a higher rate.) So if you are taking two or three vacation this year with about 15 or so nights, you may save points/cash by not purchasing Gold.

Oh, and don't forget, if you get any of the Marriott Visas, you get Silver status for as long as you hold those card(s) plus all their other benefits. So don't worry about losing Silver.

The fact that upgrades aren't GUARANTEED doesn't at all negate the value of a gold card's LIKELIHOOD to score me an upgrade. A likely upgrade may have less value than a guaranteed upgrade, but it's still of far greater value than no possibility of upgrade. And the sort of upgrade I usually got as a gold holder was to rooms or suites of non-trivial price difference. Two or three upgrades would certainly be worth an expenditure of $200 to me (and any further upgrades that year would be gravy).

The notion of earning my extra points to buy gold (or at least maintain silver) by staying in "deal" locations to catch premium offers is an interesting one, but it would of course depend on my desire to travel to those locations, and my corollary expenses (e.g. food and travel) would almost surely make those points more expensive than the $12.50 per 1000 I could pay here and now.

One question here is the differential between likelihood (and quality) of upgrade to silvers vs golds. When i was silver, I sometimes did get upgraded. As a gold, I certainly got upgraded more. But silver's been greatly diluted (by the credit card deal, for one thing), so silver upgrades may be a dimmer prospect these days.

But here's an interesting question....would it be practical/possible to pay for upgrade at check-in, after being refused a free upgrade? E.g. take room key, go to room, then immediately return and complain of room smallness and ask if there's anything "only a little more expensive" that's more spacious. I'd think under such conditions, if the hotel's not real full, a clerk would be likely to offer you the most painless possible upgrade price, if not an out-and-out freebie (so long as you're friendly and polite, of course, and do have that silver card to establish you're not an out-and-out newbie). Especially if you check in on the late side, as I usually do (so the better rooms aren't going to fill up). Anyone ever try that?

That only works if you stay at properties with low occupancy rates. I don't always get upgraded if a hotel is sold out or close to that point.

As for the value of gold/platinum, it really depends on your stay pattern. Most of my stays are on weekends, but most of these stays have at least one shoulder night (Thursday or Sunday). Thus, I still get the CL benefit, and I stay at FS Marriott properties that give free breakfast on weekends for gold/platinum members.

Also, if you plan on using at least one EEO for a free weekend night, it will go towards recovering your cost.

I'm drowning in acronyms, and I don't see a FAQ on this. Can anyone decode:

EEO
FS
MeB

BB is bonus bucks, right?

EEO = Elite Exclusive Offer (The Buy One Get One Free Night Offer at many Marriott and Renaissance Hotels on Weekends).

FS = Full Service

MeB = Marriott E Breaks. Weekly special for weekend stays. Typically offered for hotels during off peak periods where projected occupancy will be low.

--Jon

Why the big difference between UK and US Member Rewards
 

There has always been a significant difference between the way UK and US members are treated and rewarded. Now obviously its a bigger market in the US and the choice probably means Marriott faces much stiffer competition for loyalty, however I've always felt a little hard done by.

The UK have a Platinum Marriott Visa Card which I have (there is only 1 btw). I got 5k points, no free stay, Silver Elite (but it says nothing about you maintaining Silver status in the second year - I started with 0 nights this year, even having the card).

I was platinum, which I lost this year after changing to a job where v. little travel is involved. I'm now gold. I'd be suprised if I get an option to buy back gold when/if I go to silver.

I see very little local promotions (like Sophie's 5k extra points), there are no more CYs here for reasonably cheap deals and I don't get credited with nights by virtue of having the credit card. To top it all off I've always been upgraded in the US, but I have never once been automatically upgraded in the UK. I have to ask everytime and its a little embarassing.

And we earn less points on the credit card...

Rant over ;-)

David -

it probably is competition - but are the number of nights needed the same for silver(10) -gold (50) -plat(75)? and I would bet you do remain silver with the card, even if it did not say it....

also - I am plat, and have been for several years. I can count on one hand and have fingers left (weel, maybe one finger) the number of times I have been upgraded to a suite.....and from what I read between the lines here on FT, most people who do get them on a consistent basis do ask. (suites just aren't that important to me -)

if it makes you feel any better, I think CY is the worst promotionally - a big promo there is a free breakfast!

see my PM about your trip this summer -

I personally wouldn't pay to keep my status. I just don't see the benefit if you are not staying a bunch (a bunch = enough to qualify with stays).

Sophie,

yes # of nights are the same

I wasn't talking about suites, very rarely an upgraded room and best of all I have to ask most of the time for CL!!!

Last time I was in London it took four attempts (up & down) for me to get a card that worked on the CL

Soph have pm'd you back - things are looking slightly better