Former Platinum
Oct 15, 2006, 5:26 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: SPG PLAT / HHONORS DIAMOND/AIR CANADA ELITE
Posts: 53
Former Platinum
Well , No more point collecting for me , travel days are done. I'm down to gold status. Anyone know an easy way to maintain Gold? I've got 379K points and would like to book a few nice trips and atleast get the chance of not getting a view of the dumpster. Any help is appreciated
Oct 15, 2006, 5:34 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,631
You can use your extra points for upgraded rooms on award stays, no? This is different than HH, where you posted a nearly-identical post, where you will, unfortunately, be staying in the dumpster.
Oct 15, 2006, 5:35 pm
#3
Join Date: Jul 2003
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Starwood Lifetime Platinum, Marriott Gold, Hyatt Diamond, Delta Platinum
Posts: 2,188
Spend $30K on the SPG AMEX...
Oct 15, 2006, 5:41 pm
#4
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: San Diego
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, UAL 1K 2MM, AS MVP Gold, SPG Platinum, DL MM
Posts: 123
Get a Platinum AMEX card. You get starwood gold automatically.
Oct 15, 2006, 6:19 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SF CA USA. I love large faceless corporations. And they cherish me in return (sometimes). ;)
Programs: UA Premier Gold/disappointed 1MM, HH Gold, IHG Plat, MB Gold, BW Diam Sel
Posts: 17,575
Originally Posted by uscsailor
Get a Platinum AMEX card. You get starwood gold automatically.
The annual fee (in the USA) for this card is $395.
It can be even more than that in other countries!Don't confuse this card with the Starwood Amex -- not the same thing. The Starwood Amex has a modest fee (only $30/year, and free the first year), but does NOT give you automatic Gold status. (You have to spend $30K in a year, as mentioned by another poster, to get Gold with the Starwood Amex.)
Heretofore, the official name of the Starwood Amex contained the word "Platinum" -- which probably caused confusion between it and the regular Platinum American Express card. It appears that with the new edition of the SPG-branded card, the word "Platinum" is being dropped. ^
EDIT: I looked at the American Express Canada website; there is a fee-free Platinum Amex card for Canada, BUT it does NOT offer Starwood Gold (or any other elite status in hotel or FF programs).
Last edited by KathyWdrf; Oct 15, 2006 at 9:13 pm
Oct 15, 2006, 6:36 pm
#6
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: AA EXP, B6 Mosaic, UA Plat, Bonvoy Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 1,777
Originally Posted by uscsailor
Get a Platinum AMEX card. You get starwood gold automatically.
Oct 15, 2006, 9:08 pm
#7
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Lafayette, CO, USA
Programs: SPG Lifetime Plat, AA Gold, UA Gold, DL Silver, HH Gold, Vail Epic
Posts: 9,096
You could forgo Gold. Instead, get an Ameritrade account and get Preferred Plus status. (I'm not sure if they really verify your Ameritrade status; I'm Plat and don't actually need this offer.)
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/prefer...itrade&back=-1
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/prefer...itrade&back=-1
Oct 15, 2006, 10:54 pm
#8
In memoriam
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Seattle WA
Programs: Kimpton IC, Hyatt Diamond, Gold Marriott, Lifetime Platinum Starwood
Posts: 8,665
If you have 379K points already, that's quite a bit of free nights. You can combine free nights/cash + points, etc. As another poster stated, upgrades are available for only 1 - 1500K points per night. Or, when you stay at a place and really want a nice room you can always pay for it.