Confess Your Comps
 

O.K. Since I'm one of the hated few who carries the Amex Centurion Card, I've been fairly sensitive to the complaining (whining?) I have seen about folks being able to purchase (or otherwise obtain) status in various programs without meeting the usual requirements. Yet something tells me that a fair number of you (like me) have been able to obtain all kinds of comps over the years. (AA Challenges? Starwood Platinum Promotion? Carry the right credit card?) So now it's time to confess (if you dare) the times that you have earned elite status without flying the miles normally required, staying the required nights or paying the fee that the program requires from the rest of us.

For example, in addition to my Centurion Comps, I have obtained the following over the past decade:

Airlines:
US: Comped to Gold for flying five Shuttle segments in the period shortly after USAir took over for Trump in 1992. Was renewed for a second year without asking, and with only minimal flight activity.

CO: Comped to Gold in 1992 for flying 5 northeast corridor segments in a promotion offered in response to the US promotion listed above. Able to "buy up" on two subsequent occasions when the previous year's flight activity fell short of the threshold for Gold.

HP: Comped to Chairman's Club in 1995 by returning an offer my father received from Hilton.

UA: Comped to Premier via InsideFlyer promotion in mid-90's.

AA: Comped to Gold via employer in 1994.

TW: Comped to some sort of status through InsideFlyer several years ago.

Hotels:
HHonors: Until recently, received comp to Gold through Amex Corporate Card. (As of 1998, the comp is only to Silver status.)

Marriott: My Gold status seems to renew itself annually whether I stay there or not.
I have a feeling that this list is nothing compared to what some of you have done. So, what about the rest of you?

Airlines
1992 - Comped to Continental Silver through employer. This offer was available to all employees (about 40,000), forms were openly available (could even be used by others).

1996 - Comped to United PE, matching my Northwest gold status.

Hotels
1993 - Comped to Sheraton Gold through employer. Again this is openly available to all employees, and even Rudi's good friend may have been eligible. In 1999, I received invitation for Starwood Gold with two stays, but had enough night stays to qualify anyway.

mid 90's - Comped to Hilton Gold through a Northwest Gold promotion. Later on, also got gold through the Hilton 50K promotion. Again (third time) got a Hilton gold invitation, though this time had enough stays.

Hyatt - once received their lowest elite status through a loophole I saw at a web site, but had no stays with them in the status period.

[This message has been edited by PG (edited 01-09-2000).]

My only comp was at Hilton -- I am Gold due to their partnership with USAirways and my status at USAirways as Chairman's Preferred. Otherwise, earned it all http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Comped to SR Travel Club on basis of (then) red card from TW shortly before I moved to Switz. for a year. Wound up starting my UA relationship about then, so didn't quite make the (admittedly trivial) requal requirement.

Once comped to Hilton Gold, NW Silver (early 90's). Didn't care for either of them, so let them lapse.

Greg

Hyatt ~ comped to Platinum in '98 ... I just missed ... made it easily this year (would have even without the lowering of the threshold).

Hilton ~ comped to Gold recently through 4/01.

Starwood ~ comped to Gold recently for one calendar year, through 11/00.

And of course rental car comps to Avis Preferred Select, Hertz Gold, National Emerald Club, and Alamo QuickSilver.

Starwood, comped to gold this year on some promotion that they ran in October. I have no qualms whatsoever about this comp, however, as I stayed about 15 nights earlier in the year at Four Points without getting Starwood credit (I took the airline miles because at the time I didn't know any better)...

That's it...

What's 'Amex Centurion'?

KatW, see:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum69/HTML/000162.html

Ah, thank you PremEx. I do fork over the $300 annually for Platinum but $1K is over the budget.

The only ones who know about my comps are my "children" YAZ AND EDDIE.

And like them, if you tell me a secret I keep it.

(Although there are friends who say if I have one beer I get chatty. I don't remember this being the case! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Never been comped for anything, ever, unless you count the hotel and car rental "elite" status that comes with Aeroplan Super Elite.

. . . but then I never tried (never say never http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif)

Earned Premier Executive on UA. Comped to Gold with Hilton but actually earned it one month later.

Even li'l me, the king of non-status on here, got comped to a renewal of Courtyard Club last week!