Marriott Platinum Premier Elites Now Get United Premier Gold
Like many other airlines and hotels, Marriott offers an invitation-only level of elite status above the ones it offers publicly. Platinum Premier is offered to the top few percent of Marriott customers who spend the most money and nights at the chain's hotels, though exactly how much you need to spend and stay to be invited isn't publicized.
Historically Platinum Premier hasn't offered much more than standard Marriott Platinum status. Recognition of the status varies tremendously from property to property, with some Marriott hotels treating Platinum Premier customers like royalty while others don't even recognize the status at all. Aside from a dedicated phone line for Platinum Premier members and the annual token gift, the experience of being a Platinum Premier elite is rather inconsistent.
However, Marriott has now quietly added a very nice benefit to its Platinum Premier status. Both standard Marriott Platinum and Platinum Premier elites already receive complimentary United Premier Silver status, but TPG reader Tom informs us that Platinum Premier members will now get United Premier Gold instead of Silver.
The difference between low-level United Silver and mid-tier Gold is significant, though perhaps not groundbreaking. United Golds are able to select complimentary Economy Plus seats at booking, versus Silvers who must wait until check-in to pick from whatever Economy Plus seats remain at that point. Golds also get two free checked bags (as opposed to one for Silvers), lower fees for award bookings and changes, waived fees for same-day standby, increased redeemable miles and higher upgrade priority than Silvers.
In the past, there have been reports of Marriott offering United Gold to a subset of its Platinum Premier members, but the terms and conditions indicate this new perk is available to everyone at that status level. So if you're a Marriott Platinum Premier elite, request your complimentary United Premier Gold by registering at this link. It will take 7-10 days for your information to be confirmed, but once that's complete, your new United Gold status should be good until January 2018.
Given that Platinum Premier elites haven't received a ton of love from Marriott in the past, this will undoubtedly be a welcome upgrade.
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