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Delta Diamond, American Airlines Executive Platinum and Hyatt Globalist: TPG's Clint Henderson’s 2025 elite status plans
Clint Henderson is a managing editor at TPG who has worked in the journalism industry for more than 25 years. He is obsessed with travel and has used points and miles to explore the world.
December 18, 2024 • 30 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
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Quick summary
The article reviews a year of major changes in airline and hotel loyalty programs, including raised elite status requirements and shifting program partnerships.
The author shares personal experiences maintaining or earning top-tier status with several major airline and hotel programs, highlighting both challenges and benefits.
Some programs, like Alaska Mileage Plan, are making elite status more accessible, while others, such as Delta, have increased requirements significantly.
Holding certain travel credit cards can grant or help maintain elite status with minimal travel, providing valuable perks even with limited stays.
What to consider
Some airline and hotel status levels now require higher spending or more travel than before, making qualification harder for many travelers.
Program partnerships and mergers, such as Alaska's acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines and hotel group shifts, can affect status benefits and earning strategies.
Several credit cards offer automatic elite status or help accelerate status qualification, but benefits and requirements may change as issuers shift.
What you'll miss from the article
Detailed strategies for maintaining, maximizing or shifting elite status across multiple loyalty programs, including insights on program changes and personal decision-making.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Hotels, too, are undergoing some big shifts, with Small Luxury Hotels of the World moving from World of Hyatt to Hilton Honors and Mr and Mrs Smith properties moving from IHG to Hyatt.
I got really lucky this year with the ability to roll over Medallion Qualification Miles from Delta into an extra year of top-tier Diamond Medallion status. That will take me through next year, but the huge spending requirements for 2026 mean I will likely give up on top-tier Delta status after that.
I was also able to requalify for top-tier American Airlines AAdvantage status and World of Hyatt Globalist status. Those two programs will earn the bulk of my travel next year, but I'm increasingly intrigued by Alaska Mileage Plan. That program could end up being my focus in the years ahead, since the airline is making it easier (not harder) to achieve top-tier status.
In 2025, I'll continue to hold Platinum Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy and IHG One Rewards as well as Hilton Honors Diamond status just for carrying credit cards.
I also added a new status to the mix: I got Air Canada Aeroplan Elite 25K status for signing up for a credit card, and I'm excited to start playing around with Aeroplan points.
Here's the full breakdown of where I am heading into 2025 and how you can use my lessons to your advantage (no pun intended).
American Airlines AAdvantage: Executive Platinum
I've held AAdvantage Executive Platinum status for a few years now, and it's the program I'm most committed to currently. I've requalified for Executive Platinum for 2025 already, and I still have a few months to try to hit a few of the airline's new Loyalty Point Rewards milestones. Good news for me and other AA elite members: We just learned American Airlines is not raising status requirements for next year.
I've really enjoyed my status this year, with a few complimentary domestic upgrades and a few even bigger perks.
Business class on an American Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
I was able to use another one on a transcontinental flight from New York City to San Francisco on my favorite plane: the not-long-for-this-world A321T.
American Airlines business class on the Airbus A321T. CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
I was also able to score a few great redemptions this year using AAdvantage miles. I flew round-trip to Tokyo in business class for just 120,000 miles.
A round trip from the New York area to Tokyo for just 120,000 AA miles and $58 in taxes and fees. AA.COM
So far this year, I've earned 229,881 Loyalty Points. The qualification year runs through Feb. 28, so I should be able to hit one more reward tier (at 250,000 Loyalty Points) to claim one of a slew of AA benefits, including more systemwide upgrades, bonus miles or a $200 to $250 trip credit.
Loyalty Point Rewards page with choices. AMERICAN AIRLINES
But it hasn't been a totally smooth ride with American in the past few years. In 2018, the airline started making it more difficult (and expensive) to achieve top-tier status.
That's when I decided to try some new programs. I did status challenges for both Delta and Alaska Airlines, and I mostly stopped flying with American. Still, I managed to hit AAdvantage Platinum Pro in 2019, and that status was extended for multiple years during the COVID-19 pandemic. My Platinum Pro status finally expired at the end of January 2022, though, and I dropped to the dreaded entry-level member status.
Fast forward to 2022, I moved back to New York City after a few years of living on my father's ranch in Montana. I wasn't able to requalify for Alaska MVP Gold 100K status since I was no longer near their Seattle fortress hub. My timing was good, because that was when American unveiled a new Instant Status Pass; this granted me Platinum Pro status until the end of March and the opportunity to extend it in rolling phases. If I earned 67,000 Loyalty Points, I could get boosted to Executive Platinum. I did just that.
Playing the Loyalty Points game has been wildly fun, and I earned enough Loyalty Points in three requalification phases to keep Executive Platinum status. Eventually I unlocked Executive Platinum status the old-fashioned way: earning 200,000 Loyalty Points in a qualification year (March to February). Of all my airline statuses, AAdvantage is the one I plan on sticking with beyond 2025 because of how fun it has been to acquire Loyalty Points.
Since I went all-in on attaining Executive Platinum status, I decided to open the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees) to make it easier to rack up Loyalty Points. That alone went a long way toward helping me reach my goal. It netted me an extra 20,000 Loyalty Points — 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points after reaching 50,000 Loyalty Points and another 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points after reaching 90,000 Loyalty Points.
This year, I've also hit the spend required via my Barclays AAdvantage® Aviator® Silver Mastercard, unlocking a total of 15,000 Loyalty Points. Normally, I wouldn't recommend people put that much spending on this card since it mostly earns just 1 mile per dollar spent (except on American Airlines flights and travel). However, my father is an authorized user on the card, and he's been able to help me hit the spend requirements. The information for the Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Silver Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Loyalty Points spend tracker from Barclays Aviator. BARCLAYS
That card also comes with an annual companion pass good for up to three passengers once you've hit $20,000 in spending — a nice benefit.
Aviator companion pass tracker. BARCLAYS
The future of the Aviator cards has been in doubt since we learned Citi will become the sole issuer of all AAdvantage credit cards starting in 2026. However, I did get a letter from Barclays saying the card would retain the ability to earn AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points through 2025, so I'm good for at least another year. Hopefully, Citi will keep the same benefits on the card when it migrates from Barclays.
In any case, I'm firmly back in the arms of the AAdvantage program. The next question: Do I team back up with American partner Alaska for 2026?
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan: Member, but going for Gold?
WYATT SMITH/THE POINTS GUYCLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
I'll keep top-tier Delta Medallion status through 2025, even though it has been a bit of a roller coaster ride with the airline these past few years. Delta announced much higher elite status requirements in its SkyMiles Medallion loyalty program and its cobranded credit card portfolio. Delta is also making it much more expensive to achieve various status levels.
But in an interesting twist, I ended up with a few years of top-tier Delta Diamond status thanks to rollover MQMs. In fact, I've been happily not paying much attention to requalifying for Diamond status because I was able to extend my status by a year via a special one-time Choice Benefit. It allowed me to take my unusued rollover MQMs and turn this into Diamond status until 2026.
Delta hiked the cost of earning status several times in the past few years. The most recent increase was dialed back a bit this year after consumer outcry, but essentially, if I wanted to re-earn status for 2026, I'd need to spend a whopping $28,000 on Delta next year. That's simply out of reach for me (and most others).
My total spending for 2024 is less than $10,000 in MQDs. This includes $2,500 in MQDs just for holding the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, as well as $1,000 in MQDs received as a one-time status boost for travelers with the Delta Reserve card prior to Feb. 1 as a "token of appreciation."
The $650 annual fee (see rates and fees) for the Delta Reserve is steep, but it's often worth it for those chasing status — or, at least, it had been, because of a spend waiver up to Platinum status.
The waiver is gone, but the Reserve card does give 1 MQD for every $10 you spend on the card. Technically, you could spend your way to status, but there's no way I can put that much spend on my Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card. While I still like the card for all its perks, I'm not putting much spend on it anymore.
All that said, I have enjoyed my Diamond status this year. I had a Global Upgrade Certificate clear me from Premium Select to Delta One on a flight from New York City to Geneva this summer.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
Also, I was able to use a Regional Upgrade Certificate to fly all the way from New York City to Honolulu in Delta One on an 11-hour flight. Talk about a great use of a cert.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
I've also made great use of SkyMiles. I lucked out recently with an award from Mexico City International Airport (MEX) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and then to Australia's Brisbane Airport (BNE) in Delta One. There was a brief moment when the flight was available for just 73,000 SkyMiles one-way. I jumped at the opportunity to fly in Delta One on the newly launched, more-than-14-hour flight to Australia.
Still, after my "free" Diamond status runs out in 2026, I'm going to get off the Delta hamster wheel and bid a fond farewell to Delta status. It's just getting too rich for my blood. Those SkyMiles will continue to be appealing, though, and I'll keep my Reserve card for the long term.
This is a new one for me. I've been increasingly intrigued by Air Canada's Aeroplan program, which oftentimes allows bookings as low as 60,000 to 70,000 points for business class on partner airlines (like United).
I signed up for the Aeroplan® Credit Card (see rates and fees) from Chase, which currently has a welcome offer of 75,000 bonus points, earned after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
The bonus points have already hit my account. In fact, I'm already sitting on nearly 195,000 points. I accumulated them from that generous sign-up bonus and a current offer to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Aeroplan and earn a 20% transfer bonus.
The card also comes with automatic Aeroplan 25K elite status, which has a slew of benefits, including priority check-in and boarding, a 50% discount on Preferred Seats and 20 eUpgrade credits each year. I've selected upgrade credits and lounge passes, which are already in my account.
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Air Canada Aeroplan status benefits page. AIR CANADA
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Air Canada Aeroplan status benefits page. AIR CANADA
I'm excited to explore the Aeroplan program and potentially use my points on one of the airline's cheap stopover offers. You can add a stopover on a one-way itinerary for just 5,000 Aeroplan points.
Hyatt Regency Maui, November 2024. CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
I've loved having top-tier Hyatt status again this year after an incredible offer through Bilt in 2023 to get World of Hyatt Globalist status through February 2025. Bilt Rewards offered a chance to earn Hyatt Globalist status with 20 nights instead of the usual 60, and I jumped at the opportunity.
World of Hyatt Globalist is one of my absolute favorite statuses. Back in 2023, I used a suite upgrade at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome courtesy of Hyatt Globalist status; I scored a one-bedroom suite on a points redemption of just 40,000 World of Hyatt points per night.
Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome. CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
Globalist benefits include guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout, free breakfast and better upgrade odds, among other perks.
This year, I've earned top-tier status organically with stays all over the world. I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Taipei, the Park Hyatt Kyoto, the Andaz Munich (where I was upgraded to a suite) and the brand-new Park Hyatt London River Thames (where I was able to use a suite night upgrade award to a gorgeous one-bedroom suite).
Park Hyatt London River Thames suite. CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
I've earned a total of 75 nights this year so far at Hyatt hotels. You need just 60 for Globalist status. I may try to hit 80 nights in 2024, so I can earn another Milestone Rewards choice of a Hyatt Guest of Honor award, plus either 10,000 bonus points or a Suite Upgrade Award.
80-night Milestone Rewards options. WORLD OF HYATT
I also plan on keeping both my World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees) and my World of Hyatt Business Credit Card (see rates and fees). They'll help me get more elite nights toward status each year. (For example, the personal World of Hyatt card comes with five nights upon renewal.)
I don't need to spend on those cards for World of Hyatt points since you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt. I tend to earn a lot of Chase Ultimate Rewards points via spending on my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees).
But I have been putting Hyatt stays on my World of Hyatt Credit Card since you earn 4 points per dollar spent at Hyatt hotels and resorts. You also get two elite nights for every $5,000 you put on the personal card. In 2024, I earned six nights this way (and a heck of a lot of World of Hyatt points).
To me, Hyatt is the most valuable hotel loyalty program, and I will try to hit the 60-night threshold again next year.
Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel. CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUYPhoto of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card on a world map. CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
