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Love it or leave it: Elite status levels I plan to keep or drop in 2022
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
December 11, 2021 • 15 min read
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Quick summary
The article reviews the author's approach to requalifying for various airline and hotel elite statuses in 2022 as loyalty programs revert to pre-pandemic requirements.
Several programs, including American Airlines and Asiana Club, are becoming harder to maintain due to increased qualification thresholds and fewer extensions.
The author prioritizes requalifying for select hotel statuses, such as Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite and World of Hyatt Globalist, while letting others lapse due to limited perks or changing travel patterns.
Flexible planning is emphasized, given ongoing uncertainty around travel restrictions and potential loyalty program changes.
What to consider
Some elite statuses are easier to maintain through partnerships or specific benefits, but these can change or end at any time.
Qualification requirements for many programs have increased, and some previously valuable perks are now available to all members or have been devalued.
Travel restrictions and program devaluations may impact the ability to requalify or the value of holding elite status.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of the author's status-by-status requalification strategy and insights on which programs may be worth prioritizing in the evolving travel landscape.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
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However, the era of widespread elite status extensions and significantly decreased requirements is likely coming to an end.
As such, now is the time to start considering which statuses you plan to requalify for in 2022 and which you'll let lapse. To help you think through how to handle your elite statuses, here's a look at my 2022 elite status requalification plans.
American Airlines: Executive Platinum until March 2023, but I have doubts about requalifying
A typical priority check-in line, as found in Boston International Airport. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
I first earned American Airlines Executive Platinum status in 2016 and have requalified each and every year since. Over the years, I've gotten a ton of value from both American Airlines miles and the perks of Executive Platinum status.
And some of the reasons I've earned Executive Platinum status in the past, such as waived award cancellation and redeposit fees, aren't compelling anymore. After all, all AAdvantage members can cancel and redeposit awards now for no fee.
I could continue to earn Executive Platinum status through a combination of flights and credit card spending, but there's a significant opportunity cost to using an AAdvantage card for my everyday spending instead of one of the best everyday spending cards like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Citi Double Cash® Card (see rates and fees). And it's still unclear whether some partner activities (such as Bask Bank savings accounts that earn AAdvantage miles) will earn Loyalty Points.
Once American Airlines unveils all the details of how to earn Loyalty Points, I'll have some tough decisions to make regarding my AAdvantage elite status.
Asiana Club: Diamond lapses in December 2021 and I'm uncertain about requalifying
Asiana Diamond status gets me some perks when flying Star Alliance airlines, including United. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
In December 2017, my husband and I both started the 24-month qualification period to earn Asiana status. By the end of January 2018, we'd each earned Asiana Club Diamond status. Since Asiana Club gives you 24 months to qualify for status and then lets you keep your status for 24 months once your qualification period ends, we each earned Diamond status through the end of December 2021.
However, neither of us has used our Star Alliance Gold status nearly as much as we expected. And we won't requalify for Diamond status unless Asiana extends our requalification periods past December 2021. Assuming we don't get extensions, qualifying for Diamond in the future isn't going to be a priority for either of us.
But once more of Asia opens to tourists without quarantine requirements, I suspect we'll fly enough inexpensive-yet-lucrative Star Alliance premium economy and business fares to qualify for Asiana Diamond status -- especially considering Asiana's generous 24-month qualification period.
Southwest Airlines: A-List through December 2021, but no plans to requalify
Boarding a Southwest flight. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
One day, I logged into my Southwest account and noticed I had A-List status. It was around the same time that Chase provided me 100,000 Southwest points to book an all-inclusive trip to Mexico, but the points shouldn't have gotten me A-List status. Although I'm not sure how I got A-List status, I know the status expires on Dec. 31, 2021.
I've enjoyed having A-List status for the last few months, primarily since I haven't needed to check in for my Southwest flights exactly 24 hours before departure to snag a good boarding number. But I have no plans to requalify for this status since it would typically require 25 flights or 35,000 tier-qualifying points.
Delta Silver status won't give me many perks, but I'll enjoy getting access to preferred seats at no additional cost (except when flying Delta basic economy) and a first checked bag free when traveling on Delta flights.
Malaysia Airlines Enrich: Gold lapses March 2023 and no plans to requalify
Flying a bunch of flights to earn Malaysia Airlines status during a promotion was fun. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
In early 2019, I earned Oneworld Sapphire status for less than $500 through a Malaysia Airlines promotion. Having Oneworld Sapphire status as a Malaysia Enrich Gold member has allowed me to enjoy Admirals Club access and Flagship Lounge access when flying American Airlines domestically.
But, after two sets of elite status extensions, my Enrich Gold status should expire on Mar. 31, 2023. I don't have any plans to earn status again with Malaysia Airlines unless the program offers another excellent promotion.
Marriott Bonvoy: Requalify for at least Platinum Elite
The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa in Malaysia. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
I recently wrote about why I'm striving for Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status this year. Although I'll earn Titanium Elite status through February 2023 once I stay with Marriott Bonvoy four more nights in 2021, I may only requalify for Platinum Elite status in subsequent years. After all, the only tangible perks that Titanium Elite status provides over Platinum Elite status are increased earning on paid stays, United Silver status and a 75-night annual Choice Benefit.
Of course, these perks are valuable. But my husband and I both want to earn at least Platinum Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy in 2022. We get significant value from Platinum Elite perks, including guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout, lounge access and complimentary breakfast at most Marriott brands.
So first, we'll make sure we both get the 50 elite nights required for Platinum Elite status. Then, we'll put the next 25 nights toward one of our accounts -- likely his, since he has more Suite Night Awards going into 2022 -- to earn Titanium Elite. As such, I'll probably only requalify for Platinum Elite in 2022.
You may wonder why we don't just put all of our stays toward one of our accounts to earn Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador. Since we redeem Marriott Bonvoy points for many of our stays to get a fifth night free, we wouldn't even come close to reaching the spending requirements for Ambassador.
It's also worth noting that Marriott recently announced plans to drop its award charts. This isn't an encouraging sign, and we may eventually move away from Marriott Bonvoy if Marriott points become less valuable. But, for now, I'm still hopeful that we'll find continued value in the Marriott Bonvoy program.
Hyatt Place Melbourne / Palm Bay in Florida. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
Until this year, I'd ignored World of Hyatt. Discoverist and Explorist status don't provide enough perks to justify staying with Hyatt over other programs where we have mid-to-high levels of elite status or can get high value when redeeming points. So, I never wanted to put in the 60 nights required to earn Hyatt Globalist status.
But Hyatt may have a place in my hotel elite strategy plan in the long term, especially with Marriott removing its award chart (and IHG and Hilton already using fully dynamic award pricing). For now, I'm just excited to have Globalist status and plan to enjoy its perks as I requalify for Globalist next year.
I'm hopeful that Hyatt will offer some promotions in 2022 to make requalification slightly easier than usual. But, as I've started planning 2022 trips, I already have 28 nights booked next year at Hyatt properties for a modest cost of 60,000 points and $1,357. So, I have a good foundation for requalifying even if the qualification criteria isn't reduced as it was this year.
Even though my husband and I regularly choose Choice hotels despite limited elite perks, neither of us sees a reason to maintain a high level of elite status with Choice Privileges. After all, having high levels of elite status with Choice doesn't provide significant perks on stays.
Sure, higher-tier elites get better earnings on paid stays, but we mostly stay with Choice due to the value we can get when redeeming Choice points. We rarely book a paid stay unless we're taking advantage of one of the frequent Choice Hotels promotions.
We may stay on points enough in 2022 to each requalify for Gold status with Choice. Gold status would give us access to almost all the same perks as top-tier Diamond status. But even so, I'm not actively trying to qualify for any elite status with Choice in 2022.
United MileagePlus: Silver through RewardsPlus partnership, but uncertain about requalifying
United Boeing 737 MAX 8. (Photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy)
One often-overlooked benefit of Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status is United MileagePlus Silver status via the RewardsPlus partnership between Marriott and United. I'm currently four nights away from Titanium Elite status with Marriott through February 2023. But I'm not yet sure whether I'll requalify for Marriott Titanium Elite status in 2022.
However, the RewardPlus partnership frequently asked questions page states that as a Titanium elite, I can get United Silver status for the "remainder of the calendar year in which the [Marriott] status is granted." So, I may keep United Silver through the end of 2023 even if I don't requalify for Titanium Elite status in 2022.
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It isn't easy to make firm elite status requalification plans for next year right now. As I look through the trips we have booked for 2022, I'm uncertain whether we'll be able to take many of them. For example, I don't know whether Japan will reopen to U.S. tourists in time for our trips in February and March. I also don't know when Hong Kong and several other destinations we plan to visit will reopen without quarantine.
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.
