FoundersCard Expands Its Perks With Marriott and Virgin America

FoundersCard is the membership-based card that offers some incredible — and lucrative — benefits. From complimentary status to exclusive status challenges, perks and discounts, there's plenty of value to be had just by being a member. Now, FoundersCard is improving two of its benefits with Marriott (and SPG) and Virgin America (and Alaska).

While FoundersCard has offered a status challenge with Marriott in the past, it's now granting you status for a longer period if your challenge is successful. Now, if you enroll in the challenge, you'll get complimentary Marriott Gold status for three months. If you successfully make six paid stays within three months of registering, you'll get to keep the status through February 2019 — that's more than 1.5 years with Gold status. Previously, if you were successful at the challenge, you would get the status for an additional elite year.

As a reminder, Marriott Gold status will get you a 25% bonus on points, concierge lounge access and free breakfast, free internet, an exclusive phone line, guaranteed late checkout, a room upgrade if available and more. Plus, thanks to the Marriott-Starwood merger, you'll also be able to match the Marriott Gold status to Starwood Preferred Guest Gold status. SPG Gold will get you late checkout, a room upgrade when available, a welcome gift upon arrival, free internet and more.

In addition to extending the Marriott Gold status challenge, FoundersCard expanded its benefit with Virgin America. You used to get 5% off your fare on Virgin America tickets, but FoundersCard has extended that discount to flights with Virgin's new owner, Alaska Airlines. Since Alaska acquired Virgin, the two carriers have been (slowly) merging together as one. Now, you'll get a 5% discount on economy fares for Alaska flights, as well as Virgin America economy flights, in the continental US and Canada.

Overall, these two new perks are great additions for FoundersCard, which seems to add new benefits regularly. If you're not yet a FoundersCard member, you can take advantage of an exclusive offer just for TPG readers. If you sign up as a new member, you'll get a preferred annual membership fee of $495 as well as a waived initiation fee when you apply using this link or the promo code FCTPG17. The standard annual membership fee is $595 with an initiation fee of $95 — so you're saving $195 right away.

This post has been amended to reflect that the number of paid stays within three months of registering to keep Marriott Gold status through February 2019 is six, not three. We apologize for any inconvenience.

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