List of Credit Cards that Offer Elite Status
Elite status with airlines and hotels can be very valuable to some. Usually to qualify for elite status you will see minimum requirements. For hotels, you usually have to reach a minimum number of stays, nights and/or points. For airlines, you usually need a minimum number of segments and qualifying miles.
One way to fast track to elite status is to obtain a credit card that automatically offer you elite status.
Unfortunately, in Canada, it is very slim pickings on which credit cards have this offer, but there are still a few to choose from. Some of the require a minimum spending before you qualify for the elite status. Below is a list of credit card:
Airline Elite Status
RBC Cathay Pacific Visa Platinum
- $150 annual fee
- Complimentary Green Tier membership into The Marco Polo Club for primary cardholder ($50 USD enrolment fee waived)
Hotel Elite Status
- No annual fee
- Receive a 1 tier elite status upgrade within the Best Western Rewards program when you spend $6,000 on your card within 1 year
Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Visa
- $120 annual fee (waived the first year)
- Earn 15 nights credit every year
Note that the 15 credits gives you Silver elite status, which only requires 10 credits, which gives you a jump start to reach gold status, which requires 50 credits.
American Express Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card
- $120 annual fee
- Receive an automatic upgrade to Starwood Gold Preferred Guest membership when you spend $30,000 a year
American Express Starwood Preferred Guest Business Credit Card
- $150 annual fee
- Receive an automatic upgrade to Starwood Gold Preferred Guest membership when you spend $30,000 a year
American Express Business Platinum Card
- $399 annual fee
- Receive an automatic upgrade to Starwood Gold Preferred Guest (must phone 1-888-625-4990 and provide reference code to enroll)
- Charge 5 nights at Fairmont Hotels and Resorts onto this charge card to receive Fairmont President’s Club Platinum Membership
American Express Platinum Card
- $699 annual fee
- Receive an automatic upgrade to Starwood Gold Preferred Guest
- Receive an automatic upgrade to Gold Elite membership with Club Carlson
- Receive an automatic upgrade to Platinum membership with Le Club Accorhotels
- Charge 5 nights at Fairmont Hotels and Resorts onto this charge card to receive Fairmont President’s Club Platinum Membership
Thanks for sharing. I don’t believe Amex business plat comes with an automatic fairmont plat status. It is the same as a personal Amex plat after 5 nights.
Oddly enough I did not see the specifics in the terms and conditions. Glad you pointed it out in this comment section so we have it as a footnote now. Thanks!
Fairmont President’s Club – Basic and Supplementary Platinum Cards and other eligible American Express Cardmembers (“Cardmembers”) must enroll to qualify for the American Express “Platinum for Platinum” Fairmont President’s Club Platinum Benefit. Enrolled Cardmembers that register and complete five overnight stays at a Fairmont hotel or resort, paid for with an American Express Card between January and December of the calendar year will qualify for membership in Fairmont President’s Club. The Benefit may be discontinued at any time. Fairmont President’s Club membership is subject to the restrictions, terms and conditions of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts which may change without notice. Complete terms and conditions are available by calling 1-888-320-5959 or by visiting http://www.fairmont.com/fpc. American Express reserves the right to instruct Fairmont Hotels & Resorts to cancel your Fairmont President’s Club membership if you cease to be a Cardmember.
List has been updated!
You missed a bunch of them…Hyatt Platinum with Chase Hyatt, Fairmont Premier with Chase Fairmont, Hilton Gold with Citi Hilton, and there are more as well. None of these even require minimum spend.
Thanks for the heads up Carlh. Though this is a list of Canadian credit cards only.
Here’s what status gets you. A nice plastic card with an impressive word on it.
AND:
The highest tier offered by any of these is the Platinum status in Accorhotels LeClub program. My personal experience with this entirely justified the cost of The Platinum Card by American Express. If you stay at a high-end Accor property (mine was the Sofitel So Bangkok, AKA The Promised Land) you receive truly valuable benefits. We took two rooms, one with premium offer thru Amex travel, one thru a discounted advance book rate from the hotel chain’s website and upon arrival we received the following things purely because of my status:
– upgrade both rooms to Executive Floor
– waive the USD$30 fee for each of our party of 3 for daily Breakfast at their wildly luxurious buffet
– all Executive floor benefits including dedicated 25th floor separate check-in, Executive lounge buffet 2-4pm and 5-7pm daily (which more than covered us for lunch and supper many days) for each of the 3 in my party
Basically free excellent food 3 times daily and superb service. Worth at least $50/day per person, for 5 days for 3 people. Repeat after me: unlimited, all-you-can-eat cheese, fruit, savouries, breakfast and green tea eclairs. Yum. We kept pinching ourselves.