On the hamster wheel of chasing hotel elite status? Buy it instead

Hotel elite status can provide many valuable perks, from late checkout and extra points to room upgrades and complimentary breakfast. If you struggle to earn a specific hotel elite status, jumping off the elite status hamster wheel might be appealing.

Luckily, you can buy some hotel elite status tiers either outright or by adding a new credit card to your wallet. Here’s what you should know about the statuses you can buy in some of the most popular hotel loyalty programs.

Choice Privileges

You can get Choice Privileges Gold status as a benefit of the no-annual-fee Choice Privileges® Mastercard® (see rates and fees) and Platinum status as a perk of the $95 annual fee Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® (see rates and fees).

Even at its highest tiers, Choice Privileges elite status may not provide many benefits on most stays. However, both cards offer other useful perks, such as bonus points on purchases at participating Choice Hotels properties and elite night credits each year that may let you earn a higher elite status when combined with the nights you stay.

The Choice Privileges Select Mastercard even offers 30,000 bonus points every account anniversary. TPG’s February 2025 valuations value 30,000 Choice points at $180, which means these bonus points should provide more value each year than the card’s $95 annual fee.

Check out our Choice Privileges Select Mastercard review and Choice Privileges Mastercard review for more information about these cards.

Related: Your complete guide to the Choice Privileges hotel loyalty program

IHG One Rewards

IHG One Rewards offers three cobranded credit cards that provide automatic elite status. By getting one of these cards — or signing up for an InterContinental Ambassador membership — you can effectively buy IHG elite status.

The no-annual-fee IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card offers automatic Silver Elite status. Unfortunately, Silver Elite status doesn’t offer many incremental perks over those provided to IHG members without status. The primary incremental perks of Silver Elite status are bonus points on stays and no points expiration.

However, you’ll enjoy complimentary upgrades (subject to availability), early check-in (subject to availability) and a welcome amenity at check-in once you reach Platinum Elite status. You can get automatic Platinum Elite status as a perk of the $99 annual fee IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card or the $99 annual fee IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card or by buying an InterContinental Ambassador membership, which costs $225 or 45,000 points for a 12-month membership.

All three IHG credit cards offer the valuable fourth-night-free reward perk that lets you pay zero points for every fourth night when redeeming IHG points for stays of four nights or longer. The IHG Premier and IHG Premier Business cards also give cardmembers an anniversary night certificate each account anniversary year, valid for a night costing 40,000 points or less. Check out our IHG Premier card review, IHG Traveler card review and IHG Premier Business card review to learn more about these cards.

Related: Why you should get (and keep) the IHG One Rewards Premier card

Hilton Honors

The following credit cards offer Hilton elite status as a perk (enrollment may be required):

• Silver status: Hilton Honors American Express Card (no annual fee; see rates and fees)
• Gold status: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card ($150 annual fee; see rates and fees), The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card ($195 annual fee; see rates and fees), The Platinum Card® from American Express ($695 annual fee; see rates and fees) and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express ($695 annual fee; see rates and fees)
• Diamond status: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card ($550 annual fee)

The information for the Hilton Amex Aspire card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Hilton Honors is one of the few programs in which you can effectively buy top-tier elite status by having a credit card. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has a $550 annual fee but offers various perks in addition to Hilton Diamond status that make it possible to get enough value from the card even if you aren’t a frequent guest at Hilton hotels and resorts.

For example, Hilton Aspire cardmembers get an up to $400 Hilton resort credit each year that’s provided as up to $200 in statement credits semiannually on eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton resorts. Cardmembers also get up to $200 back per year — provided as up to $50 in statement credits each quarter — on eligible flight purchases. These two benefits total up to $600 back each year, but the card also offers other benefits, such as an annual free night reward that you can use for a standard award night at almost any Hilton hotel or resort. Check out our Hilton Aspire card review for more details.

Related: Hilton Surpass vs. Hilton Aspire: Do you want Gold or Diamond status?

Marriott Bonvoy

If you want to take the easy route to elite status, you can snag Marriott elite status as a benefit of the following cards (enrollment may be required):

• Silver Elite status: Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card (no annual fee) and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card ($95 annual fee)
• Gold Elite status: Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card ($250 annual fee; see rates and fees), Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card ($125 annual fee; see rates and fees), The Platinum Card® from American Express ($695 annual fee; see rates and fees) and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express ($695 annual fee; see rates and fees)
• Platinum Elite status: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card ($650 annual fee; see rates and fees)

If you’re looking to buy Marriott Bonvoy status by having a card, you’ll likely want the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex. After all, valuable perks like lounge access, elevated welcome amenity options and suite upgrades are only available at the Platinum Elite tier and above. See our Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card review for more details.

Most Marriott cards also offer elite night credits each year that can help you earn a higher elite status tier. I have the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex, which each offer 15 elite night credits per year. So, I can get 30 elite night credits each year from these cards and then stay 20 nights to earn Platinum Elite status.

Related: The complete guide to earning Marriott elite status with credit cards

World of Hyatt

World of Hyatt only offers its lowest elite status tier, Discoverist, as an automatic perk of having a cobranded credit card. Specifically, if you have the World of Hyatt Credit Card, you’ll get complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status. Meanwhile, if you have the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card, you’ll get complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status for you and up to five employees.

The primary benefits of Discoverist status are 2 p.m. late checkout at most properties, upgrades to preferred rooms within the same category and 10% bonus points on stays. These perks may be enough for you, but if you want to earn Explorist or Globalist status, know that the World of Hyatt Credit Card gives you five elite night credits each year toward higher Hyatt elite status tiers. You’ll also earn two additional qualifying night credits toward your next tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card.

Meanwhile, cardmembers of the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card can earn five tier qualifying night credits for every $10,000 spent in a calendar year. This means that you could buy Explorist or even Hyatt Globalist status by spending on your card to earn the qualifying night credits you need.

Related: Why I aim to spend $15K on my World of Hyatt Credit Card each year

Wyndham Rewards

Wyndham Rewards doesn’t offer the most rewarding elite status tiers. However, if you frequently stay at Wyndham properties, you may find it useful to have Wyndham elite status. Luckily, you can get automatic Wyndham elite status as a perk of several credit cards:

• Gold status: Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card (no annual fee)
• Platinum status: Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card ($75 annual fee)
• Diamond status: Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card ($95 annual fee)

The information for the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card, Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card and Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The primary perks of Wyndham Gold status are a 10% points bonus, late checkout and a preferred room choice. Wyndham Platinum status offers a 15% points bonus and early checkout, while Wyndham Diamond status offers a 20% points bonus, suite upgrades and a welcome amenity choice at check-in.

All of the cards — including the no-annual-fee Wyndham Earner Card — let you redeem 10% fewer Wyndham points for free nights. The $75 annual fee Wyndham Earner Plus Card offers 7,500 bonus points each anniversary year after payment of the renewal fee, while the $95 annual fee Wyndham Earner Business Card offers 15,000 bonus points each anniversary year. These bonus points each anniversary year should easily offer more value than each card’s annual fee.

Related: Which Wyndham Rewards credit card is right for you?

Bottom line

If you had to do mattress runs or hustle to earn the last few elite qualifying nights or points for your hotel elite status last year, now might be the perfect time to jump off the hotel elite status hampster wheel and buy the status you want. Of course, you can’t buy every hotel elite status, but you may find that having elite status through carrying select travel rewards cards provides adequate perks with much less hassle.

For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Amex, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Surpass, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Business, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the Bonvoy Bevy, click here.
For rates and fees of the Bonvoy Business, click here.
For rates and fees of the Bonvoy Brilliant, click here.