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It all tastes better when it’s free.
I’d argue that Marriott Gold is the best mid-tier status around. Ordinarily you’d have to stay A LOT of nights to attain it. 50 to be exact. I mean that is a lot of nights, and unless you are a road warrior/corporate traveller, the odds are you won’t be hitting Gold year in, year out. I don’t stay near that many nights and have gold status. How? Over a year ago, when SPG and Marriott released extended details about their merger, an opportunity poked its head out – I blogged about it then ( but I think many don’t utilize the perk) . SPG Gold matches to Marriott Gold. SPG Gold is a benefit of any American Express Platinum charge card. Ok, great Miles, you have Marriott Gold status…what’s the big deal? You guessed it. Club Level. Marriott Gold Elite members get guaranteed club level access at MOST of their properties. THIS is how I get free Marriott club level with a credit card.
I’m not lying…it’s guaranteed at MOST Marriott properties.
Amex Platinum gives you SPG Gold.
I carry an Amex Biz Plat. Just ordered the metal version 😉 Any version will do, but it does have to be the charge card version. Not a Delta Platinum, SPG Platinum, etc.
You can link your accounts here:
Voila…Gold Elite with just one night.
Club level can save tons of money on an extended stay.
You’ll normally get a fantastic breakfast spread along with evening canapes ( In Asia they offer full meal replacements in the evening, US/Europe less so), and some period of time where open bar is available. There’s normally a lot of space to hang out with friends, and cold drinks and snacks are pretty much available 24 hours. The Marriott Marquis in D.C. has a great club level.
In London, I stayed at Hotel Xenia for a little over £100 – I was given a fantastic breakfast option. A perk, if there is no club level available.
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Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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