How to ‘buy’ status with each of the six major hotel groups

Whilst you are meant to obtain elite status with a hotel group via ‘heads in beds’, regular HfP readers will know that there are various ways to obtain status without going near a hotel.

I realised that we’ve never pulled all of this information together in one place, so I thought I would fix that today.

I am looking at ways that will allow you to retain hotel status year in and year out simply by handing over some money.

This article does NOT cover obtaining hotel elite status via a status match, using your status with one chain to get status with another. This is partly because these offers come and go, and partly because they are not permanent. Most chains only allow one status match per lifetime.

I have not covered the hotel benefits that come with The Centurion Card from American Express, given that this is ‘invitation only’ and has a £3,800 annual fee.

I have not covered ways of getting one-off status for a year which cannot be renewed. This could be via a gift of status from another member (a benefit we’ll cover in another article soon) or, for Accor, by buying shares in the company.

I have not covered ways of getting hotel status by having airline status with a non-UK airline. For example, American Airlines ConciergeKey members get Hyatt Globalist status and United Airlines, Air Canada and Singapore Airlines offer Marriott Bonvoy status to elites (and Shangri-La status in the case of Singapore Airlines).

Accor Live Limitless (Option 1)

Status you can get: 10 elite nights, which gets you Silver and makes higher tiers easier

How? Via the ALL PLUS ibis card

What does it normally require? 10 nights or 2,000 base points (€800 of pre-tax spend at most brands) for Silver

Is it worth having? No, not for Silver which the lowest elite tier. The only guaranteed benefit is a 25% bonus on base points and a welcome drink. However, by receiving 10 elite night credits your route to Gold (usually 30 nights) and Platinum (usually 60 nights) is made easier.

How do you get it? Pay €99 for the ALL PLUS ibis card. This gets you a 15% discount on stays at ibis hotels. You receive your 10 elite nights each year when you renew. We discussed the ALL PLUS ibis card in more detail in this article. You can apply here.

Accor Live Limitless (Option 2)

Status you can get: 30 elite nights, which gets you Gold and makes higher tiers easier

How? Via the ALL PLUS ibis card and the ALL PLUS Voyageur card

What does it normally require? 30 nights or 7,000 base points (€2,800 of pre-tax spend at most brands) for Gold

Is it worth having? Gold is mid-tier status. On paper the benefits are weak because little is guaranteed except for a 50% bonus on base points and a welcome drink. However, room upgrades, early check-in and late check-out are ‘if available’ benefits and Accor properties are generally more amenable to mid-tier elites than other chains. This is because Accor has proportionately fewer elite members than other chains as it doesn’t give away status via credit cards. By receiving 30 elite night credits your route to Platinum (usually 60 nights) is made far easier.

How do you get it? You need to pay €99 for the ALL PLUS ibis card, which gets you a 15% discount on ibis stays, AND €199 for the ALL PLUS Voyageur card, which gets you a 15%-20% discount at 21 Accor brands. The cards come with 10 and 20 elite night credits respectively which stack to give you 30 nights between them. You receive your 30 elite nights each year when you renew both cards. We discussed the two ALL PLUS cards in more detail in this article. You can apply here.

Accor Live Limitless (Option 3)

Status you can get: 12,000 status points, which gets you Gold status but – more importantly – puts you just 2,000 points short of Platinum

How? Via Brazilian membership scheme ALL Signature

What does it normally require? 60 nights or 14,000 base points (€5,600 of pre-tax spend at most brands) for Platinum – which means you will be 2,000 base points (€800 of pre-tax spend at most brands) short if you follow this method.

Is it worth having? Platinum is upper mid-tier status. It is where the benefits get interesting – two annual Suite Night Upgrade awards (one award needed per night, upgrades confirmed when booking), executive lounge access and, in Asia Pacific, free breakfast. Room upgrades, early check-in and late check-out are ‘if available’ benefits but Accor properties are generally very amenable to Platinum members.

How do you get it? It’s tricky. You need to pay R$6,720 (£878) to join ALL Signature, a Brazilian-focused Accor membership scheme on a 12 month annual subscription. Over 12 months you receive 75,000 Accor points (worth €1,500 of free stays, or £1,243) AND 12,000 status points. Because the status points drop in at 1,000 per month, the best time to sign-up for ALL Signature is in January so you get the full 12,000 in the same membership year. However, there are often 10%-15% discounts on joining in other months. Full details of ALL Signature are here.

IMPORTANT: This is in the ‘advanced’ category of points collecting and you should not go near this unless you fully understand the Accor Live Limitless programme.

Hilton Honors (Option 1)

Status you can get: Diamond

How? Via British Airways Gold Guest List status

What does it normally require? 30 stays or 60 nights or 120,000 base points ($12,000 of pre-tax spend at most brands) for Diamond

Is it worth having? Yes – Hilton Diamond is top tier status with guaranteed free breakfast for two people (or a daily food and drink credit in the USA), executive lounge access and a 100% bonus points on every stay. Late check-out is not guaranteed.

How do you get it? Gold Guest List members of British Airways Executive Club (requires 3,000 tier points per year) receive complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status.

Hilton Honors (Option 2)

Status you can get: Gold

How? Via the Hilton Honors Plus debit card

What does it normally require? 20 stays or 40 nights or 75,000 base points ($7,500 of pre-tax spend at most brands) for Gold

Is it worth having? Yes – Hilton Gold is arguably the best mid-tier hotel status you can have, because you get free breakfast for two people (or a daily food and drink credit in the USA) and 80% bonus points on every stay as well ‘not guaranteed’ benefits such as room upgrades.

How do you get it? Pay £150 per year from the Hilton Honors Plus debit card – review here, apply here. Your status is upgraded as soon as you activate your card. You retain your status for as long as you hold the debit card.

Hilton Honors (Option 3)

Status you can get: Gold

How? Via The Platinum Card from American Express

What does it normally require? 20 stays or 40 nights or 75,000 base points ($7,500 of pre-tax spend at most brands) for Gold

Is it worth having? Yes – Hilton Gold is arguably the best mid-tier hotel status you can have, because you get free breakfast for two people (or a daily food and drink credit in the USA) and 80% bonus points on every stay as well ‘not guaranteed’ benefits such as room upgrades.

How do you get it? Pay £650 per year for The Platinum Card from American Express – review here, apply here. You need to fill in an online form once you receive your Platinum card to receive the upgraded status. You retain your status for as long as you hold the card. It isn’t worth getting The Platinum Card purely for Hilton Honors status, but the full list of Platinum benefits is impressive.

Hilton Honors (Option 4)

Status you can get: Silver

How? Via the Hilton Honors debit card

What does it normally require? 4 stays or 10 nights for Silver

Is it worth having? It’s not life-changing. You get 20% bonus base points and two free bottles of water per stay. You are far better aiming for Gold status.

How do you get it? Pay £60 per year from the Hilton Honors debit card – review here, apply here. Your status is upgraded as soon as you activate your card. You retain your status for as long as you hold the debit card.

IHG One Rewards

Status you can get: Platinum

How? Via InterContinental Ambassador

What does it normally require? 40 nights or 60,000 base points ($6,000 of pre-tax spend at most brands) for Platinum

Is it worth having? Platinum is upper mid-tier. The only guaranteed benefits are a 60% bonus on base points and a free welcome drink or snack or a handful of bonus points. You are fairly well placed for a non-guaranteed room upgrade or early check-in (not late check-out).

How do you get it? Pay $225 per year to join the InterContinental Ambassador reward programmme which we reviewed here. You will retain your Platinum status for as long as you remain an Ambassador member. The benefits of Ambassador can be worthwhile, especially the 2-4-1 weekend stay voucher for InterContinental hotels.

Marriott Bonvoy (Option 1)

Status you can get: Gold

How? Via The Platinum Card from American Express

What does it normally require? 25 nights for Gold

Is it worth having? Gold is mid-tier. You’re not getting any guaranteed benefits apart from a 25% bonus on base points and a welcome gift. Room upgrades are subject to availability and you are behind Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador members. 2pm late check-out is not guaranteed, unlike the 4pm late check-out benefit for Platinum members.

How do you get it? Pay £650 per year for The Platinum Card from American Express – review here, apply here. You need to fill in an online form once you receive your Platinum card to receive the upgraded status. You retain your status for as long as you hold the card. It isn’t worth getting The Platinum Card purely for Marriott Bonvoy status, but the full list of Platinum benefits is impressive.

Marriott Bonvoy (Option 2)

Status you can get: 15 elite nights, which gets you Silver and makes higher tiers easier

How? Via the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card

What does it normally require? 10 nights for Silver

Is it worth having? No, not for Silver. The only guaranteed benefit is a 10% bonus on base points and priority for late checkout requests over non-status members. However, by receiving 15 elite night credits your route to Gold (usually 25 nights) and Platinum (usually 50 nights) is made much easier.

How do you get it? Pay £95 per year for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card – review here, apply here. You receive your first 15 elite night credits within two weeks and then 15 credits in the first week of January every year after that. These count towards lifetime status.

Radisson Rewards (Option 1)

Status you can get: VIP

How? Via the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card for Limited Companies

What does it normally require? 20 stays or 30 nights for VIP

Is it worth having? Yes – Radisson Rewards VIP is their top-tier status. Whilst only recently introduced, hotels do appear to take it seriously. You receive 36 points per $1 (or the option of a lower upfront room rate via ‘Discount Booster’), a 15% discount on food and drink in selected hotels, lounge access at a small number of hotels, free breakfast for two people and an upgrade to the best available room. The upgrade is guaranteed although based on whatever rooms are available at check-in, with suites excluded at most hotels.

How do you get it? Pay £299 per year for the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card – review here, apply here. You must have a Limited Company to apply. The card also comes with airport lounge access via Priority Pass.

Radisson Rewards (Option 2)

Status you can get: Premium

How? Via The Platinum Card from American Express

What does it normally require? 3 stays or 5 nights for Premium

Is it worth having? Yes – Radisson Rewards Premium unlocks ‘Discount Booster’ which gives you a genuine extra discount on every booking, usually an extra 10% or so, if you agree to earn a lower rate of points. The other benefits – a one category upgrade, early check-in and late check-out – are ‘subject to availability’.

How do you get it? Pay £650 per year for The Platinum Card from American Express – review here, apply here. You need to fill in an online form once you receive your Platinum card to receive the upgraded status. You retain your status for as long as you hold the card. It isn’t worth getting The Platinum Card purely for Radisson Rewards status, but the full list of Platinum benefits is impressive.

World of Hyatt

There is no route to automatic, renewable, World of Hyatt status.

PS. Whilst not one of the ‘big six’ schemes we cover, MeliaRewards Gold status is also a benefit with The Platinum Card from American Express. You can learn more about it in this HfP article. The key benefit is the three ‘20% off’ vouchers you receive each year, plus an extra one or an upgrade voucher on your birthday, which are especially valuable for anyone booking a holiday at a Melia resort.

Find out more

We have detailed reviews of each of the six major hotel loyalty schemes, updated annually:

• Review: Is Accor Live Limitless the best hotel loyalty scheme?
• Review: Is Hilton Honors the best hotel loyalty scheme?
• Review: Is IHG One Rewards the best hotel loyalty scheme?
• Review: Is Marriott Bonvoy the best hotel loyalty scheme?
• Review: Is Radisson Rewards the best hotel loyalty scheme?
• Review: Is World of Hyatt the best hotel loyalty scheme?

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

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Hotel offers update – April 2025:

Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.

Want to buy hotel points?

• Hilton Honors is offering a 100% bonus when you buy points by 29th May 2025. The annual purchase limit is also increased to 240,000 points pre-bonus. Click here to buy.

• World of Hyatt is offering a 25% discount (equivalent to a 33% bonus) when you buy points by 14th April 2025. Click here to buy.