SPG Gold status after just one stay instead of 10 eligible stays or 25 eligible nights? It’s true and the offer is valid all the way through July 12, 2015, though it does come with quite a few restrictions. I first blogged about the extended offer early last summer, but reader Aaron in Los Angeles today reminded me of the promotion after emailing to let me know that it worked for him…despite the restrictions. So, what are those restrictions and how can you overcome them to take advantage of the offer? Here we go…morality warning:
- You must have World MasterCard or World Elite MasterCard and use it to make your reservation and pay for your stay. If you’re a Chase Ink Plus or Ink Bold card holder, you already have one of these. What to do if you don’t have one? Use any MasterCard! Yes, besides Aaron today, several readers wrote in last July that they were able to take advantage of the offer after registering without using just a plain old MasterCard. This Flyertalk thread speculates that you might not even need to use a MasterCard at all, though I’d at least try to use a plain old to be safe.
- Your must stay at least one night AND that one night must be at a property in the Asia Pacific region. Unfortunately, there’s no way around this one. Hopefully you’ve redeemed some miles or are planning to redeem some miles for a trip to region some time before July 2015!
- You must have residence in the Asia Pacific region. That’s an easy one – perhaps you have a friend who lives in the region who wouldn’t mind some extra mail? What about the address of the property you plan to stay at (this is the way Aaron went). Once your status posts, you can change your address back.
The first step is registering for the promotion here. The T&Cs are linked at that page but check at the full T&Cs at MasterCard’s promo site here.
What can SPG Gold status do for you? Full benefits are listed on Starwood’s site here.
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7 comments
Hi, the terms and conditions say that the Gold status can take up to 4 weeks after a stay to register, but I was wondering how long it normally actually takes? Thanks!
@tiffany I – From reader experience, 24 hours – 7 days. It took 3 days for Aaron’s status to update.
@adam–thanks!
Once registered, you can pay with about any credit cards. From my regional travel forum, I’ve seen hundreds of people who paid with their AMEX or VISA and all upgraded to Gold after just one stay.
@AaroninBKK – Thanks for the data point! Glad to hear from another Aaron 😉
So how long does the status last for? Didn’t find any info on that. Would like to time the stay if the status is valid only for say 1 year from stay.
Also chase ink bold is now Visa.
@Prateek – My status from this promo is valid until the end of Feb 2015. Anyone who applied for the Ink Bold prior to September has a MC.