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It’s one of the saddest times of the year: No, not the post-holiday blues, but seeing most of my status levels reset to zero come January. It’s a reminder that the hamster wheel of status chasing never really ends.
However, there are some bright spots. Rollover credits, miles or free nights from credit cards courtesy of some of our favorite programs like World of Hyatt are already here. And several programs have new perks or new choices when it comes to benefits.
In fact, readers and some of us at TPG have seen rollovers and credits — including Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt stay credits — hitting our accounts.
Consider this your annual reminder to check your accounts and make a plan for status goals for 2024.
Delta SkyMiles
It’s a whole new world for Delta Air Lines’ elite members, with the airline making a ton of changes to its program for 2024. While Delta has since rolled back some of the most Draconian changes, what hasn’t changed is the end of Medallion Qualification Miles as an elite status metric.
Going forward, it’s all about the Medallion Qualification Dollars, as you can see from the new tracker that is already showing up in the SkyMiles account shown below.
We understand the new tracker isn’t accurate at the moment, but it should be fully rolled out later in January.
In the meantime, your ability to choose your Delta Choice Benefits is enabled now. There are a bunch of new choices along with previous options like upgrade certificates and bonus SkyMiles.
If you qualified for Platinum or Diamond Medallion status in the 2024 Medallion year (based on qualifying activity during the 2023 calendar year), you have until Jan. 31, 2025, to select your annual Delta Choice Benefits, but note you must choose your 2023 benefits by the end of January. I’m in that boat myself and need to decide which benefits to pick.
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Delta also now has an information page up about members’ options for what to do with rollover MQM balances. Delta is allowing elite members to use up their rollover MQMs from last year by extending their 2024 status, among other options.
You will have until Dec. 31, 2024, to decide how you would like to convert your MQMs. You can convert them to MQDs, miles or a combination of both. Members with MQM balances over 100,000 can also choose to extend their 2024 Medallion status for one year for every 100,000 rollover MQMs.
The rest of Delta’s changes should be displayed in your account on or shortly after Feb. 1, 2024. I’m especially curious to see how the option to extend status gets displayed.
Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott Bonvoy fans are already seeing 2024 elite night credits hit their accounts. These are bonus nights courtesy of holding a Marriott credit card that automatically awards you anywhere from 15 to 25 elite night credits per year per card type. In my case, I hold the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, which comes with automatic Platinum status and a 25-night head start for the year.
You can only get elite nights from one personal card, even if you have multiple. However, if you open a business card and a personal card, you can get up to 40, which is nearly enough for Marriott Bonvoy Platinum status (50 nights).
Read more: Here’s why you need both a personal and business Marriott Bonvoy credit card
My colleague Nick Ewen is one of those lucky Bonvoy members. He’s already sitting at 40 nights.
This can provide a large boost toward Bonvoy’s elite status qualification.
You’ll find this elite night benefit as a perk of a slew of cards, including the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card ($95 annual fee) and the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card ($125 annual fee; see rates and fees).
Related: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant credit card review
World of Hyatt
Qualifying nights courtesy of World of Hyatt are also now posted. A survey of TPG employees and folks in the TPG Lounge Facebook group suggests many folks are getting them as of Monday.
You get five nights every year toward World of Hyatt status just for holding the World of Hyatt Credit Card. Plus, you can earn another two nights for every $5,000 you spend on the card.
Hyatt also has the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card that, sadly, does not get you any elite-qualifying nights just for holding the card. But you can earn five tier-qualifying night credits for every $10,000 you spend each calendar year on the card.
By leveraging one (or both) of these cards, you could conceivably spend your way to status — or combine your spending with regular stay activity to elevate your tier in 2024.
Related: How getting the World of Hyatt business card helped me get top-tier Hyatt status
Hyatt has also rolled out several new features this year. You’ll now have more choices at more stops in your elite status journey. Hyatt Milestone Rewards will still start at 20 qualifying nights or 35,000 base points within a calendar year. You’ll earn Milestone Rewards on up to 150 qualifying nights per year.
World of Hyatt also ended the unlimited Guest of Honor benefit available to Globalist elite members. Instead, you can now earn Guest of Honor awards through the Hyatt Milestone Rewards program.
That tracker has also already hit the website in 2024. Among the choices you get are 2,000 World of Hyatt points for a stay at select brands, club access passes and credits for Hyatt Find experiences.
For 2024, Hyatt deposited five Guest of Honor awards into the accounts of all Globalist members (including those with lifetime Globalist status). Mine are already in my account, waiting to be used.
Hilton Honors
As of Tuesday, we’re also seeing status notifications and status rollover nights posted to Hilton Honors accounts
If you have Hilton Honors Silver status or above, any qualifying nights beyond the number required to qualify for a given status level are counted toward your elite status qualification for the following calendar year. Those nights should now be posted or will be posted shortly.
Yes, you can have Hilton status just by having the right credit card. In fact, I have top-tier Diamond status just because I hold the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
The information for the Hilton Honors American Express 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.
While the card has a steep annual fee of $550 (see rates and fees), there are other valuable inclusions like an up-to-$400 biannual Hilton resort credit, up to $200 in airfare credits (up to $50 each quarter), and a free night certificate when you open the account and each year on your card anniversary.
Related: Get top-tier Hilton status just by opening a credit card
Related reading:
For rates and fees of the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business Card, click here
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Aspire Card, click here
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