SPG Status Challenge Available, Get Gold or Platinum Through 2020!

SPG doesn’t offer status matches where you can get your elite status matched from another program but they do offer status challenges where you can obtain a certain elite status level by booking a certain number of stays or nights in a designated time period.

• You can find the link to find out more about the the status challenge here

How to qualify for the 2018 SPG status challenge

With the status challenge, you’ll be able to obtain SPG Gold or SPG Platinum status.

• SPG Gold requires 9 nights
• SPG Platinum requires 18 nights

Here are the qualifying terms to reach Gold:

You are eligible if:

• Are an SPG Preferred member.
• Have not held SPG Gold or Platinum status in the last five years.
• Have not previously completed a Status Challenge promotion. 

Here are the qualifying terms to reach Platinum:

You are eligible if:

• Are an SPG Preferred or Gold member.
• Have not held SPG Platinum status in the last five years.
• Have not previously completed a Status Challenge promotion.  

This challenge is great in that it doesn’t require you to hold a certain level of status with an outside program so it’s open to the public at large. However, notice the bolded terms that restrict people who have completed a challenge in the past or have held that elite status in the last five years. Five years is a long time for a restriction period.

How do I register for the SPG status challenge?

The terms state to “simply contact SPG Customer Care to register and validate eligibility.”

• You can try calling this customer service line to inquire about registration: 1-888-625-4988.

You’ll be able to choose a 3 month window between now and June that works for you to complete the challenge. So for example you could choose to try out the challenge in January, February, and March or February, March, and April or March, April, and May. 

My advice would be to wait until March to qualify since the terms state “If a member is upgraded via the challenge on or before February 28th, 2018, they retain status until February 28, 2019, the following year. If they are upgraded on or after March 1, 2018, they retain status for the remainder of the year, all of 2019, up until February 28, 2020.”

That’s almost two full years of top-tier status available with this challenge but only if you wait until after the end of February.

• Note that members must register by June 30, 2018
• Also SPG Award Nights do not count as Eligible Paid Nights for the purpose of the Status Challenge; only paid night count.

Here are the full terms and conditions. 

Is this a good status challenge?

I would prefer to earn SPG Gold status via the Platinum Card from American Express since it automatically qualifies you with SPG Gold.

Alternatively, you could shoot for Marriott status since it will automatically give you SPG Gold status (once you link your accounts).

You could use the Ritz-Carlton Rewards credit card to earn Marriott Gold upon signing up for the card but you’ll need to spend $10,000 a year to receive it for the following years. The Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card offers Silver status but also offers ways to earn elite credits toward Gold and you can earn Gold status by spending $50,000 in a year (which I would not recommend).

So instead of paying for 9 SPG nights, you could just use those funds to towards paying the annual fee on a card like the Platinum Card.

Once you have Marriott Gold, you could always try to get Marriott Platinum status via a status challenge. You would only need to hit 9 nights assuming you’re eligible. There are ways to get those nights knocked out for very cheap if you utilize promos and stay at cheap properties on the outskirts of town. This would be my preferred method to reach SPG Platinum rather than hitting 18 nights.

Keep in mind that if you want to go the hard way and get SPG Gold or Platinum with actual hotel stays, you can earn credits for up to three qualifying nights per night.

I really like SPG Platinum because it grants you Marriott Platinum and together those statuses get you lounge access, breakfasts, premium internet, late check out, better odds of suite upgrades, and will even get you Silver status with United. You can read more about Marriott Platinum status benefits here and SPG Platinum status benefits here.

H/T: Loyalty Lobby