How to get Hilton, Marriott, Radisson (and more) hotel status
Earning hotel status can take many paid visits to a brand, or you can jump the queue and earn status through credit and debit cards. This post explains how you can get status quickly without ever having to pay for a room or even walk through the doors of a hotel.
Can you really get status for free?
It depends. Every option below has a cost attached, but if you consider the hotel status perk as being secondary to the main purpose of paying for a credit or debit card, then with a bit of mental gymnastics, you could consider it free.
You may, for example, really want a particular credit card for other reasons, and therefore getting the hotel status with that card is a bonus.
What is true is that if you wanted to earn hotel status through staying in a hotel, you would end up paying significantly more than if you used one of the options below. That’s not to say you should do this, but it will get you there quicker and faster than actually visiting a hotel.
Some of the options below are for businesses, and if your business is covering the card cost, you might consider it to be a personal cost of zero. Of course, getting advice from your accountants or a tax expert is critical to understand how costs (and tax) are incurred and assigned. I wrote a long post about how to get Avios points as a small business that you might be interested in.
However you assess the costs, it is, as always, important that you review any fees and consider whether it’s the right option for you.
Get Hilton Gold status for free
- Via the AMEX Platinum (Personal) Card
- Or the AMEX Platinum Business Card
- Or the Hilton Currensea debit card
Hilton Gold is my favourite hotel status. That’s partly due to Gold giving you free breakfast, which can deliver reasonable per-night savings, and also to the vast number of Hilton (and Hilton sub-brands) worldwide. It’s my go-to chain because it has many brands that cover the low- to mid-market very well.
I’ve never had a bad night in a Hilton. I’ve certainly stayed in some in the US where I felt like I wasn’t getting value for money, but they have always delivered the basics well. Whilst I’m not wedded to the brand, I am more likely to choose them over Marriott, primarily because their Gold perks are much better.
Here’s how you can get Hilton Silver or Gold status without even setting foot in one of their hotels:
| Card | Cost | Status Achieved | Other Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amex Platinum Card (Personal) | £650/year | Get Hilton Gold Status | 50,000 to 100,000 Amex MR points at sign-up (spend requirements) |
| Amex Platinum Business | £650/year | Get Hilton Gold Status | 50,000 Amex MR points at sign-up (spend requirements) |
| Hilton Honors Debit Card | £60/year | Get Hilton Silver Status | 10,000 Hilton points on sign-up |
| Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card | £150/year | Get Hilton Gold Status | 30,000 Hilton points on sign-up |
What are the perks of Hilton Silver and Gold?
Hilton Silvers get:
- Two free bottles of water when you arrive
- Get a fifth night free when you book a four-night reward stay using points
- Get a 20% points bonus on stays that you pay for.
And Hilton Golds get:
- The same perks as Silver plus:
- Free breakfast for up to two people every day of your stay. This is a genuinely valuable perk, but for some brands, you may get a food and drink credit instead.
- 80% reward point bonus on stays that you pay for (replacing the 20% you get as a silver)
- Free room upgrades, depending on availability. I’ve been a Hilton Gold for a while now and have never had a room upgrade. The upgrade ceiling for Gold is an executive room, meaning you will never get upgraded beyond this level.
Both reward tiers include the benefits of standard membershi: free Wi-Fi and no resort fees on reward stays.
Which Hilton options make sense?
The Currensea Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card costs £150/year. It is significantly cheaper than the two American Express Platinum cards (£650/year), and it offers the same Hilton status perk of Gold. The free breakfast option for you and anyone staying in your room has real, tangible value. It is one of the few hotel perks that will absolutely save you money.
If you value breakfast at £10/person, that means you’d need to stay 15 nights in a Hilton to break even, or 7 (and a half) if you’re travelling with someone. That is a reasonable number of stays over a year, so it’s worth considering whether you will recoup your costs.
Here are a couple of scenarios to understand the savings:
Staying in Manchester, mid-week
A night at the excellent Hilton Garden Inn at the Emirates Old Trafford has a cheapest rate of £85 for two people. That does not include breakfast. The next rate up includes breakfast and is £101/night. That puts the value of the breakfast at £16, or £8 each, which you would receive for free with Gold status.
Staying in London, weekend.
A two-night stay at the Nomad on Bow Street costs £488 per night for two people on an advanced purchase rate, with a member discount. This is the lowest quoted rate. Including breakfast adds £28 per night (so, £14 per person). Over a two-night stay, the free breakfast perk is worth £56 for two people.
Get Marriott Bonvoy Silver or Gold Status for free
- Via the Amex Marriott Bonvoy card
- Or the AMEX Platinum Business Card
- The Currensea Marriott Card
- The Currensea Marriott Premium Card
At an annual fee of £95, the Amex Marriott card is one of the cheaper cards that will get you status. It is, however, lowly Silver at Marriott, which has limited perks: 10% extra points on each stay and late checkout.
Marriott has co-branded debit cards with Currensea. Sign up for the Premium card (£175), and you’ll automatically get Gold status. This gives you 25% extra points on each stay and the option of free room updates. This perk is always a little questionable
| Card | Cost | Status Achieved | Other Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amex Marriott Bonvoy Card | £95/year | Marriott Silver Status | 20,000 Marriott points on signup (spend requirements) |
| Amex Platinum Business | £650/year | Marriott Gold Elite | 50,000 Amex MR points at sign-up (spend requirements) |
| Currensea Marriott Card | £55/year | Marriott Silver Status | 10,000 Marriott points on sign-up |
| Currensea Marriott Premium Card | £175/year | Marriott Gold Elite Status | 30,000 Marriott points on sign-up |
What are the perks of Marriott Silver and Gold?
IMHO, Marriott has weak perks for their Silver and Gold tiers. You get bonus points, late checkout (although not guaranteed) ,and room upgrades (again, not guaranteed). If you’re going to pay for a card that gets you free hotel status, then IMHO it makes no sense to to do it with Marriott.
Marriott Silvers get:
- 10% bonus points on stays
- Priority (not guaranteed) late checkout
- Free wifi
Marriott Gold Elites get:
- The same perks as Silver plus:
- 25% bonus points on each stay.
- Free room upgrades, depending on availability.
- 2pm Late checkout
- 250 or 500 points when you stay with them (once per trip)
You might notice that neither Silvers nor Golds get free breakfast. This is a perk that only the highest tier of the Marriott Bonvoy scheme can get, and even then, it’s confusing.
What is the Currensea Card?
The Currensea cards focus on foreign currency transactions and deliver the best rates. They are not credit cards, but are instead debit cards that link to your own bank account.
Their own branded cards offer perks distinct from the Marriott and Hilton cards listed above, but none of those perks are tied to hotel status. Some perks claim to offer discounts on hotel stays, and there are other interesting perks including lounge access.
Get Radisson VIP (the top tier) status for free
- Via the Capital On Tap Pro card
- Or the AMEX Platinum Business Card
| Card | Cost | Status Achieved | Other Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital On Tap Pro Card (Business Only) | £299/year | Radisson Rewards VIP Status | 10,000 Capital On Tap points on signup (spend requirements) |
| Amex Platinum Business | £650/year | Radisson Rewards Premium Status | 50,000 Amex MR points at sign-up (spend requirements) |
What are the perks of Radisson VIP status?
Radisson is generous with its perks, offering 14 in total for VIP status. As you would expect with that many on offer, some are low or zero value, but others are very useful.
VIP status will give you (when available) a free room upgrade to the best category (which beats the Hilton Gold status of being upgraded up to an Executive Room level). Our first stay with Radisson since we achieved VIP status is in a couple of months, so I am hopeful that we get something. To date I have never had a room upgrade from any hotel group, despite having status.
You also receive free breakfast for up to two people every day of your stay. This is likely the most valuable perk, though it’s not guaranteed for long-stay rates. You can also get a 15% discount on food and soft drinks at participating hotels.
Other perks include early check-in and check-out, an enhanced points earn rate (36/$) and a “discount booster” which apparently gives you upto an extra 20% discount on your bookings.
The Radisson Rewards Premium status
Below the VIP level is the Premium status. This offers similar perks to the VIP: an increased points rate per $ spent (27 vs the 31 of VIP), a discount on food and soft drinks (10% vs 15% on VIP). It also includes a free room upgrade, although this is limited to the next room category up. VIP status will – when available – give you a room upgrade with no limits on the type. Finally you do not get free breakfast with Premium status.
Is it worth getting hotel status this way?
If you travel frequently and tend to stay with one particular hotel brand, then it could be valuable if you cover the costs of the hotel yourself and you book directly with the hotel.
Booking hotels via an aggregator (like Hotels.com) means you cannot utilise the perks of hotel status. You have to book directly with the brand in order to collect points, get a room upgrade or a free breakfast.
If your business or employer pays for the hotel, and it’s booked in a way that allows you to collect points for your stay, then it could be worth it, although the free breakfast perk may be moot if your employer would have covered that. Some companies use corporate travel services that do not allow you to collect points or use perks with a hotel brand.
All of the cards, apart from the American Express, are focused on a particular brand. The branded Currensea Debit Cards require that you align your choice with a hotel group. The Capital On Tap card gives you just Radisson status.
The best card – in terms of hotel perks – is the Business Platinum card. It’s the most expensive card, jointly with the personal Platinum card, but it gives you status with Hilton, Marriott, Melia and Radisson (although just at a Premium level, whereas the Capital On Tap card gives you VIP status).
Are there other hotel perks from cards?
The Amex Business Platinum Card also includes MeliaRewards Gold status. This offers similar perks to the other schemes, with a late checkout and increased earn rates. You will also get three discount vouchers for 20% off stays, and if you buy a breakfast, you’ll get a second one for free. This is poor compared to Hilton and Radisson.
The Melia brand, like Hilton and Marriott, includes a number of sub-brands. These include Innside (which has hotels in Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle). The Melia brand is very focused on Spain, but it does have enough locations across the rest of the world for it to be useful occasionally.
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