Chasing elite status with a hotel or airline can be addictive. Once you get a taste of the benefits (such as upgrades, lounge access, bonus points and enhanced customer service), it's hard to give them up. Depending on how frequently you travel, you could easily get hundreds — if not thousands — of dollars in value from elite status each year.
However, these lucrative perks come at a cost. Many airlines require customers to spend at least $5,000 in a year, and the major hotel chains typically require at least 10 nights per year to earn the lowest level of elite status. Even lower-tier members may need to spend a fair amount of cash to secure their status.
Luckily, numerous credit cards can help jump-start your progress toward elite status in the coming year. Plus, with some of these cards' welcome bonuses, you'll earn a nice haul of bonus rewards and get closer to elite status. If you play your cards right (pun intended), you could have top-tier elite status in a major program by the time you finish reading this guide.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on The Points Guy Articles.
