For the past couple of years, hotel and airline loyalty programs have extended elite status in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But in 2023, that’s coming to an end. A tsunami of downgrades will wipe out some travelers’ elite status because pandemic-era offers are expiring and loyalty programs are upping the qualification requirements.
On Jan. 1, 2023, United Airlines raised requirements for Premier status tiers. Come March 2023, it’ll be tougher to earn American Airlines Gold elite status. Major hotels, including Marriott and IHG, promised to extend elite status through February 2023, meaning automatic extensions are at their end.
“The cliff is coming,” says Phil Gunter, the co-founder of Status Match, an online service that helps people apply to match their existing elite status with status in other travel loyalty programs. “This is a major, unavoidable industry event.”…