Many years ago, through a promotion with a credit card, I was granted lifetime Gold. This has held true for about 10 years. Now all of a sudden they have downgraded me to a regular member. Of course I did not keep the "documentation" for this benefit (not for 10 years), and thus Starwood says without proof of this offer I am not eligible for the Gold status. Any suggestions?

 

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Just tell them what credit card it was... Surely SPG remembers the promos its done or....?

 

Do you stay at Starwoods? If you have 10 stays you have gold. It is also offered through Canadian AAA I believe. Starwood has the right to change terms and conditions at any time as noted in other threads. If you have a number of stays booked I would call Starwood and just ask if they can extend gold to you; but if you don't stay at their properties what difference does it make whether you have it or not?

 

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thats not the point.... If a lifetime benefit is awarded, then it should be honored.

 

CAA is Preferred Plus not Gold.

But probably what happened is maybe a code entered on the card has expired. Even though you are supposed to get Gold with AMEX Plat some people report it's a hassle to keep getting it reinstated every year. On the other hand some people who actually stay at Starwood find that their status is renewed automatically (as long as they hold AMEX Plat).

So stays may have an influence on the code or something.

 

Correct. Only way I know that they can legally rescind that status offer is thru bankruptcy -- and thankfully, they have not gone thru it.

I was surprised that United honored those who purchased lifetime memberships in the Red Carpet Clubs and had those permitted.

 

This issue has been brought up before. If it is related to a particular CC promo, unless your CC has been terminated, there should be no reason for your SPG membership level to be affected.

However, everything is really vague and this has been more than 10 years. If more information can be provided by the OP on which CC promotion, I can find out more.

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Thyetus Lee | Online Forum Coordinator(AP)
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd

 

exactly. lifetime could be either the lifetime of the hotel, you, or the CC. so did you (the OP) cancel the card?

 

Another possibility is that the bank that offered the credit card that provided the status has gone bankrupt. I suspect that any "lifetime" Gold status would involve someone (i.e. the credit card company) paying an annual fee (rather than a one-time fee) to Starwood to retain such a status.

Do you remember which credit card provided this benefit?

 

It's possible the OP stays at *wood properties often, but using points or cash & points earned from the SPG Amex. In this case, the Gold is a nice benefit, but even 10 stays a year like this would earn them 0 stay credits.

 

...But, if this was a credit card issued under the Sheraton Club International (SCI) program, that program and the affinity credit card agreement ended in 1999. So, ended all terms and conditions that applied at that time. If it did grant "lifetime" Gold status, then I don't remember it and I've been kicking around these parts for going on 13 years. Still, the terms and conditions of the SCI program and its affinity credit card agreement would not have transferred to SPG.

The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express grants Preferred Plus status to cardholders in good standing and they can reach Gold with 30K+ spending per year.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

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