Chasing Elite Status: The Upgraded Points Team’s Midyear 2026 Update

Our team members started the year with a wide range of elite status goals, whether it’s aiming for top status in as many programs as possible or chasing less this year than in previous years.

How are things going, now that we’re halfway through the year? Let’s take a look.

Ryan Smith, News Managing Editor

I started the year with 2 status goals. I’ve stumbled into status with 2 programs outside of those, so it’s been an interesting year so far.

I’m doing very well with my first goal: Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status. I have 61 out of the 75 nights needed so far, and there’s still half a year left. Plus, I have 4 Marriott nights booked already for the rest of the year.

My second goal needs more work. I only have 14 nights toward the 60 required for World of Hyatt Globalist status. I have 6 additional nights worth of reservations, so I need to transfer spending onto The World of Hyatt Credit Card and look for opportunities to stay at Hyatt properties the rest of this year. This goal requires extra attention in the next 6 months.

However, I’ve earned Gold status with One Key, the joint program of Vrbo, Hotels.com, and Expedia, without really trying to. That’s because of my many Vrbo bookings as a digital nomad. I’ve also stumbled into Silver status (the lowest tier) with Accor Live Limitless, thanks to a few Ibis stays and a 2-night stay at the Sofitel Bogota Victoria Regia. I don’t see any great perks from these 2 status tiers, but having them might come in handy somewhere down the line.

Katie Corrigan Seemann, Podcast Co-Host

The most important elite status to me is with American Airlines. I had Platinum Pro status for a couple of years and found it to be really valuable, so I was disappointed that I only earned Platinum status last year. However, this year is looking much better. I just hit the 75,000 Loyalty Points threshold, which means I’ve already requalified for Platinum status.

I’ll have no problem hitting the 125,000 mark needed for Platinum Pro status, and I might be able to shoot for Executive Platinum, depending on how my travel looks the second half of the year (and how much spending I do through the AAdvantage eShopping portal).

For hotels, I have automatic Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold thanks to my Platinum Card^® from American Express. Between those easy statuses and my increased bookings with programs like Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Edit by Chase, Hyatt status, which takes a bit more work, is becoming less important to me.

However, between credit card spending on the World of Hyatt card and actual nights already spent or already planned, I’ll naturally hit 30 nights, which will earn me Explorist status. Explorist status itself isn’t that exciting, but I do value the Category 1-4 free night certificate earned through Milestone Rewards at that level. Realistically, my chances of making it to 60 nights for Globalist are slim, but I might shoot 40 nights to earn a Guest of Honor award and a Suite Upgrade Award.

Lori Zaino, Senior Content Contributor

I’m well on my way to my elite status goals for this year. I only want to earn American Airlines Gold status (Oneworld Ruby) — just enough to get priority check-in, a free checked bag, and access to main cabin extra seats before my flight. After some Oneworld flights, high-bonus purchases on AAdvantage Shopping, and an AA hotel reservation, I have around 33,000 Loyalty Points, which puts me well over the halfway point. With a summer flight on American and some Black Friday shopping via AAdvantage Shopping, I’m primed to hit the 40,000-point mark and get Gold status by March 2027.

For hotels, I’m sticking with my 2025 strategy of holding entry-level and midtier credit cards that provide basic-level elite status (at least enough for a room upgrade or late checkout). I’m spending on my IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (which gives me IHG Platinum Elite status), World of Hyatt card (which gives me Hyatt Discoverist status), and my Hilton Honors American Express Card (which gives me Hilton Silver status). And I do have a few weeks of IHG and Hyatt stays this summer, which could even bump me up an additional level.

Christine Krzyszton, Senior Finance Contributor

American Airlines is the airline I fly most and the one I strive for status with each year. I have about 80,000 Loyalty Points toward the 200,000 I need by February 28, 2027, to requalify for top-tier Executive Platinum. However, my goal is to hit 250,000 for the 6 total systemwide upgrade award certificates. These certs allow me to purchase economy tickets and upgrade to business class. My friend and I have found a bargain sweet spot Oneworld flight from Europe to Asia in business class. We take this flight each year to lock in nearly 40,000 LPs toward status. With Delta Air Lines, I have lifetime Diamond status, making the airline my next favorite choice.

Reciprocal status is a real plus for me, as I receive United Premier Silver status via my Titanium Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy. On the hotel loyalty side, my American Airlines Executive Platinum status grants me entry-level Discoverist status with World of Hyatt.

Additionally, I keep the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card for automatic Diamond status and strive to hit 75 nights with Marriott for Titanium status. I am currently at 56 elite qualifying nights toward status — 30 of which I get automatically by holding the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy^® American Express^® Card and Marriott Bonvoy Business^® American Express^® Card. I leverage promotions and hotel stays for the remaining needed qualifying nights.

James Larounis, Senior Content Contributor

I’m on track to retain all of the earned statuses that I held last year, so there aren’t any changes for me this year. My primary airline status is Executive Platinum with American Airlines, and while I currently have fewer Loyalty Points than where I did this time last year, I’m still on track to keep the status with some heavy travel planned for the second half of the year. My American Airlines status is earned almost entirely through flying.

For hotels, I’ll earn both Hyatt Globalist and Marriott Titanium. Thanks to some longer stays, I’ll earn Globalist faster than usual, so I may consider staying with other hotel brands later on in the year to diversify a bit. While I’ll cross the threshold for Globalist this month already, I still need about 15 nights to retain my Marriott Titanium status, but that will easily be done this summer and fall.

Juan Ruiz, Senior Editor and Content Contributor

I’m not quite as far ahead in my World of Hyatt Globalist requalification journey as I was this time last year, but I’m still in a solid position. As of writing, I’ve earned 34 of the 60 elite nights needed to retain Globalist status, leaving me with 26 nights to go.

The challenge is that I only have a handful of Hyatt stays remaining on my calendar for the rest of the year. That means my World of Hyatt card will likely do much of the heavy lifting. The card awards 2 elite night credits for every $5,000 spent, and between quarterly tax payments and everyday expenses, I expect to bridge most of the gap through credit card spending. My goal is to lock in Globalist again before year-end without needing to book unnecessary mattress runs.

Beyond Hyatt, I’m not actively pursuing any other hotel or airline elite status. However, JetBlue recently gave me an easy opportunity to earn back Mosaic status through a targeted shortcut challenge. I already had 2 qualifying tiles, meaning I only need 5 more to secure Mosaic status through 2028.

With several JetBlue flights coming up, I plan to book those tickets with my The JetBlue Plus Card and naturally earn the remaining tiles needed to complete the challenge. Other than that, I’m keeping things simple this year and focusing primarily on Hyatt, which continues to deliver the most value for my family’s travels.

Chris Hassan, Social Media and Brand Manager

After working hard to qualify for American Airlines Executive Platinum status for the 2026 year, I am asking myself if it was worth it.

On nearly 2 dozen flights so far this year, I’ve not received any meaningful upgrades. In fact, I was No. 18 and 25 on the upgrade list on my last 2 flights from Miami (MIA) and Dallas (DFW), and I paid cash to upgrade my long-haul flights because systemwide upgrades weren’t available.

While I appreciate some perks like extra checked bags and Oneworld Emerald status, those also come with Platinum Pro status, which is available for 75,000 fewer Loyalty Points. Since I’ve already hit Gold status for the 2027 year, I may just aim for Platinum Pro and then be a free agent for a while.

Over on the hotel side, I’ve been playing the free agent game for a couple of years now — with no end in sight. With the Hilton Aspire card in my wallet, I get automatic Diamond status, which is nice to have at Hilton properties — especially abroad. Otherwise, I will just book the rate that makes the most sense for my family and me, whether that be a suite with breakfast or the cheapest room, and we’ll go out exploring the city for our meals. That’s often a better experience.

Final Thoughts

Our team has a broad range of elite status goals for 2026. At the midyear mark, some of these goals are going well, but others require extra effort if we want to achieve them. And some of us are questioning our goals as reality sets in. That’s an important element, as well.