Why I'm unlikely to renew my elite tier statuses, and what might make me change my mind

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In 2013, I flew 103 different flight segments (more than 120 flight counts, by JP guidelines) and stayed 71 nights at hotels. I expect to match that, give or take 10%, in 2014 and 2015.

Jet Airways (JP program) needs 60 flights or 90k miles travelled in a year, to retain / achieve Platinum status. SPG requires me to complete 10 stays / 25 nights a year to retain Gold, whereas HHonors requires 20 says / 40 nights a year to retain Gold (though SPG Gold and HHonors Gold offer different benefits).

Yet, I don't see myself renewing my mid- or higher-tier status with either the key airline programs or the hotel programs that I'm a member of. And I'm quite OK with that.

Here's why.

Sure, I fly reasonably often enough to maintain mid, or even top, tier status with Jet Airways, if all my flying were with Jet. But it is not. And that is because of schedules, prices, or simply, even availability. I've also started flying Air India a bit more than I used to (in the hope of Star Alliance?), which isn't helping my cause vis-a-vis Jet Platinum. Similarly, I don't stay all that much with any one chain of hotels. My stays can be quite erratic, and here the focus is more on prices - particularly when clients book the hotels - and so I can't be assured of sticking to one (or maybe two) loyalty programs. Another overall reason is that my clients pay for much of my travel, and so my plans need to suit their convenience and budgets, than my loyalty targets!

Why loyalty programs can be useful

Loyalty programs - both hotel and airline - do have benefits: there's no denying that. To start with, there are the points / miles earned, which can be redeemed for award stays / nights. These apply to base category members too, and so they are useful in themselves. In the past, even base level airline program members were able to get some marginal perks, though in today's times of deep-red coloured bottomlines, those are hard to find. But then, there's no great fun being a base level member - after all, there isn't any additional benefit than being a non-member, other than earning miles. Mid and top tier elite status gives much more. In the case of airlines, it is the chance for upgrades (usually through a limited number of vouchers), earlier online check-in (and therefore, better seat selection), and additional baggage allowances.

Similarly with hotel programs, base level loyalty doesn't get you much beyond the points. But the higher ends of the program tiers gives complimentary amenities such as breakfast (I love Hilton HHonors for this), room upgrades, internet access, etc. And I've personally always appreciated these amenities, which either help save a bit of money, or just help make the stay that extra bit more comfortable.

Why I'm not focussed on renewing tier status

In January this year, I took stock of my status in various programs. To summarise what I'd written there, I have mid or higher tier in hotel loyalty programs that I use (or have started using) the most, and mid or higher tier in airline programs that I generally use (or in a couple of cases, don't use at all). Much of my mid- and top-tier status is the result of specific promotions, offers and deals.

Having said that, there are some drawbacks with higher tiers, the biggest being the ability to requalify for, or renew, them. Different programs have different approaches to renewal (or failure to renew). In general, most programs will reset periodically - usually once a year, on 1 January - and so a failure to meet the renewal requirements will often send you back to base level. Others - Jet Privilege comes to mind here - have dropped my status level by only one notch, in the past. So eventually, I fly and stay enough at hotels to retain highest-end elite status with airlines and hotels, but I don't. And of course, the higher the tier you have to retain, the more the renewal requirements are.

All of this got me thinking about retaining this level of status, and if it is practical (particularly in the Indian context, where bonuses like credit card sign-ons are hard to come by), to strive to retain elite status. And my short answer is, No, it isn't practical for me. Sure, I appreciate the benefits of elite tiers, but I'm conscious tat in all likelihood,I won't be able to retain them when it is time for reassessment and renewal.

Instead, I'm on the lookout for tier benefits that will help save me money, make travel a bit more comfortably, earn a ton of points (such as the recent one with IHG), or simply just give me a new hotel experience that I could write about. I also keep an eye out for good promos that help me with getting better status than I already have, but I've prepared myself enough to not whine if I don't achieve elite status. And though I won't be elated having low or no status, I think I could cope with that.

Sure, if I could retain status, I definitely would - even if it meant a couple of mileage or mattress runs. But in the final analysis, I'd simply identify one or two programs that I'm likely to stay loyal to and stick with them - with or without status - instead of spreading myself too thin. It all of this depends entirely on how much of my travel and stay is in my control, which isn't much right now.

I'm also well aware that there's a lot of people that spend their own money on their travel (which is also why they want to maximise their benefits), and that's another significant variable to consider. My general approach in those cases would be to stay on the lookout for good promos, such as these:

• Free Accor Platinum on sign up (though I'm not sure that the links in that post still work, but Accor does come out with such promos rather frequently)
• Complimentary SPG Gold valid till July 2015, for one APAC stay paid with a World MasterCard

So, what would make me change my mind

If I did want to maintain elite status, then the following are some of the factors that would clearly on my wishlist:

• Co-branded hotel credit card offers that offer good sign-on bonuses
• Complimentary breakfast (currently, HHonors offers this for Gold and Diamond, but not SPG)
• Better award ticket availability for airline programs (Jet can be quite stingy, you see)
• System-wide upgrades on airlines for all travel, instead of a limited number of upgrade certificates

Eventually, as within anything in the Game, YMMV !!! So, what's your take? Would you stay loyal to one program? If not, then what would it take to get you to?