Does Airline Elite Status Matter?
This is the October 12, 2025 edition of the LazyPoints Weekly newsletter. It goes out by email every Sunday at 8:00 a.m. Pacific–unless I oversleep–and is archived here on the blog. Want it straight to your inbox each week? Sign up here.
It’s been a pretty slow news week, but one of the more interesting things we learned is just how much credit cards are driving the airline business. Airlines famously make more money from frequent flyer programs than from actually moving passengers. Earlier this week, Delta’s CEO acknowledged that their route map is now partly shaped by credit cards—deciding which routes can generate the most co-branded card sign-ups and spending. This hunt for rewards-minded consumers is probably why we also saw United announce four new leisure routes and Southwest float lounges and a premium credit card.
As airlines chase more and more loyalty, elite status has become less and less valuable. Perks like free checked bags and priority boarding are now available just with a low-fee credit card, no status required. And the main perk—domestic first class upgrades—is going extinct. Delta famously sells over 80% of those seats, often for pennies on the dollar, rather than give them to elites. And the competition is following suit. So this week, Ben at One Mile at a Time asked, “Why Should People Care About Airline Loyalty Programs?”
Perspective matters a lot here. If you’re used to the good old days of frequent first class upgrades, you’ll be disappointed. But if, like me, you grew up on non-elite travel, even low-level status is a significant upgrade. I have basic Delta and Alaska status (with perks on American), and flying United without it feels very different. There’s no priority lane when checking bags or checking in for an international flight. Most of the plane is designated “preferred” seating, meaning I’ll be sitting at the back of the plane, and if I’m booking last minute, there might not be any free aisle or window seats remaining (even if there are plenty of preferred seats available to elites). Meanwhile, when flying with status on the other airlines, I get customer service priority and bonus points. And yes, upgrades still sometimes happen, albeit usually to premium economy seats.
Is this worth chasing or paying a premium for? Probably not. But this status can be pretty cheap and easy to get (that’s the only reason I have it 😂). You can get it just by flying award flights via Atmos, by holding a couple Delta premium cards, even by staying with Marriott (a lot). You can even get it with credit card spending, although you might need to spend tens of thousands of dollars to do it.
But if you keep your expectations realistic and don’t overspend chasing it, elite status still carries some real benefits. It might be worth reaching for if you fly enough to take advantage of it and can do so without spending extra or changing up your points and miles strategy too much.
For me? I’m going to keep using my Bilt and Summit cards, turning those Atmos points into Japan trips, and those award trips into Alaska status.
This week on the blog 📝
I reviewed MaxRewards, an app that promises to help you manage your credit card benefits to maximize value. Tl;dr: it was too glitchy for my taste, but has some potential.
Quick Points of the Week ⚡
More value 📈
Rakuten $50 welcome bonus extended to the end of the year. You can earn $50 in cash back or 5,000 Amex points if you sign up with a referral link (like ours) and spend $50+ in purchases via Rakuten within 90 days. You can also earn the same amount if you make a successful referral (all the more reason to sign up). This is the best referral/sign-up offer I’ve seen, and it’s great that both the bonus period and the time to purchase overlap with the holiday shopping season.
Bilt adds another transfer partner. This time it’s Etihad Airways, which is definitely not a LazyPoints favorite due to its high fees and harsh expiration and cancellation policies. But more options can’t hurt! (Bilt)
Get your airline credit card on the plane. I just mentioned recently how Alaska is offering an extra 5,000 points if you sign up for their Ascent card via an in-airport code from an employee. Meanwhile, American Airlines is offering 80k points on their Citi-branded credit card via onboard announcement, better than the current 50k public deal, and matching the recently-ended public deal—but with a much lower spending requirement ($1,000 instead of $3,500). (View From the Wing)
Giveaways 🎟️
Tokyo Luxury with ANA. Sign up for their email newsletter for a chance at business class tickets and upscale hotel stays. (ANA)
Rumors 👀
Rakuten to offer Bilt points? The shopping portal briefly put a page online showing Bilt points as a reward option, and the Internet noticed quickly. Bilt points are the most valuable out there, so this could be big, if true. (FrequentMiler)
Nerdery 🤓
Get two years of Southwest Companion Pass. I don’t talk about business cards here, but I’ll make an exception here because View From the Wing calls this “the best deal in travel” if you can drop $10k on a business card in three months… and I’ll admit it seems pretty sweet.
Fun 👻
Alaska’s VP of Loyalty did an AMA. Highlights of the Reddit sesh include forthcoming discounts on awards for families traveling with children under 12 and the possibility of recognition for frequently flying furry friends. 🐶
Sign-up bonus of the Week 🎯
The Citi Strata Elite launched recently with a somewhat underwhelming 80,000-point welcome offer. But it has been possible to beat that, with Citi offering 100k when applying in-branch. Maybe Citi has gotten too much phone and foot traffic, because now they’re bringing that offer to their website. You’ll have to spend $6,000 in the first three months, a bit more than the launch offer, but that 100,000 Thank You Point offer is fantastic. That’s easily one trip to Asia, Europe, or South America with points to spare from most major airports.
If I weren’t in the midst of earning my bonus on the Atmos Summit, I’d be signing up for this one immediately. Although the card offers only $500 in credits (not counting the lounge passes or chauffeur service credit) to offset a $595 fee, what makes the Strata Elite particularly compelling is that those are calendar year credits. That means you can use them by the end of 2024, use them again in 2025, and get $1,000+ in credits for only one annual fee. Plus the 100k points. That means you come out way ahead whether or not you decide to downgrade the card next year.
But the card might be a keeper. Citi points are among the most valuable points out there due to their transfer partnerships with AA and Choice hotels. And with 1.5x points on base purchases and 6x on dining on “Citi Nights” (Friday and Saturdays, 6pm-6am Eastern), among other bonuses, the Strata Elite helps you earn them fairly quickly, too.
Because this is a fairly new card, it’s hard to know exactly how good this bonus is. But 100k points is the best offer the card has seen so far, and is significantly more than the 75k-point peak offer on the lower-tier Citi Strata Premier. And the chance to double dip on the credits make this a pretty amazing deal. Heat scale: 🔥🔥🔥
Other great current bonuses
100k points + 25k companion certificate on the Alaska Atmos Summit (our take: 🔥🔥🔥🔥)
125k points on the Chase Sapphire Reserve (our take: 🔥🔥🔥)
165k points on the IHG Premier (our take: 🔥🔥)
80-125k miles on Delta credit cards (our take: 🔥🔥)
50k points on the Mesa Homeowner’s Card (our take: 🔥🔥) Ending October 15
75k points on the Chase Sapphire Preferred (our hot take: 🔥)
80k points on the Atmos Ascent (our take: 🔥)
80k points on the JetBlue Plus (our take: 🔥)
100k Avios on Chase cards (our take: 🔥)
$300 (kind of) on Capital One no-fee cards (our take)
Enjoy the weekend! 🦥
See you in the priority lane?