For example, instead of having to stay 10 nights or more each year, folks with the World of Hyatt credit card ($95 annual fee) receive entry-level Discoverist status in that program. The IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card ($89 annual fee) confers mid-tier Platinum status without having to stay 40 nights in IHG properties each year.

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card from Chase ($95 annual fee) and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant from American Express ($450 annual fee) both include automatic Gold status. Those with the Brilliant version can also boost their way up to Platinum status (normally achieved by hitting 50-plus nights each year) by spending $75,000 or more on the card in a calendar year.

With the launch of a new range of credit cards in 2018, Hilton even began offering its top-tier Diamond status as a benefit of the $450-per-year the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. It is the only hotel credit card at the moment to offer top-tier status automatically. However, folks with the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend, whose annual fee is a mere $95, can spend their way up from automatic Gold status to Diamond by making $40,000 or more in purchases in a calendar year. Diamond status usually requires 30 stays or 60 nights a year, and confers perks such as a 100% earning bonus on Hilton purchases (for 20 points per dollar versus the normal 10), complimentary breakfast at all hotels, executive lounge access, and the chance to gift elite status to another Hilton Honors member.

Tactic: Spending Bonuses With an Airline Credit Card
When it comes to airlines, the credit-card elite-status formula is more dependent on spending.

For example, Delta fields two cards that allow consumers to earn Medallion-Qualification Miles (MQMs), which count toward elite status, through both sign-up bonuses and everyday spending. The Platinum Delta SkyMiles American Express card ($195 annual fee) has offered as many as 10,000 MQMs along with SkyMiles (miles you can use for award tickets) as part of its sign-up bonus. Cardholders can rack up an additional 20,000 MQMs by spending $50,000 on the card in a calendar year. The more premium Delta Reserve card ($450 annual fee), which gets cardholders into Delta Sky Clubs when flying the airline, has offered sign-up bonuses including up to 10,000 MQMs along with bonus SkyMiles. Cardholders can earn up to an additional 30,000 MQMs by spending up to $60,000 in a calendar year.

The Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard ($450 annual fee) includes perks like Admirals Club membership for lounge access at the airport. However, its most valuable benefit for some might be the opportunity to earn 10,000 elite-qualifying miles after spending $40,000 in purchases each year—just the bump certain fliers need to hit the next level of status.

JetBlue Plus ($99 annual fee) cardholders, meanwhile, can attain the airline’s Mosaic status for a year after spending $50,000 or more on purchases annually. Mosaic status typically requires earning 15,000 flight points (equivalent to spending $5,000 on airfare), or flying 30 segments and earning 12,000 flight points within a calendar year. Mosaic benefits include waived change and cancellation fees, extra bonus points for airfare purchases, priority treatment at the airport, and the opportunity to redeem points for Even More Space seats at a discount.

Tactic: Unbranded Card Programs
Apart from airline- or hotel-specific credit cards, the product with perhaps the most lucrative elite-status potential is the Platinum Card from American Express. Cardmembers can enroll for automatic Gold status with both Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors. That makes the Platinum Card an especially attractive prospect for premium travelers (its annual fee is $550, after all) who want to split their loyalty between two of the biggest chains in the world without having to commit to one program or the other.

The FoundersCard meanwhile is a membership club with around 30,000 members, rather than a credit card. Designed for entrepreneurs who travel frequently, its benefits evolve over the course of each year and have included Hilton Honors Gold status, Caesars Total Rewards Diamond status, and a trial period of Marriott Gold status in the past, as well as outright Silver status with Cathay Pacific. Joining costs $95, and the annual membership fee is $595, though discounts are easy to find online or through individual member referrals. Other benefits may include deals on certain airline partners like British Airways and JetBlue, as well as on rentals from Silvercar and purchases at AT&T Wireless and UPS.

Tactic: Tap Your Corporate Travel Department
Just as you earn frequent-flier miles when on a business trip, businesses can also earn different types of points based on spending with American Airlines, Delta, and United—points which can be redeemed for elite status, club passes, award flights, and upgrades for employees.