When you stay at a hotel on points, do these free nights count towards earning or maintaining elite status? Well that depends on the program.
Right now with Choice Privileges and IHG, you earn elite status credit on reward stays. On Nov. 1, 2015, the rules were changed and you started to be able to earn elite status credit on redemption stays paid for with points at Marriott and Ritz. And now, as of January 1, 2018, you can do the same with redemption stays with Hyatt.
However, some programs are not as generous. For example. the Hilton Honors terms exclude reward nights as “stays” and therefore, these rewards nights do not count towards elite status.
Similarly, a program like iPrefer offers Elite status based on points earned. Since no points are earned on reward stays, these reward nights cannot help you reach iPrefer elite status.
I hope the hold outs like Hilton will follow suit. They should…..