My most popular article by far on this website in the almost 2 years it has been running was the one I wrote explaining how to get instant Gold status in Accor’s Le Club loyalty scheme that would otherwise require 10,000 points or 30 nights.
No wonder, given that it is a fantastic deal that people seem to really value. Yet as my annual subscription comes to an end today, I am not planning on renewing it. And here’s why:
There is no benefit in speculatively signing up for it!
I have no upcoming stays in any Accor properties to benefit from Gold status and I get nothing else for my £65 than a shiny new card. The process is also really quick so if I did have a stay lined up I could pay up and take advantage.
This is not the same advice as I would give for the IHG Ambassador renewal, given that you get the free night voucher which is worth the renewal fee alone, as well as a points bonus and a points rebate.
So, before you renew any status level that you can pay for, always run the sums to make sure that you are going to benefit from it; you can always do it later (as long as they don’t pull the offer!)
Mister Airmiles 
Apart from a single “free” welcome drink – what do you exactly get that is guaranteed and not dependant upon the whims of the front of house staff ?
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Good question! More points is guaranteed. There is nothing over Silver membership apart from the space-dependent upgrade which is why I won’t do it speculatively. I have stayed in 3 Accor properties since being Gold and only in the Sofitel did being Gold get me an upgrade which isn’t great. However, the additional points from a week in a Mercure will save me €40 which is a large chunk of the cost, and the drinks will probably take it up to what I paid so, for me, probably a break even.
What has been your experience, John?
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I am Platinum member level, and to be fair not a lot of benefits in Europe – no lounge properties to speak of.
The higher the quality of the hotel the better the benefits and chance of upgrade. That said have been in 4 Mercure Hotels this month and upgraded once for one night. ( twice told that what I had paid for was now an upgrade ….. or they were full … despite trying to sell me an upgrade at reception )
McGallary – upgrade all the time we have used them. Umm just tempted fate now for tomorrow ,,,,
Points now do not equal prizes for Accor, as status is based on “spend” or nights and now they have discontinued the Happy Mondays the UK stays are not that attractive for me. Our stays now are mostly in France
I can understand that that want to restrict the higher levels of status, but the additional benefits are not worth the pain of staying in some of the hotels. We will do the bonus promotion offers but will prob not keep Platinum after 2018 ( having qualified this year )
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