If you haven’t yet taken advantage of Starwood’s free upgrade to SPG Gold status for MasterCard World and World Elite cardholders, don’t fret: the deal has been extended until July 14 2017 for spenders whose wallets sport that super shiny plastic.

Included on that list are the Commonwealth Bank Diamond Awards, Westpac Altitude Black, Emirates Citibank World and HSBC Premier World cards – serving up free SPG Gold status after a single stay, or even just one night, at Starwood hotels in Australia and the greater Asia Pacific region.

SPG Gold members earn 50% more Starpoints at Starwood hotels and enjoy perks such as welcome amenities, free room upgrades, late check-outs and more at SPG’s range of properties such as Sheraton, Westin, W, St. Regis and The Luxury Collection.

That generous list of perks would normally come only after spending 25 nights in Starwood hotels or making 10 individual stays – so follow these steps and you'll be in the fast lane:

  1. Contact your bank’s concierge department and request your unique ‘bank promotion code’ for the SPG Gold World MasterCard offer.
  2. Head to the Starwood website and register for the deal by July 14 2017 using the first six digits of your World or World Elite MasterCard card number and the promotion code you received in step 1.
  3. During the registration process, sign in to your existing SPG account if you’re already a member, or join Starwood Preferred Guest if you’re new to the program.
  4. Stay at least once at a Starwood hotel within the Asia Pacific region before July 14 2017 on a room rate that would ordinarily accrue Starpoints – that’s any publicly-available rate when making the booking directly on the Starwood website.
  5. Pay for your booking in its entirety, including the room rate and any additional charges such as restaurant dining and room service, using the MasterCard World or World Elite card you registered in step 1.
  6. Wait patiently for 2-6 weeks for your Starwood Preferred Guest status to click over to Gold.
  7. Enjoy your new privileges on future stays with Starwood!

Also read: Your guide to Starwood Preferred Guest

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