# Interval International Gold vs Platinum Benefits



## cubigbird (Jul 7, 2013)

Is anyone on here an Internal International Gold or Platinum Member?  Is upgrading the membership worth the cost?  Where do you see the biggest value/benefit?


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## DeniseM (Jul 7, 2013)

It does not help you get better exchanges - the biggest benefit is a discount on rentals.


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## tschwa2 (Jul 7, 2013)

You also get free guest certs which now cost $49.  If I know I will be using 2 guest certs during a year,  I upgrade right before using one.  That way I have a year from that date and I figure I have the other free guest certs and discounted getaways available should I need them for just $31 more than I would have spent anyway.


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## klpca (Jul 7, 2013)

tschwa2 said:


> You also get free guest certs which now cost $49.  If I know I will be using 2 guest certs during a year,  I upgrade right before using one.  That way I have a year from that date and I figure I have the other free guest certs and discounted getaways available should I need them for just $31 more than I would have spent anyway.



I agree that the best use of the platinum membership is the free guest certs and also the discount on the getaways (which is $50, I believe). Everything else is just fluff, imho.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 7, 2013)

If you use getaways, and even more if you give getaways to friends. Platinum is almost a must. You get a $50 discount on getaways and free ($49 savings) guest certificates. So if you buy two getaways and give at least one to someone else with a guest certificate. The Platinum upgrade pays for itself.


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## Bill4728 (Jul 7, 2013)

IMHO, Most people don't find much value from either gold or platinum


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## TSPam (Jul 8, 2013)

Hi,
I am a platinum member because we use 5+ getaways a year and maybe a guest certificate too.
I have nover used any of the other benefits.


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## presley (Jul 10, 2013)

·  Through a complimentary Priority Pass airport lounge membership, you’ll have access to
    more than 600 airport VIP lounges in more than 300 cities in over 100 countries.** Standing in a
    crowd during a flight delay is a thing of the past.
·  With the Companion Airline Travel program, each year you’ll receive a voucher entitling you to a
    companion ticket when you purchase one adult round-trip, coach-class ticket to a participating city.


Wondering if any Platinum members have used the companion airline ticket or the airport lounge benefits?  Those seem like useful benefits for upgrading.


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## VacationForever (Jul 10, 2013)

presley said:


> ·  Through a complimentary Priority Pass airport lounge membership, you’ll have access to
> more than 600 airport VIP lounges in more than 300 cities in over 100 countries.** Standing in a
> crowd during a flight delay is a thing of the past.
> ·  With the Companion Airline Travel program, each year you’ll receive a voucher entitling you to a
> ...



The priority pass is worthless.  The list of lounges is not great.  Also, there is an entrance fee like $75 per person or something.  I looked at it and threw the card away.

My mistake in using the companion ticket - another throwaway item for me.  (I just threw one away for this year's platinum renewal.) I booked a flight to Minnesota about 3 months ago for a flight that was 3 to 4 weeks away.  The site said the "cheap" fares were no longer available and if I wanted the "expensive" fare.  It only gave me one option - one airline and included one-stop.  I clicked yes... bought the tickets.  I then went on to the airline site to upgrade to "economy plus" or whatever the equivalence on US Airways. I went to the airport and realized there was a direct flight on a different airline from Sacramento to Minnesota on Delta.  I flew 1 leg and realized there was no extra leg-room.  We went ahead and upgrade to first class on all remaining flights and they were clear that any previously paid upgrades were non-refundable.  I basically spent an additional $1000 or so in upgrade fare and we had a fairly miserable time thinking about how I missed out on booking non-stop.  I would have much preferred to fly non-stop.


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## hjtug (Jul 10, 2013)

presley said:


> Wondering if any Platinum members have used the companion airline ticket or the airport lounge benefits?  Those seem like useful benefits for upgrading.



If you seach this site you will find earlier threads where these have been discussed.


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## Saintsfanfl (Jul 11, 2013)

I use getaways, guest certificates, and short stays. For me Platinum pays for itself many times over. It boils down to the math. Throw away all the other fluff and add up the savings versus the cost of the membership upgrade. For me I save hundreds, but for someone else it might be a waste.


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