| A meritocratic society founded by a business and based on consumption of that business's wares. The advantage of being in a Gold Club is that you are treated, as a policy, better than an ordinary customer.
For instance, frequent travelling has placed me in the gold club of a major airline. As a result, I get to board the plane whenever the hell I want, even if I'm way out of turn. I also get a set amount of free upgrades.
Gold club membership is based on the first derivative of consumption. If I accumulate 100,000 miles in a year, I join the club, but if I then expend 50,000 to get a free ticket, I am not kicked out, because the requirement is to rack up 100k miles per year, not to retain 100k miles total.
Beware of alternatives to Gold Club, such as Platinum Club or Executive Club. These clubs require a steep fee, and usually only provide services you could care less about, such as hotel discounts at locales you'll never visit, or free gas for your rental car. | 
