Founder status in Call of Duty Elite

by Dan on November 12, 2011

UPDATE 12/13: The deadline for Founder status has passed, so I’ve updated this article with just the information that is relevant now.

Founder status is a perk for anyone who signed up for a premium membership to Call of Duty Elite during its first five weeks of operation. The final deadline was December 13, so if you are reading this hoping to get in on it, you probably missed your opportunity. Founder status is now closed to everyone…except those who bought the Hardened Edition of Modern Warfare 3.

MW3 HE came with a card with a code on it; it looks like that graphic to the right. It’s there as insurance in case someone gets HE as a gift after the November deadline. The folks who wake up Christmas morning or the last day of Hanukkah to find MW3 HE will not be left out. Enter the code on the back of that card at this website, and you’re good to go.

The Activision support website has detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to activate Founder status. It notes that Founder status will not be immediately visible; it could take as many as 48 hours before you see it listed on your profile – so don’t panic if it doesn’t trigger immediately. If you see a red skull icon next to your name on your Elite profile, that means you are a paid premium member. If you see a green skull icon on your profile, that means you are a premium member with Founder status. For instance, here is what my website profile looks like, as I am a Founder:

The green skull icon & background denote Founder status in Call of Duty Elite.

In addition to the icon, Founder status grants you in-game items for MW3. You will see two Elite-specific titles and emblems, as well as an exclusive weapon camo, Winter, which can be found at the bottom of the list of camos for all guns. There are other benefits to being a Founder as well, but these are the visible ones in the game.

If you have any trouble activating your Founder status via the Hardened Edition code card, contact Activision Customer Support. They’re cool and will do whatever they can to help.

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  • Rhdiaz

    I got the news about the founder status really late. What’s the cut off time on 11/30 for me to still get founder status if i purchase the Premium membership thru my console on 11/30?

  • Cablex01

    Hey can someone tell me how I upgrade my elite to founders status with the card that came with hardened edition?

  • Andrew

    i got the hardened edition of mw3 and activated the code the day it came out but my founder status only updated like two days ago so you may have to be paitent for it

  • JeroenBoy123

    Thank you verry much :D!

  • mazth3r

    my stat’s already activated. just wondering if i’ll get tokens to go double xp etc. coz the reason i bought HE is that i thought i’ll get special stuffs that’ll help you get prestige faster. need your feedback..thanks’

  • UK_x-Blitz

    so basically i could give this card thing to ma bro for a Xmas present and it would give him elite ?

  • Bigmacftn76

    i was a beta tester for elite when it first came out… why should i have to pay extra when i was a daily input giver? lame 

  • Jecksss

    i got the red skull on website, but on xbox didnt got nothing, title emblem etc. some help plz

  • Josho_84

    i’ve had my founder benefits such as the camo and the title & emblem for a few weeks now.. does that mean there is no need for me to enter me founder code? if thats so then good because it keeps saying the code is invalid!

  • Mccluskeyedward

    i entered my code in from gamestop where i purchased my elite membership on the night of the deadline. i entered it in around 10pm which was before the deadline and i still have not received my founder status. any idea of what is happeneing?

  • Taylor Miller

    are you kidding me i paid 60 dollars for paid premium member and not founder wtf this is complete bs man i’m getting a refund fuck that.

  • http://oneofswords.com/ Dan (OneOfSwords)

    A few things, Taylor: First, you should not have paid $60 for premium Elite membership, as its price is $49.99. I’m not sure how, where, or why you would pay $10 more than that, since Activision was only charging the lower price. Did you get it from an untrustworthy third party or something?

    Second, Founder status was very, VERY clearly explained as a limited-time offer from the beginning. Originally, it was only going to be for the first week of signups, but they eventually extended it to FIVE weeks, partly due to technical issues, and partly so that everybody had ample time. So I’m really not sure how this is complete BS — it was on Call of Duty’s website, on my website, and on media websites for a very long time before the deadline ran out, not to mention the official Facebook and Twitter portals. 

    Third, you don’t need to curse here to get your point across. I’m going to disemvowel your post but please keep it in mind next time. 

  • http://oneofswords.com/ Dan (OneOfSwords)

    That is correct. If you have a green skull icon on your profile, and you have the Elite-specific camo (Winter) available in your MW3 menus, you are already a Founder and do not need to use the code on the card. A friend who joined premium later than you can use it, though.

  • http://oneofswords.com/ Dan (OneOfSwords)

    The reward for being a beta tester was early access and input during development. That’s not something you usually get.

    If you somehow thought that being a beta tester would get you a free year’s worth of DLC as a thank-you…I think you need to adjust your expectations. A free premium membership was neither promised nor implied during the beta. If you talked yourself into that…I’m sorry, but that’s entirely your doing and nobody else’s responsibility. 

  • http://oneofswords.com/ Dan (OneOfSwords)

    No, he would have to be a premium Elite member first; the card doesn’t do anything unless the person using it is a paid premium Elite member who activated their account December 13 2011 or later. 

  • http://oneofswords.com/ Dan (OneOfSwords)

    The Founder perks are the ones listed above. Anything else that shows up will be a pleasant surprise/reward. 

  • http://oneofswords.com/ Dan (OneOfSwords)

    Founder status doesn’t kick in unless you have verified your account on the Elite website. If you are just using the console app, you need to do a bit more. 

  • http://oneofswords.com/ Dan (OneOfSwords)

    No, but you will probably want to, as it’s free. 

  • http://oneofswords.com/ Dan (OneOfSwords)

    That link in the above article to CS? Click it!  :)

  • http://oneofswords.com/ Dan (OneOfSwords)

    The CS link in the article above will help.

  • Adam Johns

    You do realize that not every CoD player lives in the US and prices will vary from region to region right? It might only cost $49.95 in the US but I’m from Australia and I’m pretty sure it cost $60 here (maybe even $70). We always get screwed over in relation to preices in gaming even though our dollar is worth more than the $US

  • Adam Johns

    I’ve been waiting over 72 hours now since I entered my founder code and still have recieved nothing.

  • Anonymous

    I need a used founders code. Any one that already activated there founders please provide your old code.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/3GUY7UHW4ZLFON36ZDBHHOUX3Q acedp02

    Looking for founders to add to my clan for experience.  Would appreciate your join even if you dont plan to stay.  Add me XvTXASSASSINvX

  • Mark Cotton

    i am currently an elite member and i want to gain founder status. is there anyway to do this with out having to spend 100.00 on the collectors edition, since i already bought the 60 dollar game

  • FLaShInG PuPPy

    THANK YOU SO MUCH! :D I had trouble finding where to input the code, then i found this site and the link! Nice work! Thank you! :D

  • Adrian Benjamin

    i have activated my code and i did not get a download 

  • dilraj bhambra

    my friend has a elite founder code from mw3 he, if i was the code and get elite with it do i need paid premium first to get a status? or will that give me a founder status ?

  • http://oneofswords.com/ Dan (OneOfSwords)

    You must be a premium member first. It won’t do anything if you use the Founder code while you’re still a free member, and it might even burn the code. So…yeah, glad you asked!  :)

  • http://oneofswords.com/ Dan (OneOfSwords)

    Use the links above to ask for help as necessary.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/D33A373AHMMH7JHRFBAGV2J7CY Gonzalo

    Ok i purchased elite membership from bestbuy yesterday march 13th 2012 and now i have founder status is this a glitch or am i just lucky?

  • angel silva

    i just got founder status on elite WTF!

  • http://oneofswords.com/ Dan (OneOfSwords)

    Glitch. 

  • http://oneofswords.com/ Dan (OneOfSwords)

    Glitch.

  • http://twitter.com/DylanBeatty2 Dylan Beatty

    i bought cod elite premium about two weeks ago.. and when i looked at my profile yesterday i had the green skull on it saying im now founder status, i got the camo and everythin… any idea on how i got it if its closed??

  • Dan Rye

    if you are founder please let me know on imessage lagalaxy14@gmail.com to join my clan :) or type in elite r3born in on elite

  • http://twitter.com/SS_JaceHD xBMO

    i bought elite b4 nov 30th the deadline and i still dont have founder status yet… what do i do?? i tweeted beach head about it but no reply??

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