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Elite Status Without Flying or Staying

Elite Status Without Flying or Staying

Old Oct 13, 2004, 10:19 am
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Elite Status Without Flying or Staying

I thought that it might be helpful to list the ways to achieve airline elite status without flying. Here are the ones I know:

(1) 1M AA miles, from any source, gives you lifetime Gold status. 2M AA miles gives you lifetime Platinum status.

(2) US offers 10K status miles for spending $25K on Juniper MC, and 10K status miles for spending $25K on Business Juniper MC. Juniper's US MC offers 10K status miles on sign-up. US's Signature Visa card also offers many of the benefits of Silver status. UA offers 5K status miles for renewing MP Platinum Visa, and 5K status miles for spending $35K on Platinum Visa. UA Visa allows conversion of 50,000 UA miles into 5000 UA status miles per year, UA Visa also makes targeted offers of 10K status miles for $10K in purchases in the first six months. UA's Club Visa and Access Visa give 5K status miles for spending $35K, and 5K more for spending $50K more. DL offers 5K status miles for opening DL Platinum Amex, 10K status miles for spending $25K, and 20K status miles for spending $50K. DL Amex Reserve offers 10K status miles on sign-up, 15K more for $30K in charges, and 15K on top of that for $30K more in charges; 10K of these status miles can be transferred to anyone else. CO's Presidential Plus MC offers 2K status miles for every $25K in purchases, and the status miles can be used at any time. DL Amex offers 5K status miles on sign-up. I have read that US allows multiple credit cards, so three 10K status mile bonuses (for $75K in purchases) would give you Silver status, as would $105K for UA. AA MC has made a targeted offer of 5K status miles as part of 15K first-purchase bonus. Spirit's MC offers Elite status on sign-up, and one status mile per dollar. Virgin Atlantic Amex offers one tier point for $2500 in purchases, which means that $37,500 in purchases get silver status. Aeromexico Vias gives 5K status miles with $30K in purchases. Merrill Lynch + offers an AA status match to other airlines with $20K in purchases. The Saks MC offers BA Silver with $25K in purchases. Air France's Amex, linked to a euro acc't in France, yields one status mile per euro.

(3) Amex's Centurion Card offers Gold status on CO and DL, and Platinum on US. $125K in Amex Platinum purchases in one year (and other things) to qualify; $2500 annual fee.

(4) Some airline business programs, like CO's Reward One program, offer Silver status as a reward for certain numbers of "points."

(5) UA and AA allow one member meeting a status mile threshold to confer elite status upon another member -- 75K and 125K for one lower-tier (Premier/Gold) designee. For NW, 90K and 120K for one lower-tier (Silver/Gold) designee, and 1200 Platinum Points (Y travel & above) for one Silver, 2400 for one Gold. For Qantas, 2100 status credits for one Gold. For Lufthansa, HON Circle status (600K over 2 years) for one mid-tier Senator. For Virgin Atlantic, each Gold member can designate one adult Silver member at the same address. NZ, SQ and Brussels Airlines also allow a high elite to confer status on another member.

(6) Extensions -- AA has offered to extend existing Gold and Platinum status for between $299 and $599. CO has made a similar offer. US has a maybe-targeted offer (not limited to elites) of $899 for US Silver and $1599 for US Gold.

(7) Matching -- see the status match master thread.

(8) Promos/Purchase -- from time to time, some airlines offer trial status. CO and America West have done this. US Airways allows purchase of status: $1500 for Silver, $2500 for Gold, $4000 for Platinum and $4500 for Chairman's. US Airways also allows purchase of status for a 90-day period, in connection with a "challenge." For instance, if a member without status pays $400, that member is Gold for 90 days, and if that member flies 15K miles in those 90 days, the member keeps that status. NW also allows purchase of Silver status for six months through its White Tie program, for $549. For CO, you can buy refundable airline tickets, take the One Pass Elite Maximizer option that gives additional status miles (at around 8 cents each), and then refund the tickets; you keep the Maximizer miles.

(9) Partners -- As pointed out below, AAdvantage Cruises offer up to 10,000 AA status miles (3 long cruises = AA Gold), Amtrak Metroliner and Acela BOS-NY or NY-DC gives up to 1000 CO status miles RT, Lufthansa Airrail gives up to 2000 LH status miles, buying a Jaguar gives you BA Silver, DL AirElite Business Jet gives you 1 DL status mile for each $ spent, DL AirElite FlexJet membership gets you DL Platinum,and SAS Radisson hotels offer up to 500 SAS status points per night. CO offers 1000 status miles for Presidents Club membership, promo code PCA4. Through 8/31/07, DL is offering 1000 status miles, up to 10K, for each Hilton stay and Avis/Budget rental, with registration. NW offers six months of Silver status for affiliate White Tie Club membership. Lufthansa Private Jet gives 10K status miles on LH per flight.

(10) Prepaid Travel -- UA's Elite Prepaid Travel Card gives you 1K (top-tier) status for $20K in prepaid travel, Premier Executive status for $10K, and Premier status for $5K. For $299 a year, UA gives you access to Economy Plus seating, otherwise reserved for Premier members and full-fare passengers. UA's Premier Fast Track gives you Economy Plus access plus 10,000 status miles/15 segments toward Premier status for $749. AA's AAirpass program gives you some of the benefits of elite status (priority check-in, priority on upgrades, Admirals Club membership) for $13,250 and up in prepaid travel. Air Canada's Flight Pass to Canada gives you Air Canada (and Star Alliance) Gold status for prepaid travel packages starting at C$2290.

(11) Some corporate travel offices reportedly can confer elite status on a limited number of flyers.

(12) And the first new category in five years: elite status by the trip. United Premier Travel, paid for by the trip, offers Economy Plus seating, early boarding, the priority security line, the Premier check-in line, bonus miles, free baggage and lounge access.

Any others?

Last edited by Ferdinand Magellan; Nov 5, 2011 at 11:12 am
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Old Oct 13, 2004, 10:35 am
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Just curious, why would anyone need/want elite airline status if they don't fly?
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Old Oct 13, 2004, 10:43 am
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- Our corporate travel department used to arrange deals for low-elite status on a variety of airlines, free of charge. I remember one year I received Delta, TWA, and Northwest low-elite cards in the mail (without asking for them), complete with new FF numbers. I was flying AA exclusively at the time and I don't think I used any of the cards.

- Is it still possible to earn miles/segments on certain railroads? I'm thinking Europe here - TGV trips in/out of Paris counting as Air France segments, or something like that. I know there is/was a bus line out of Chicago that has a partnership with UA, but you have to fly to get miles for a bus ride. So no, you can't spend a whole weekend on a bus between Rockford and O'Hare to get 1K status.

- A question: do any of the cruise line partners provide Q-miles? My guess is that they typically don't, but the co-branding with a few of them is so strong that it wouldn't surprise me if one or more did.

- Another question: is there any airline that will kick in a low-elite status to a super-elite hotel member? It works the other way around all the time - AA Plat automatically hooked me up with a couple of mid-level hotel statuses (HH and SPG and I think it even got me a Hyatt status one year, but I can't quite remember). Not sure if there's ever been a promo like this: it would be super-elite hotel gets you airline silver, probably with tight targeting, if anything.
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Old Oct 13, 2004, 10:45 am
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Originally Posted by ScottC
Just curious, why would anyone need/want elite airline status if they don't fly?
I would find it worth exploring if I was about to fly a completely different airline. That's how I interpreted the question: "I don't fly now, but I will in the future, and I want to finagle elite status before I do."
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Old Oct 13, 2004, 10:50 am
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I think he meant without paying full or discounted fares and get the status without the miles/points achieved by actual flight distance.
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Old Oct 13, 2004, 10:56 am
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Originally Posted by ScottC
Just curious, why would anyone need/want elite airline status if they don't fly?
Preferential boarding opportunities on infrequent flights (high-value carryons, for example) or airlines other than your primary.
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Old Oct 13, 2004, 10:59 am
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Originally Posted by ScottC
Just curious, why would anyone need/want elite airline status if they don't fly?
I think that there are many people who want the benefits of elite status, but don't fly enough to earn it only by flying (especially paid flying). Apart from that, there are some small benefits to elite status that don't come from flying, like AA and DL bonus miles from 1-800-Flowers.
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Old Oct 13, 2004, 11:35 am
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Originally Posted by Ferdinand Magellan
I think that there are many people who want the benefits of elite status, but don't fly enough to earn it only by flying (especially paid flying). Apart from that, there are some small benefits to elite status that don't come from flying, like AA and DL bonus miles from 1-800-Flowers.
Ah, ok. So you meant; elite status without flying the required mileage/segements.

Now I understand, great question btw.
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Old Oct 13, 2004, 12:31 pm
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Thanks!

Nice compilation. Thanks, Ferdinand Magellan. Now, if I find any new methods, I'll just have to find this thread again.
Adam
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Old Oct 13, 2004, 1:24 pm
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USAIrways Signature Visa cardholders get many of the perks of Silver elite status:
  • Unlimited space available upgrades
  • Preferred check-in
  • Preferred boarding
  • Annual $99 companion tickets
  • Complimentary US Airways Club pass (one-time visit)
  • Discounted Club Membership (first year of a new membership)
Note that there aren't any bonus miles, so they're not fully bestowing Silver elite status.
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Old Oct 13, 2004, 1:36 pm
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(3) Amex's Centurion Card offers Gold status on CO, DL and US.
Wow, so by getting this particular credit card, you can enjoy Gold elite status on the airlines mentioned above? Is this the same thing as an AMEX platinum card?
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Old Oct 13, 2004, 1:50 pm
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Originally Posted by Analise
Wow, so by getting this particular credit card, you can enjoy Gold elite status on the airlines mentioned above? Is this the same thing as an AMEX platinum card?
No this is different than an AMEX platinum card.

(BTW - my Starwood Amex is a platinum card which I had not even noticed until once a cashier pointed it out).
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Old Oct 13, 2004, 3:32 pm
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Originally Posted by pdhenry
USAIrways Signature Visa cardholders get many of the perks of Silver elite status:
  • Unlimited space available upgrades
  • Preferred check-in
  • Preferred boarding
  • Annual $99 companion tickets
  • Complimentary US Airways Club pass (one-time visit)
  • Discounted Club Membership (first year of a new membership)
Note that there aren't any bonus miles, so they're not fully bestowing Silver elite status.
Wow...that sounds like a good card. What is the annual fee?

Do they also provide a priority phone line and allow you to reserve elite coach seats (e.g., exit row/bulkhead)?

For me, the reason I'd want an elite status even infrequently is the insurance in the event of irregular ops. If my flight gets canceled, I know I can pick up a phone and talk to a human immediately. If problems happen at the airport, I know I can probably go somewhere and very quickly have a human address the issue. I've been stuck in a couple of big airports without elite status and your choices are: (a)stand in a long line, (b)wait on hold for a phone rep (probably while doing (a)), or (c)bag it and start calling hotels. It's a sh*tty situation and, frankly, the airlines could care less about you if you aren't elite.
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Old Oct 13, 2004, 5:54 pm
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Originally Posted by ScottC
Just curious, why would anyone need/want elite airline status if they don't fly?
in case elite members get expanded flight options when cashing in miles. i know continental gives better businessfirst options to platinum members, for example.
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Old Oct 13, 2004, 6:33 pm
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Originally Posted by pinniped
Wow...that sounds like a good card. What is the annual fee?
If you have to ask.....

Last I heard, $2,500 per year.

And yes, I hear they take pretty good care of you.
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