UNITED, 940,000 MILES and counting
Jun 13, 2015, 12:09 pm
#2
Original Member, Moderator: Hotel Deals and MilesBuzz
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 14,257
You may want to regularly monitor this forum: Mileage Run Deals
Jun 13, 2015, 1:39 pm
#3
Join Date: May 2000
Location: HH Gold, Marriott Gold, PC Plat, Emirates Silver
Posts: 2,679
Do you have the personal and business UA credit cards? Have you received miles from fidelity?
It does feel good when you account reaches 1 million. Others disagree and talk of devaluation but I need high balances for multiple people to take FC trips.
It does feel good when you account reaches 1 million. Others disagree and talk of devaluation but I need high balances for multiple people to take FC trips.
Jun 17, 2015, 6:51 pm
#6
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: SMF
Programs: Hilton Diamond-Marriott Platinum-life
Posts: 1,015
Jun 17, 2015, 9:38 pm
#7
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,173
re
not if he's trying to get to Hawaii....every business class award I can find for the next year (from DFW) has "mixed cabin" with the long segment only available in coach...I refuse to believe that all the first class seats to Hawaii are sold a year in advance....it's just UA making your points useless for that particular award....cant wait to go to Europe and finally burn some of these horribly useless points...I have had over 150k for a few years and cant find a good use for them, even with their hub so close award routings are always unavailable, overnight connections, 2+ stops with the worst choices of any of the major airlines....do you have to have status to get a decent award route?
Jun 18, 2015, 9:11 am
#9
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 483
not if he's trying to get to Hawaii....every business class award I can find for the next year (from DFW) has "mixed cabin" with the long segment only available in coach...I refuse to believe that all the first class seats to Hawaii are sold a year in advance....it's just UA making your points useless for that particular award....cant wait to go to Europe and finally burn some of these horribly useless points...I have had over 150k for a few years and cant find a good use for them, even with their hub so close award routings are always unavailable, overnight connections, 2+ stops with the worst choices of any of the major airlines....do you have to have status to get a decent award route?
NRT--> CHC direct, CHC--> SYD direct (paid flight $200 each for open jaw), SYD-->RAR direct then RAR-->AUK direct and finally AUK-->LAX-->EWR. All this for 160,000 and $400 in fees. This is incredible value as all those flights would have probably cost $10,000 or more.
Jun 18, 2015, 9:17 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Jersey Shore/YYZ
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 12,521
Jun 18, 2015, 6:58 pm
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,722
Wrong forum - maybe better placed in UA.
Personally I don't see why you would pay extra to earn lifetime status if you aren't flying enough to get value from the Gold perks. Mileage runs don't make much sense anymore in a revenue-based program, except to top off EQM. If you are just looking to pad your account balance, there are many better methods than mileage runs.
That being said, you will likely find the best deals in the slow autumn season - $300 RT to Hawaii which can earn an easy 5k EQM. Also watch for SFO-LHR which earns 10k EQM. But again, is it really worth spending money and torturing yourself in E- if you aren't planning to enjoy the destination?
Personally I don't see why you would pay extra to earn lifetime status if you aren't flying enough to get value from the Gold perks. Mileage runs don't make much sense anymore in a revenue-based program, except to top off EQM. If you are just looking to pad your account balance, there are many better methods than mileage runs.
That being said, you will likely find the best deals in the slow autumn season - $300 RT to Hawaii which can earn an easy 5k EQM. Also watch for SFO-LHR which earns 10k EQM. But again, is it really worth spending money and torturing yourself in E- if you aren't planning to enjoy the destination?
Jun 19, 2015, 4:32 pm
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,044
Jun 20, 2015, 1:03 am
#13
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: TPE, SF, DC
Programs: UA Lifetime GS 4mm
Posts: 891
UA significantly diminished MM status benefits when they took away the guaranteed annual 2x RPU even if you don't fly, and implemented revenue-based status.
But UA MM status still gives you lifetime gold [good for intl travel access to *A lounges] and can designate MM companion.
See
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ts-2014-a.html
Since OP want to go for MM status by 2015 end, it means flying ~60k eqm miles by finding cheap routes on UA primarily. Note that you may find ~20k eqm RT flights to get status, but earning UA rdm on long-distance routes radically dropped on March 1 [unlike AA so far which still allow you to earn 100% rdm even on cheapest fares], to 5 mile/$ for general members. Lowest priced UA fares earn even less than 5 mile/$
Last edited by npei; Jun 20, 2015 at 3:54 am
Jun 20, 2015, 2:28 pm
#14
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Florida USA
Programs: Lufthansa
Posts: 73
not if he's trying to get to Hawaii....every business class award I can find for the next year (from DFW) has "mixed cabin" with the long segment only available in coach...I refuse to believe that all the first class seats to Hawaii are sold a year in advance....it's just UA making your points useless for that particular award....cant wait to go to Europe and finally burn some of these horribly useless points...I have had over 150k for a few years and cant find a good use for them, even with their hub so close award routings are always unavailable, overnight connections, 2+ stops with the worst choices of any of the major airlines....do you have to have status to get a decent award route?
Jun 21, 2015, 10:17 am
#15
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SJC/SFO
Programs: WN A+ CP, UA 1MM/*A Gold, Mar LT Tit, IHG Plat, HH Dia
Posts: 6,285
I was in a situation similar to the OP a few years ago. I was at about 970k lifetime EQM with UA. I'd earned the bulk of those miles in the previous 6 years from heavy job-related travel, but with a new job my travel was reduced dramatically. Earning the remaining 30k could take 2-3 years. I thought about pushing it with MRs and discretionary trips to hit the 1MM target sooner. After careful consideration I decided the 1MM status benefits, while nice, simply were not worth the cost of MRs. I decided to let 1MM happen naturally. I reached the mark 18 months later and had no regrets.