rgrunnah

Quick question, as I am new to the flex eqm game.

I am earning about 5k eqm's monthly based on pres plus biz card spend (just got the card last month). So by 12/31/11, I should have around 20k flex EQM miles.

I haven't flown much on united this year so I anticipate only having around 15k-20k flown miles by 12/31/11.

With my total 20k + 20k (max) miles, I'm 10k short of gold... What would y'all suggest I do to maximize this benefit?

Ie, should I continue to accrue flex EQM's through March, 2012 (where I should earn another 15k) and then apply ALL of them on 3/31/12 to go from no status to gold status? does it work that way (where I can go 90 days into the next year and retroactively apply EQMs for the remainder of the current year?)

Or, would I apply enough EQMs when EQMs + flown miles = 25k (this year) and take my silver status as soon as it's available? I assume there's no benefit in waiting to apply all EQMs at once if you can apply them on a tier by tier basis, yes?

Thanks in advance! robert

njcommodore

I don't think your retroactive scenario will work. Apply enough this year to get to silver, then wait until next year to bump you up to gold based on next year's flying. This will you'll get free E+ (as a silver) while working on gold.

~tc~

Not necessarily, if the rumored changes are true.

As a PP card holder, you already get most of the benefits of silver, getting gold (and therefore *G) is a huge difference.

Can you do a mileage run for the 10,000? Buy some elite accelerator miles?

rgrunnah

I could do a mileage run, but where I am confused is with this notion of having until March 31st of the next year to apply Flex EQM's retroactively.

The website seems to suggest that if by March 15th, 2012, I have enough EQM's to trade in to get me to 50,000 (appended to my 2011 accrual), then I will get gold status through --- what, I can't tell.. Is it gold status through 1/31/13, or through 12/31/13? ...

Ie, does it make sense to get to Silver as quickly as possible this year by cashing in flex eqm's when flown + flex = 25k (rather than just let my 15k flown miles from 2011 be *worthless*)? ...

njcommodore

Oh I see what you're saying now. If you think your 3/31/12 EQM total plus your 2011 flying will get you to 50 then I think you'll be good. That will get you status for the 2012 year (expires early 2013).

MGStickler

What are Flexible Premier Miles? I now have some in the UA MP account, but a Google search and the UA website does not explain what there are as far as I can see.

UALAX

They come from CC spend. The Presidential Plus Card offers 1000 FPQM's for every 5k in spend. They are used to "top off" your balance if you are shy of a particular elite status level. Unfortunately, they cannot be used in your quest for 1k.

fugacity

Expanding a bit on what MGS said...
-beginning in 2012, the miles have an expiration of a year (or smt like that)
-you can use these to raise your EQM up to 75k. If you come 'close' to a level (below 1k, as mentioned) they can be used to bump your EQM up so you earn the level
-In 2011, it was possible to use them to bump to 1k. Several of us did this rather than take a short mileage run
-in the past, if you redeemed these it counted towards both your EQM and lifetime miles. I assume it still counts towards lifetime, but don't know
-flex miles earned previous to 2012 did not (and do not) expire. I don't know what this means for those of us with pre and post miles...I've got lots of pre-2012 miles and I've already earned some post-jan 1 2012 fpqm. Hopefully if I earn X fpqm miles in 2012 I will be able to transfer X fpqm to my account...raising my lifetime miles by X...and not 'lose' the earlier miles which don't expire. This is the hope of most 1Ks who have the pres plus card, I think...
-lots of us who are 75-99k a year milers were upset that we can not use these to hit 1k in 2012 and beyond. Haha...at the same time, 1ks who are 150k plus a year were upset that us 'lightweights' were able to do this in 2011

keisari

they do not count toward lifetime miles; starting January 1, 2012 only UA and Copa miles will count towards Million miler goals

kokimoto

Hi,
Has anyone experienced missing FEQM from the legacy Continental PP Card? And been able to rectify it? I typically get credited for my charges on the 18th of the month and am missing the credit. I've called both Chase and MP several times and have not been able to address this. I'd appreciate any guidance on this. Thanks.

controller1

I am missing miles from my 4/19 CC statement. The flexible miles usually post 3-5 days after the statement date. Nothing yet.

kokimoto

I glad I am not the only one! If I get credit any time soon I will let you know.

controller1

And WELCOME to FT!

gradsflyer

CC EQM postings have been a chronic issue since March 3rd, and there have been several threads discussing this. I have the PMUA Select Card which earns up to 5k in EQMs per year on UA.com purchases and still have not received any EQMs for March or April despite getting the RDMs. I have sponken with Chase and they said they would report this to UA. About a week after speaking with them I received a letter in the mail indicating that they would indeed credit the EQMs but that unlike RDMs earned with credit cards these must now for whatever reason be credited and reported manually, and that it will typically take two statement periods. You can search for the thread on this but people have reported a variety of experiences with CC EQMs randomly posting with delays without much systematic explanation since March 3rd.

controller1

This must be another change we will like!