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The Consolidated "Is United 1K Status Worth It? - 2013/14 Edition

The Consolidated "Is United 1K Status Worth It? - 2013/14 Edition

Old Oct 24, 2014, 7:40 am
  #376  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1k, SPG Plat 100
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Originally Posted by LaserSailor
I think 1Ks do ok on United....from a travel experience perspective I saw little difference between 1K and GS....mostly just window dressing as GS.
Not sure how long it's been since you weren't GS, but the big diff is domestic upgrades. IME they don't really happen for 1k anymore. I would also love to be able to use instruments on award tickets.
Boo_Radley is offline  
Old Oct 24, 2014, 10:15 am
  #377  
 
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Originally Posted by Boo_Radley
Not sure how long it's been since you weren't GS, but the big diff is domestic upgrades. IME they don't really happen for 1k anymore. I would also love to be able to use instruments on award tickets.
Yeah, the post 2009 CPU party is over.
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Old Oct 24, 2014, 12:16 pm
  #378  
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Originally Posted by LaserSailor
I think 1Ks do ok on United....from a travel experience perspective I saw little difference between 1K and GS....mostly just window dressing as GS.
As Boo_Radley commented, the GS / 1K gap has significantly grown in the past 1 or 2. 5 years back I would agreed the difference wasn't huge, but today's 1K is closer to the PremExec of 5 years back and the GS of today has improved.
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Old Oct 24, 2014, 12:20 pm
  #379  
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
As Boo_Radley commented, the GS / 1K gap has significantly grown in the past 1 or 2. 5 years back I would agreed the difference wasn't huge, but today's 1K is closer to the PremExec of 5 years back and the GS of today has improved.
Yeah just compare PN and R availability on ps and long-haul international.
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Old Oct 24, 2014, 5:35 pm
  #380  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Originally Posted by embarcadero1
I've made four TATL trips this year, two TPAC. I've been able to use GPUs to Asia (once) but only on two sectors to Europe (ON).

I'm not flexible about dates or routes, so these things just aren't worth anything to me. First class on UA is good for the privacy but their soft product is inferior to most carriers I would consider in business (LH, ANA, VS).

That said, I find United's service so poor that I fear that if one's status dips below 1k, it might be unbearable.
Agree.Im not flexible either and to pay for F on UA is laughable. We do pay for f travel but only on EK, SQ and LH as of the last 2 years. that said, the 6 GPU's from D-ON do save quite a bit of money if your going to fly a route UA flys anyway in F......if your taking 36-48 flights a year USA-Gulf and VV, thats 6 flights you save around $4-8,000 on.
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 8:16 am
  #381  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
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I'm 1K currently living in Europe and travel to SFO at least once per quarter in discount business (P or Z), which means I can never use GPU's for myself. Instead I've gifted them to 4 friends/family and have 2 still available. I was planning on having 3 RT FRA-SFO flights the last 2 months of this year (which would get me to 101K PQM), but one of them has now been cancelled. Unfortunately this means I'll end up just short of 90K PQM leaving me at Platinum for next year.

In 2015, I'll be based near SFO again and will no longer fly for business purposes except for maybe one flight to NRT (biz P/Z). Instead, I'll likely just be burning miles for personal travel/vacation on a couple biz (hopefully) TATL award flights in the year plus 1 or 2 domestic award flights per quarter.

This is a no brainer that I shouldn't worry and just be happy with Platinum, right? Or am I missing something?
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 9:18 am
  #382  
 
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Originally Posted by 1flux
I'm 1K currently living in Europe and travel to SFO at least once per quarter in discount business (P or Z), which means I can never use GPU's for myself. Instead I've gifted them to 4 friends/family and have 2 still available. I was planning on having 3 RT FRA-SFO flights the last 2 months of this year (which would get me to 101K PQM), but one of them has now been cancelled. Unfortunately this means I'll end up just short of 90K PQM leaving me at Platinum for next year.

In 2015, I'll be based near SFO again and will no longer fly for business purposes except for maybe one flight to NRT (biz P/Z). Instead, I'll likely just be burning miles for personal travel/vacation on a couple biz (hopefully) TATL award flights in the year plus 1 or 2 domestic award flights per quarter.

This is a no brainer that I shouldn't worry and just be happy with Platinum, right? Or am I missing something?
Seems to me yes - the GPUs aren't worth anything to you in this scenario. Even the increased chance of CPUs seem meaningless. And as Plat you still get free award changes, etc., and the same luggage and E+ benefits.
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 9:51 am
  #383  
 
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Originally Posted by drewguy
Seems to me yes - the GPUs aren't worth anything to you in this scenario. Even the increased chance of CPUs seem meaningless. And as Plat you still get free award changes, etc., and the same luggage and E+ benefits.
The free award changes (including redeposits of miles) is the big one if you're going to be burning miles. I've used this many times as a Plat, and was loathe to make changes as a Gold.
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 7:44 pm
  #384  
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Originally Posted by bcj1949
Does everyone think 1K still worth it after quite a year! Thanks
Back to the original question:

At the end of 2013 I was close to 1K so I bought an accelerator to get me to 1K. Cost me nearly $3k. I fly SFO/BKK/SFO 3 times a year (at least). On each of those flights I paid over $6k for my ticket (well, my boss did). I normally pay the same for my wife. Instead I paid $1,200 each for coach tickets and she has cleared a GPU upgrade on every single leg (just got the confirmation on the last leg coming up next month). So getting to 1K saved me just over $15k at the cost of $3k.

So, yeah, at least in my case it was well worth it.
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Old Oct 31, 2014, 12:20 am
  #385  
 
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We'll see. I have some TATL and EWR-BOM flights that I have GPU parked on but not granted yet. One return is in LH and I have the paper GPU. It looks like I'll not make the GPU this weekend over to FRA and the BOM flights are getting tighter on inventory. At that point I'll be 1/6 on GPUs. I don't consider my GPU 'clearing' if I get the EWR-DEN, but don't get the BOM-EWR leg. Sure, they take it, but pffffft.

I almost never get CPUs, and I fly a lot of RJs so they aren't even there to get. I might stick it out one more year to see if the spend limits thin the herd. The G1 lines boarding are silly long. The 757 on the Monday DEN-ORD run had 5 people clear which left 70 people on the upgrade list. The the buy ups and Day of travel offers, it just doesn't work out to be totally loyal like I need to be to get 1K.
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Old Oct 31, 2014, 1:13 am
  #386  
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Originally Posted by PushingTin
.. I don't consider my GPU 'clearing' if I get the EWR-DEN, but don't get the BOM-EWR leg. ....
And neither does UA. The GPU will be returned if that happens but you get to keep the EWR-DEN upgrade. Small consolation but the GPU lives for another day.
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Old Nov 5, 2014, 10:24 am
  #387  
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 26
I've been Plat for many many years but never came close to 1K. This year I should end my travel 3,000 miles short of 100,000

Are the extra 1K benefits worth a mileage run? I can probably do EWR-DEN-EWR for under $350. That probably makes sense, no? (I've met the minimum spend)
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Old Nov 5, 2014, 11:20 am
  #388  
 
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finkie: I would think it's worthwhile. You'll get 6 GPUs and 2 RPUs after crossing 100k, plus additional miles for your flights in 2015.
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Old Nov 5, 2014, 3:30 pm
  #389  
 
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Originally Posted by finkie
I've been Plat for many many years but never came close to 1K. This year I should end my travel 3,000 miles short of 100,000

Are the extra 1K benefits worth a mileage run? I can probably do EWR-DEN-EWR for under $350. That probably makes sense, no? (I've met the minimum spend)
Depends on the type of flying you do and the type of flying you plan to do.

A hypothetical example is if you don't plan to fly at all next year - in which case, even $350 is money not very well spent.
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Old Nov 5, 2014, 3:37 pm
  #390  
 
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Originally Posted by teeceedee
Depends on the type of flying you do and the type of flying you plan to do.

A hypothetical example is if you don't plan to fly at all next year - in which case, even $350 is money not very well spent.
+1.

He's in a good situation, which is the possibility of 1K at low cost.

But what benefits would he get? GPUs? May be worth it if intertational travel in W or above. More CPUs? May be worth it if on routes where 1Ks clear and Plats don't. All depends on flying
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