Hi all,

I'm currently a 1P with UA and fly through ORD and IAD a lot. My wife is planning on accepting a job near MSP, so there may be a change of scenery in the near future. I'm weighing whether to switch FFPs from UA to NW and quickly getting disconcerted:

UA fares from MSP are generally in the same ballpark, but for the routes I'd need, they're surprisingly higher by anywhere from $140 to $260.

NW/DL has no Premium Economy (E+) seating for elites.

From what I read, upgrading on NW is harder than UA.

The Worldperks Visa from USBank has been discontinued, so I'm not aware of a mile-earning credit card.

No system-wide upgrades.

Can someone please prove me wrong on these?

One ^ is the lower threshold for highest level elite (Platinum @ 75K).

cb