Originally Posted by
John953
Im a onepass member and finally will hit silver when i fly next weekend. Next year i want to get a head start so in january i was looking at buying miles anyone know instead of continental's website where or who i can get miles from? Also im flying delta nxt week any tips on how i can bump up to first class without paying too much because its from milan to jfk 9 hr flight coach is gonna suck. any info would be greatly appriecated thank you
On Continental, you cannot buy elite qualifying miles. Additionally, elite qualifying miles earned above and beyond the Silver/Gold/Platinum tiers do not roll over. Effectively, there is no way to get a head start. This is contrary to some other programs (i.e. DL SkyMiles, which introduced rollover allowing members to get a head start on elite status).
On Continental or Delta, an elite cannot get an upgrade from JFK to Milan (Italy). Elite upgrades are valid only on non-BusinessFirst or non-BusinessElite market flights (i.e. flights within the US excluding Hawaii/Canada/Mexico and select routes to some other countries).
On Delta, you would have to use miles to upgrade, unless you were a Platinum on a Y/B/M fare in which case you could use a PMU, subject to availability. You need to buy a M fare or higher to use miles to upgrade, which is much more expensive than L/U/T.