Originally Posted by
cotter77
Reality is that I fly one or two big trips per year. And a few weekend trips per year.
(*snip*)
My goals are such that I would like to enjoy upgrades and access to lounges on my long trips.
You sound pretty much like me in terms of flying habits. You realize that 1 international trip a year and a few small weekend trips here and there, and you will qualify for elite on UA just like that? I fly DEN-KUL-DEN (well, it ends up being DEN-SIN-KUL-SIN-DEN) and that's 18k miles right there. Add one or two more flights and I qualify for elite on the spot. The DEN-KUL-DEN is an annual thing, too, so enrolling in M+ is a no-brainer.
If you don't fly that much (not everyone goes international), then wouldn't the $400 or so for a
Red Carpet membership be worth it anyway? If you have a UA credit card, that $475 means 475 more miles, too...
