Originally Posted by
avidflyer
Yes GM is better than FO but remember that if you really don't fly enough to get to Gold without a bump in fare class you may not fly enough to really justify the extra $$ for the perks. Perks are great if you are using them dozens or even hundreds of times a year. If you are only going to fly 10 times it may not be worth it.
Agreed. The only diff is if you KNOW you will be significantly flying the next year. For instance, last year I was short in Dec and upped the fare class on a couple trips to make Silver. This year, I easily made Silver and am less than 100 miles from Gold on ALL BIS miles.
It also depends on your market. Out of SFO/SJC, it is not competitive as a Silver. Sometimes the list is 25-30 deep for upgrades. If your stats are decent as a Silver, you might just want to rollover more miles.