FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - The Consolidated "Is United 1K Status Worth It?" Thread [2010-12 Posts]
Old Mar 30, 2011, 5:26 pm
  #10  
coyote
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: DEN
Programs: UA Gold MM
Posts: 146
Originally Posted by TIMOS
Thanks!
But my true flying only gets me to about 55,000 EQM this year.

I'd be doing 45,000 miles JUST to hit IK (but i LOVE traveling and have many places I want to see)

Should I still go for it?
TIMOS - I've been in a similar situation the last couple of years. I traveled about 125k+ annually between 2000 - 2007. Changed jobs, and my new job gets me about 40-50k a year. Luckily I hit 1M last year, so I don't worry about getting to 1P.

However, I absolutely love to get on a plane and fly around the world. Getting the EQMs is a good excuse - my wife actually understands that part of it. After spending a year at 1P - I made the decision last year that 1K was definitely worth it for me (assuming I can find reasonable fares).

For me, the SWUs, the red carpet when boarding, the greater chance of an UDU, the free award ticket changes, and the same day standby benefits are key.

I generally find trips that yield between 12-15k round-trip, and I try to keep the fares between $800 - $1,000 (not always successful, but that's my goal). I figure I have to do 3-5 trips a year, so $2,400 - $4,000. Of course you can't just look at the $$$, if you love to travel and love to go to new places then you aren't really just paying for the EQMs are you?

2009 I did SYD and NRT (with my wife), 2010 I did SYD and PEK (both with my wife), and BKK, so far in 2011 I've been to DXB and HKG. I realized that I was making the right choice when, for the IAD-DXB flight, I sat in my coach seat #17 on the upgrade list (using SWUs). As a 1K, I've never not had an SWU clear. Planning my travel for the rest of the year - I'll probably need to find 2 more trips.

mkleiderman brings up a good point on the SWUs and fare class - however both my 2011 trips I was able to book the higher fare class for only about $150 more than the non-upgradeable fare class.
coyote is offline