If you have a wife/friend/significant other/business partner to travel with, you should factor in the value of a WN Companion Pass, which you will achieve at some point. Free trips for that Companion flying with you anywhere for up to 2 years. This is worth much more to me than the 110K WN points which give that status.
You should also compare the value the WN Visa would give you vs. whatever card you have that would give UA miles.
I haven't run the numbers, but maybe you could go for miles/points/elite status on both WN and UA.
I might add that someone newly traveling as much as you would probably get A LOT out of the Chicago Seminars linked in my sig.
Last edited by toomanybooks; Jul 24, 2011 at 10:14 am