Originally Posted by
beltway
You say you do have *A travel from time to time, but don't indicate whether you're looking to earn or maintain elite status. If so, and your travel for this year or next might leave you just short of an elite plateau, then take the $150 flight credit; it'll help you buy a low-cost mileage run.
This is a good point that I hadn't thought of. I did do a MR last December, my first ever, to retain Premier on UA. I find it handy when flying any *A carrier.
Originally Posted by
beltway
If UA status isn't a consideration, take the miles, and remember that you can use them toward an award on any *A partner. (You're accumulating UA miles for some reason, right?)
Yes, I do fly other *A carriers also--I end up on US a lot on domestic short-hauls for vacation (much as I despise US, it is often the only option), and I have used UA points for award flights on TK as well.
I have 30 days to figure it out. The "close to status" question should be answerable by that time, since I'm just about to arrange my remaining overseas work travel for the year. This tends to involve a fair amount of *A flights.