yeah, I used to not have to think about this - when someone else is paying for me to make status on YVR - YEG (as I have done for the past 5 years) it was all good. Now that they seem to be booking me more into Tango (or god forbid Westjest and those sh*tty TV screens) I have to consider whether or not I pay the extra to bump up to Flex. eupgrades are pretty useless to me on these routes - esp to PG on DH3s.

I do take one trans-oceanic flight per year - always on my own dime - and there is always at least 2 round trips YVR-Halifax. With these added in I can clear 35k easily which as long as the benefits exist at that level is all I need (99% of my flying is domestic). Once the 35k level is gone or is reset to Prestige benefits I'll guess I'll get an Amex card.

My goal for this year was not to spend any money chasing status. But it's sometimes a hard habit to break