OP here.

I hemmed and hawed. A bit too long, in fact. I decided that the MGW trip was too risky (don't feel like arguing with customer service) so I decided to just do the easy BWI-BOS thing. By the time I made the decision, the best dates and travel times (for me) were gone, within two days!

So I just booked a 160.- flight on UA on a Sunday (Dec. 15). Will leave BWI at 6am and get back shortly after 6pm. Not perfect but will do.

I don't expect to get the UA Gold card in the mail by the following Sunday (when I fly to Germany) but hope that the status change will post on the UA website and that that will be enough.

Again, thanks for all your help. This site is awesome!