Originally Posted by
landrew
Thanks. I have status on two airlines now, but still would like to know whether I need to waste time figuring out MR's. If all the airlines pretty much require you to "buy" qualifying miles with dollars (read expensive fares) rather than filling seats (read arse numbing MR's), then no need to waste more numbing hours figuring out MR's. I might try asking this a different way to see if anyone has it sorted.
It seems pretty straightforward. You know how much you need to spend and how many miles you need to fly, just do the math. For UA and DL it is all about the money. For WN its all about total points (miles) but includes credit card bonuses. AA is all about EQM but you may need fewer EQM if you are flying high fares which earn more EQP.
Really what you should be doing is calculating what elite status is worth v. credit card benefits (easily obtained by paying low annual fees). How much do you value Group 1 v. Group 2 boarding? More than 1 free checked bag? Lounge access on cheapo international tix? Fee waivers on award bookings? E+ seating at time of booking?
IMO, the last item is the biggest benefit and can be easily monetized as I have been paying through the nose to upgrade to E+ seats. The fee waivers on awards are also very useful by essentially acting as an free call option: you can book an award, but cancel if something better becomes available (paid or award).
Personally I find anything below UA Gold/AA Plat/DL Gold to be mostly worthless and thus not worthy of any extra $$ for MR. In the old days you could also justify MR by considering the value of the miles, but much less now with the new UA/DL/WN programs that award fewer miles on low fares. YMMV.