Originally Posted by
Baze
Really people? No better than Gold now? Precipice? It is 1 fee for change cancel within 60 days. Nothing else has changed. Still get more RDM's than Gold, no change. Still get RPU's, no change. Can still take 8 people into E+ with you, no change. Still get Group 1 boarding, no change. Still get 3 bags free up to 70 lbs, no change. Still ahead of Golds on the upgrade list, no change. Yes, the implementation of a fee for Platinums sucks, but it is still way better than Gold. I would much rather be a Platinum than a Gold.
Your making assumptions about boarding group that may not continue. I certainly wouldn't trust that it will.
And 1 fee for change within 60 days... that, for some of us, is huge, not insignificant. Up until now, it was an awesome perk that you could find saver award inventory, without penalty, in the days just before flying. Especially with International. Saver business, the holy grail of awards, often opens up at the last minute.
Here's my typical workflow, when planning a trip down the road0
No saver Y available, book standard.
When saver Y becomes available (usually 7 days or so out), refund standard award and buy saver.
If saver C becomes available (typically 1-2 days out), refund saver Y and buy saver C.
That used to be free. Add us the fees and you'll see this is pretty serious dollars, especially if there's a chance you might end up changing dates. As long as you're rock-solid 60+ days out, you're good. Rock solid is depending upon UA having the inventory you want (in addition to whatever life throws at you).
Regarding 3 bags, yes, I will miss that once/year. The flying RDMs became insignificant (for me) compared to the miles earned through CC use once RDMs became based on dollar spend on the ticket, even at the plat level.
In a nutshell, you have good reasons to stay on the Platinum (or above) track. For me, no longer worth the effort.