Originally Posted by
steves
I flew 61,525 miles last year - over $4900 - and they want about $1200 for platinum. I was platinum for years and have over 60 upgrades banked because rarely have I been upgraded in the last 2 years. This is the second year of similar pattern and only gold status due to the spend requirement. I get little more than I would get with the credit card. I just took 3 flights on Southwest for work - I had 2 bags that went for free, free live TV, the seats were comfortable and leg room was more. I think it may be time to look at price and timing only - perhaps if going on a golf trip and need that extra bag I'll choose southwest. I was surprised - I have lifetime gold with over 1.1 million miles flown and never under 50,000 for at least 15 years - I am unsure what can keep me loyal at this point - and was insulted at the offers for upgrading to platinum that were more than what I had left to spend to make it by the new rules. It was enough of a kick in the face to make me rethink my allegiance.
You were insulted? Take a breath and step back for a minute.
You were $1,100 EQD short of PLT and they offered you a buy-up for $1,200. Take a look at your receipts for the travel you actually did and you'll see that the total amount you paid (including taxes) exceeds the "fare" portion (the part you actually get EQD for) by an average of 8-10%. So IMO it is
entirely reasonable to assume $1,200 total spend to get $1,100 EQD.