Hello, I am NYC based 1K on UA and am thinking of switching to AS in 2020 after UA’s recent elite status qualification changes and the impending move to dynamic award pricing. I’ve never flown AS, never had their credit card, and don’t have a MP account. So I have lots of newbie questions:

1. My flying nowadays is just 3 business class round trips per year to DEL or BOM and perhaps 1 business class round trip to Europe. Total spend this year around $18-19K. Will travel on AS partners get me to the 75K status?

2. Do I need to fly AS metal to achieve or maintain status? I have no need for lounges (available via Priority Pass from CSR) or bag allowances (via J tickets or BofA Preferred reimbursements when traveling Y), and upgrades are not a factor (zero success in last couple of years out of EWR in the few economy flights I have taken). So I seek status primarily for RDM multiplier.

3. For DEL / BOM trips, is there a difference between CX and EK in terms of RDM and EQM? I’d much rather avoid BA (didn’t like the cabins or service during my AA EXP days)

4. Is CSR the best way to ticket for Mileage Plan or should I get a BofA AS card? Would you ticket CX / EK via AS or directly? Currently I spend the $18K or so on my CSR, primarily for UA (Europe, Asia) or BA (US, Caribbean) redemptions. But I have about 500K UA miles that will be difficult to burn following their move to dynamic pricing. I have plenty of Avios and UR too.


5. In terms of redemptions, if I switch ideally I’d like to be able to take my family of four to Alaska in business class in summer of 2021 or 2022. Is that kind of availability realistic in AS metal?

Thanks!