Originally Posted by
bigshooter
I'm going to derail the thread slightly, but how do you have 75000 PQM/90 PQS to achieve Plat, but you don't have at least enough spend for silver/gold? Just confused by your statement of having zero status.
I can see how OP has less than $3k PQD with good old fashioned mileage runs, cheap fares and the waiver(which is what United is targeting with next year's elite requirements).
I don't normally do mileage runs but I had to go to Asia anyway and the opportunity to do the island hopper cheap presented itself. I booked EWR-NRT-SGN, PEK-NRT-GUM-(island hopper)HNL-EWR-YOW for $467.That itinerary earned me about 20k PQM but $310 or so in PQD.
Another example was where I used miles to get to Asia for another trip and came back to the US with PVG-SFO-LAX for $162 ($127 PQD but 6700 PQM).
The cheap $250-$300 fares to Europe from the US adds PQMs but little PQD too.