Very much so - definitely have found it worth it to do a quick MR to get that level of flexibility with travel when it looks like I might be shy of Gold.. If you have status with another airline, you may find the status challenge helpful to get you benefits more quickly: https://www.alaskaairstatusmatch.com/ Even if you don't, I'd say give them a call and see what your options might be. It sounds like you'd hit Gold relatively quickly anyhow, but they may be able to expedite or give you the challenge if they see you're already booked for flights that would get you there. AS is generally a bit more flexible and customer friendly than most, particularly with elites.