Originally Posted by
manusnd
I plan on 2-3 long haul international flights with spouse (not mileageplus member) and 9 short hall domestic flights with spouse. WIll also have 750K united miles that I would like to start spending. What are your thoughts? If I get 1K should I defer using my mile for the whole year to take advantage of free upgrades?
Short-haul is going to depend entirely upon what routes you fly, and when.
Long-haul depends greatly upon how much flexibility you have in your travel, in addition to what routes you fly and when. If there are specific dates you need to fly, and you're only willing to fly nonstop, you're likely to find yourself sitting in the back. If you're willing to add connections, fly on alternate dates, etc., then PlusPoints can be very useful.
Whichever route you choose,
use your MileagePlus miles. If you decide to go for 1K, you may be able to use your miles for some of your spouse's trips, and your PlusPoints for your own. They're depreciating rapidly; there's no sense saving them.