Originally Posted by
rbakker
At the moment I need 10K PQPs. By the end of the year maybe 8K or 9K, unless they have another giveaway. I fly quite a bit but it's all my own money so I use a lot of awards and cheap flights.
I know, it's a bit much, I keep asking myself how much better 1K is than Gold but I've gotten so used to 1K lately. I love pre-boarding and being near the top of the upgrade list.
Please, please, please reconsider your plan.
Keep the $8000, and use it to buy first / business outright next year on whatever carrier best suits your needs. There is no airline status in the world worth that much.
Even if you're able to find a great deal on a PQP run, you're not likely to get much better than 2:1 leverage now that AC earnings have been cut and per-segment earnings are capped. Plus, to get that, you'd have to fly AC. 1K isn't even worth $4K.
Ask yourself, are you doing this for the benefits, or are you doing it to see "1K' stamped onto your boarding pass? If the former, you can value them against the price and I'm certain you'll find that it comes up wanting. If it's the latter, I fear you're falling into the trap of taking UA's marketing at face value.