Originally Posted by
Pilot37
Ultimately only you can be the decision maker on this, but a few helpful pointers:
1) What is your normal flying schedule like - if it something like 2 or 3 long-haul trips a year then you have to evaluate how beneficial incurring a large cost to reach GGL is?
2) If the above still holds true, but you fly every week for work around Europe then the use of the CCR at T5 and priority when the sh*t hits the fan during IRROPS does prove to be worth it
3) 1500 TP’s is a lot to try and earn between now and the end of the year - have you priced up how you could earn that because at this late stage I would think several thousand pounds would have to be paid out to earn that now.
4) Going for it next year at the normal levels again brings us back to the above questions and earning 5K a year to hit the initial threshold is not easy - that is a high number for a reason!
Pilot37
If you haven't already got flights booked, to get 1500 tps by year end that's going to be tough and going to cost you a lot in both money and time. We laid our plans for the autumn back in May.
So as a recent GGL there are some benefits but most of the time you should see it as gold plus rather than a separate tier. The CCR is better than the first lounge, the telephone is generally answered more quickly and the agents will sort out problems more rapidly.
The ability to give away a gold and two silver cards is useful if you have family or friends who fly a lot but who don't get lounge access.
For us with a stash of avios and companion vouchers, the ability to free up seats to the places we want to go and the times we want to go is one of the most useful.
If food selection is important to you on a longhaul then you will get priority before everyone else.
As someone living close to lhr and lgw with frequent economy short hauls for work and long hauls for leisure it's been worth getting it and with the lower thresholds likely to aim to renew it.