Originally Posted by BrettS

The elite trial program is a program that allows you to quickly gain elite status. You call the DM desk and tell them that you want to enroll in the elite trial program. You'll immediately be granted silver status and you'll get a little paper temporary silver card in the mail a week or two later that has an expiration date 90 days from when you signed up. During those 90 days if you fly 6 segments or 6000 miles your silver status will be extended until 2/08. If you fly 14 segments or 11,500 you'll be raised to gold, and it will last until 2/08, and 22 segments or 18,000 miles you'll be platinum until 2/08. All the travel needs to be on real US or US express metal, although when I did it, a United codeshare booked through US counted. To keep your status past 2/08 you'll need to qualify the 'normal' way this year. Additionally, I've been told that you can only do this once every 5 years, so make sure you're going to travel enough within 90 days of the time you sign up.

You may need to call a few times to sign up. I had to call three times before I got an agent who could help me, but eventually I did get my wife and I signed up.

Good luck,
Brett

Also, I just recently became platinum and haven't gotten my platinum card yet, but I can tell you that neither the silver or gold numbers end with 9865.