Obviously when I said "VIPs" instead of 500 mile stickers, I mistyped. I'm recovering from spinal surgery and I'm on enough Vicodin to kill a small horse. That said, I stand by my original suggestion.

It doesn't seem to me to be "double-dipping" to earn credit towards 500 mile stickers when an EXP is NOT upgraded. A GLD member who isn't upgraded earns credit. So does a PLT. It seems only logical that so should an EXP. It doesn't make sense that EXPs would be fighting to get into coach simply insofar as in so doing, they'd earn credit. The upgrade (and consequently the lack of credit applied towards stickers) exceeds the value of the stickers themselves.

Pretty straightforward to me...