Fiordland

You are correct you don't, the only benefit is the free bag and the companion ticket. For the status you have to spent on tickets with the airline.

Fiordland

Interesting. So it is issued as UA ticket, it still earns on Aeroplan. Does the same hold for Lufthansa?

alc

OP - if your personal travel won't get you E35K status, how often do you fly now and what kind of perks are you looking for? Depending on your answers, some credit cards can help with those perks. At the end of the day, all perks that SE entitled to can be pay for one way or another. So, no need to ask another SE to grant you E50K every single year.

m.y

Agree! with all the recent enhancements, why bother chase status, just buy business class straight up. You get all the benefits without having to sit in economy class for hours for mileage runs.

Transpacificflyer

Not exactly. I fit the description above and find that;
- I can get edged out for meal preferences with SEs getting first selection despite the fact that they may be on reward tickets or coupons or in a lower business fare class.
- Concierges will bend over backwards for SEs leaving small time E50s in paid business class sucking air. I have never ever had an AC concierge proactively greet me on a distressed flight, but I see the stories on the forum.
- The SEs are more likely to get the transfer by vehicle between gates.

I self fund all my AC travel except for the insignificant number of flights my travel budget pays: Rapidair tango flights which generate less than $500 spend and a few hundred miles. I think alot of us got whacked by our company travel rules and the Tango accumulation changes.

I assume that you as a jet setter, global wanderer are just yanking the chains of us corporate peons. I think you fly around the world every week, while I am stuck in traffic.

Stranger

No argument about the remainder. But I see no evidence that the above is true. Happened to us only once. Having been SE forever.

Transpacificflyer

Fair enough. It begs the question, how often are people transferred by vehicle. Maybe the transfers are a reflection of flight frequency, and as SEs fly more, they are more likely to be selected. Anyway, it was my perception and I will defer to those more experienced in that regard.

songsc

As concierge is brought up, here are my $0.02. It's a very valuable service if you have many domestic and transborder flights, as paid J won't help and there is very few options other than AC, especially domestic routes. As for international flights, why bother if I have the option to fly airlines that empower their agents more than AC empowers their concierge.

yyznomad

Shame on you! I would've expected you to have started your own thread by now asking someone to get you to S100K!

yyznomad

OP noted that s/he reached status on segments and is nowhere near AC+affiliate metal AQMs (excluding AQM from FP activities).
So I believe OP is roughly 980,000 "AC+affiliate metal AQMs (excluding AQM from FP activities)" AQMs from MM.

Symmetre

Bottom line is, status perks can be had by getting the right credit card, or if travel is less frequent, by simply paying for cheap J. Problem solved.

AtlanticXpat

This. My decline from E75-within-touching-distance-of-SE a few years back through E50, E35 will now continue to statusfree pleb next year. Function of Tango accumulation and most of my travel being on the shortest TATL route. I switched summer travel to WJ this year as I had gold from a status match, but 2018, after Feb, it's no priority services and travel with the masses.

As I'm not retired and will still be travelling across the pond 8+ times a year, I'm clearly a much more deserving candidate for a donated E50 than the OP.

yosemite1

^ This
- Before I got *G + Nexus, I was using an Amex Plat to get me some of the services at my home airport (YYZ). The two things Amex Plat didn't get me was priority boarding and luggage perks, that being said there are other AP credit cards that do have some of those perks instead (I believe there's a visa reserve card that gets you both priority pass and priority boarding for less than the amex plat annual fee).
- Or just pay for J tickets as you dont fly that often OP.

rankourabu

Self funded status is definitely possible - but borderline dumb to do it with AC for what one gets in return.
Sure, it doesnt matter when your status is paid for, expensed, or a tax-deduction. Those of us who dont fly for work, and enjoy getting a somewhat fair return on our dollar, have long moved on, I can think of at least a dozen self-funded status holders on this forum that have never looked back.

Diabeetus

I agree with the suggestions for credit cards, Nexus, and other considering other FF programs (i.e. ones that grant *A gold status more easily).

... Unless you personally know a Super Elite in real life willing to nominate you for E50k.

I don't think you'll find a SE on FT willing to nominate a stranger for E50k.