Question: Challenge: Quickest way to *A Gold in 2020?
Aug 13, 2019, 2:00 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Qinhuangdao, Hebei, China
Programs: Aeroplan, Marriott, SPG
Posts: 55
Challenge: Quickest way to *A Gold in 2020?
So this year I will re-qualify for *A Gold the last week of December. I don't like leaving it so late in the year so this next year I want to see how quickly (and cheaply!) I can re-qualify. I should mention that I am currently residing in China so I only need to have $3K spend on AC.
So far this is what I've come up with:
AC PE PVG-YVR-YYZ-EZE-YYZ-YVR-PVG Jan 13-20 (33,175 miles for $3750CDN)
UA PE/E PVG-SFO-LAX-EWR-SFO-PVG Jan 22-23 (22,060 miles for $1350CDN)
two weeks vacation in Jan for 55,235 miles and just over $5K CAD
-any other suggestions?
So far this is what I've come up with:
AC PE PVG-YVR-YYZ-EZE-YYZ-YVR-PVG Jan 13-20 (33,175 miles for $3750CDN)
UA PE/E PVG-SFO-LAX-EWR-SFO-PVG Jan 22-23 (22,060 miles for $1350CDN)
two weeks vacation in Jan for 55,235 miles and just over $5K CAD
-any other suggestions?
Aug 13, 2019, 7:09 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Ideally YOW, but probably not
Programs: AC SE*MM
Posts: 1,826
Seriously. Why on earth would you spend $5000 plus a lot of your time and other expenses taking a bunch of crappy flights? The *G benefits don't come anywhere close to this kind of value, and if they did you'd be flying enough already to get them.
Aug 13, 2019, 8:00 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Qinhuangdao, Hebei, China
Programs: Aeroplan, Marriott, SPG
Posts: 55
Obviously I don't plan on sitting on a plane untold hours just to get *A gold. it's more of a mental exercise to see how quickly/cheaply it can be done.
I will be going back and forth to NA several times this year, and I would like to add a vacation trip to bulk up the miles at CNY.
I will be going back and forth to NA several times this year, and I would like to add a vacation trip to bulk up the miles at CNY.
Aug 13, 2019, 8:08 am
#5
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: YOW
Programs: AC-SE100K, AC-3MM, Marriott- LT Titanium, SPG RIP
Posts: 2,958
If you have more travel planned, you should plan on getting SE-100K for the year... my only question is whether it would be better to get 1K on United or the top tier on Air China or another *A carrier?
Aug 13, 2019, 11:35 am
#8
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 161
So this year I will re-qualify for *A Gold the last week of December. I don't like leaving it so late in the year so this next year I want to see how quickly (and cheaply!) I can re-qualify. I should mention that I am currently residing in China so I only need to have $3K spend on AC.
-any other suggestions?
-any other suggestions?
Aug 13, 2019, 11:57 am
#9
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,316
Foreign *G is never going to be as useful as having status on the airline you're flying.
Aug 13, 2019, 3:38 pm
#10
Join Date: Dec 2005
Programs: OW Emerald, *A Gold
Posts: 6,913
I generally agree with your statement. However, I have the impression that the lowest *G status on any airline is not really of much help. Say I am LH Sen flying LH does not help too much compared to any other *G status. They big difference is holding top tier status on an airline and flying it. AC SE really makes a difference on AC while AC 50k or 75k does not really have that much value (except for maybe higher wait list priority and here the question is how often one needs it).
Aug 18, 2019, 9:23 am
#12
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Windsor/Detroit
Programs: AC*SE, Wyndham Dimond, Marriott Plat, Amex Plat CND & USA, active military, Yoga teacher.
Posts: 148
I generally agree with your statement. However, I have the impression that the lowest *G status on any airline is not really of much help. Say I am LH Sen flying LH does not help too much compared to any other *G status. They big difference is holding top tier status on an airline and flying it. AC SE really makes a difference on AC while AC 50k or 75k does not really have that much value (except for maybe higher wait list priority and here the question is how often one needs it).
Aug 18, 2019, 9:27 am
#13
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Halifax
Programs: AC SE100K, Marriott Lifetime Platinum Elite. NEXUS
Posts: 4,567
Aug 18, 2019, 2:18 pm
#14
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: YOW
Programs: TK*S, SPG Gold
Posts: 714
I generally agree with your statement. However, I have the impression that the lowest *G status on any airline is not really of much help. Say I am LH Sen flying LH does not help too much compared to any other *G status. They big difference is holding top tier status on an airline and flying it. AC SE really makes a difference on AC while AC 50k or 75k does not really have that much value (except for maybe higher wait list priority and here the question is how often one needs it).