Chinsexpat

I have just re qualified for UA 1K and BA Silver is just a couple of flights away. Currently i live in the US, but next year will make about 14 transatlantic flights and 30 internal in the US.

UA have just made it a lot tougher for people like me who fly transatlantic at best in PE to re qualify for 1K. However if i ensure all my flying is with Star Alliance I should just make it.
BA Gold in comparison will be easy to achieve.

I am torn between which one to go for and its compounded a little by potentially moving back to the UK in the next year. In the UK i would use BA.

With UA i get preboarding so no group one line and 6 certificates per year to upgrade from PE (finding these easy to apply). I also find the 1K desk very helpful. During 2019 I've probably had 10+ complementary upgrades to First domestically.
The negatives are that miles required to fly business are high but taxes low. Also no lounge access domestically, but dont miss them that much.

With BA the chances of upgrades seem a lot slimmer and that can be important to me with so many transatlantic flight. I do have BA Amex and Plat card so earn miles a lot quicker than on United.
Flying on American i wont be first on board (can live with that) and no complementary upgrades. Lounge access is there, but nothing to write home about.

Thoughts appreciated

hartwith

Are you travelling busy transatlantic routes? If so, the likelihood of OpUps is significantly higher as a BA Gold, albeit there is no science behind it - some BA Golds complain that they never get any (it is done by an algorithm). I fly LHR-JFK roughly 15 times a year (30 flights) and so far have had 8 upgrades this year from WTP to J.

From what you say above - especially if UK relo is on the cards - moving to BA would seem like a no brainer.

alancostello

You say the lounges are nothing to write home about but if you're flying through mostly AA hubs (ORD/JFK/DFW/LAX/MIA, soon LHR and PHL) the Flagship lounges are really very nice, and you'd get to use them on domestic travel too as well as Flagship First Check-in at LHR/ORD/JFK/MIA/LAX, let alone BA's First Wing if flying BA out of LHR. It's not the same as getting occasional complimentary upgrades but it makes the whole experience a bit nicer, and it's consistent.

nachosdelux

I left UA 1K/ AA EXP to focus on BA Gold and don't regret it. The use of Flagship lounges is really nice, and the possibility of you moving to the UK next year would make me strongly consider it. That said, you will lose out on domestic upgrades, but the ability to choose good seats on AA almost makes up for it on short/med flights.

thebigben

You are unlikely to get upgraded with BA. On the other hand if you book long enough in advance, you'll find upgrade space from W to J at about 25k avios for a TATL segment. Airport upgrades IIRC could be as low as $350. As for US domestic upgrades, depends on AA policy, I'm not sure.

As BA gold, you will get a decent amount of Avios, especially in Y/W, as the 100% bonus is based on miles flown and not miles awarded. Redemptions on domestic flights in the US are cheap but not abundant. Redemptions for TATL are not cheap if you compare them to advance booking prices, but you as a Gold member you can often get last minute (24-48h in advance) economy tickets on BA for the regular redemption price, should you ever need them.

The lounges will be a lot better than what you're used to with UA, especially if you fly out of major airports. First class lounge access and first class check-in are really great perks IMO.

The Gold line has been stellar in my experience although the limited opening times may be an issue if you want to call in the afternoon from the US.

ermis177

As you flying mostly in PE you will get disappointed that BA does not offer any upgrade certificates. I assume these certificates you get are relatively easy to use and you get upgraded from PE to C. Polaris seat is miles away compare to current CW and also you might find the soft product better too ( better bedding, PJ in some long haul flights etc). Regarding the upgrades it seems to be hit and miss. As BA gold you are not guaranteed any upgrades as the system is not structured that way. You might even see blue members being upgraded to a higher class. Although I assume you will get some upgrades too.

LondonElite

Personally I find that 1K has done a lot more for me than BA G ever did. The 1K line alone is worth the effort, where I find a lot more flexibility and the Gold line.

manord

I trod this path a few years ago. I was UA 1K for a few years, then 1 year at AA EXP, then BA Gold for several years since. Admittedly my UA experience was under the pre-merger UA (in fact it was the messed up CO merger that drove me to the year with AA).

Short version is that I'm very comfortable with that choice in hindsight.

- Flying on BA is generally more pleasant than flying UA, in all cabins, in my experience (including recent UA flights).

- There will be no domestic upgrades on AA as BA Gold (only rare opups, maybe once a year). But I'm not convinced "first class" on either AA or UA is worth worrying about.

- You'll get lounge access within the USA when flying AA. Most of the time this isn't that much of a benefit either, as only a few of the AA lounges are worth visiting (same story for UA lounges).

- You will miss the easier miles availability on UA (or AA) compared with BA award space - depending on your routes/planning habits. This better award availability is probably the only thing I really miss from *G vs OWE.

- You will miss the UA upgrade certificates.

- UA and AA tend to be more flexible in IRROPS with their elites, although in fairness I have mostly been looked after very well by either AA or BA during issues.

- I find the BA Gold line to be as good as the UA 1K or the AA EXP lines for most things, the one exception being IRROPS, which are better handled at the airport.

Of course, caveat that one person's experiences don't make a general picture, etc.