SAT Lawyer

NW Silver here. Will be Gold by the end of the month. And Platinum by the end of next. All of my qualiflying flights this year have been on my own dime, save for two domestic business trips.

thethailife

Bikeguy, UTH is Udon Thani Thailand.

civicmon

I don't think status is a bad thing to have even if you're a budget traveller.. the perks and bene's outweight the futility of flying w/o status. With all the alliances and stuff, it's fairly easy to pound on miles toward status.

Skyteam seems the most favorable if you're a US/CAN based flyer.

hiyo

My wife and I are budget travelers, zero business travel.

Thanks to FT, we maintain silver status fairly easily. We fly nothing but lowball sale fares (and the occasional mistake fare ). She puts her miles in US DM, and I accrue UA MP, so we fly with status on both airlines.

This means exit rows and frequent upgrades on US flights, E+ and 500-milers on UA (and occasionally a mooched op-up), priority ticket lines and Zone 1 boarding whenever we fly, and generally an all-around more pleasant travel experience.

We will qualify easily this year, all on our own dime, and also burned 100,000 award miles.

zeikka

My status earnings have pretty much always come from business travel, but having status certainly can spice up budget travel.

Few years back being btw jobs after dot-com bubble we travelled for 4 months in SE Asia, Pacific, NZ, OZ etc. We had cheap considolidator tickets and mainly backpacked, but it's certainly nice to go Cathay lounges for showers and endless supply of noodles after tramping all over hot and sweaty Hong Kong or check-in to Sheraton Auckland after weeks at backpackers even if valet parking attendant makes funny faces at your rent-a-wreck car with plastic bags taped to windows (after a break-in).

RustyC

If you can maintain gold level or higher the 100% mileage bonus is huge, as it means an inefficiently routed trip can earn back in mileage value as much or more than the ticket cost. The doubled miles really change the math. So you not only get the lowest fare (usually, if you know when to pounce), but also that much back in benefits.

Still, I won't go someplace and then just come back on my own dime, unless it's a late-December type top-off situation. I think for it to be worthwhile on a leisure basis you have to get enjoyment value out of both the earning trips and the burning trips and really like to travel.

EmailKid

CO Gold, since I have to get to wherever I'm going. Will requalify this year on my own dime, my one biz trip to SAN is inconsequential with only 2,606 EQMs.

Very rarely stay in hotels over $50, usually around $30, sometimes hostels.

EmailKid

FlyForFun

My user name says it all. I have flown two times for business since October 1990; both times were DFW to Corpus Christi. I have been AA Platinum for the past twelve years and am Platinum for life on AA since I have over 2.7 million miles. Prior to 1990, I flew AA an average of three RTs per month on full-fare tickets (the consulting business). However, I was not even Gold until I quit the consulting business. That was back in the days when there was no published criteria for elite status on AA; there was only Gold and "VIP".

My mother should reach 2 million in another year or so and almost all of her AA miles are from leisure flying and bonuses. She has never flown for business reasons. She has also been Platinum for the past twelve years.

chrissxb

I earned AF/KLM plat. Di only leisure trips and 2 mr. 5th year I do this ...

Jaimito Cartero

I fly about 80% leisure, and have been NW Plat for the last 3 years. I find that Asia and South America are often my best bet for long runs at low prices. Throw in some $98 RT to Atlanta, and you're there in no time. Wish the double EQM would have come out at the beginning of the year! I requalified in late April or early May.

chartreuse

Truly an amazing world. I'm back and forth over the pond like anything, yet just 100 years ago it took weeks or months with no guarantee you'd make it alive.

I'm AA Exp and HH Diamond on 80-85% leisure travel. Mrs c is AA Plat on 100% leisure travel. We still try to save money where possible though.

jacob_m

I agree!
I normally make 1-2 extra trips per year to make sure I keep my status.
A great benefit of *G is that you are allowed to bring 40 kg of checked luggage if flying economy instead of the normal 20 kg without status (except transatlantic where it's different of course).
Having a permanent home address in more than one city/country (in my case I'm up to three now) the extra allowance is very useful as I often have heavy luggage to bring and the costs of one or two MRs to get status are easily outweighted by the money saved on overweight charges.

Otherwise, well sure it's nice to have status and being able to visit lounges etc, but I don't see any point flying half around the world just to get status if you don't really have a reason for flying frequently in the first place.

Les

I am a United 1K from only leisure travel and usually on the lowest fare available. I have ocassionally bought up to an up-gradeable fare. I must admit that I am flying a lot just for the purpose of maintaining my 1K status.

SchmutzigMSP

I'm NW Silver (Gold within 2 weeks or so) and consider myself a budget traveler. I'm still in school and earned silver mainly because of a study abroad trip to China. We were booked in full Y and got the extra 50% EQM bonus on NW. That made silver a piece of cake (needed a quick vacation to the caribbean and Thanksgiving in DC to top off the account). Then I learned about FT. While I'm still in school now, I've been able to secure Gold for next year for less than a 4 credit course costs me. I consider that budget-conscious. Plus, I always Priceline (or red-eye) it domestically and hostel internationally.

Bikeguy

Thanks for the education. That's a long time in the air to go from UTH to BWI.