Purchase Elite Status?
Mar 3, 2011, 1:12 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: EWR
Programs: UA Gold, UA MM, Marriott Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,329
Purchase Elite Status?
Ok I know technically anyone can purchase status based on the new CO policy of selling EQM's but what is going on over at CO??
In todays mail, my wife receive a tri-fold card from CO Onepass thats says "Even if you didnt earn Gold Elite status for 2011, you can still enjoy it for."
Is this something new? I know ive read about people being offered to retain status with challenges and i even seem to recall a few years back someone paying a fee to retain their status.
Ive never seen this card before. In short it says You can purchase 2011 Gold Elite status for $495 by calling........Your gold membership will be valid thru Jan 31, 2012.
In todays mail, my wife receive a tri-fold card from CO Onepass thats says "Even if you didnt earn Gold Elite status for 2011, you can still enjoy it for."
Is this something new? I know ive read about people being offered to retain status with challenges and i even seem to recall a few years back someone paying a fee to retain their status.
Ive never seen this card before. In short it says You can purchase 2011 Gold Elite status for $495 by calling........Your gold membership will be valid thru Jan 31, 2012.
Mar 3, 2011, 2:18 pm
#2
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
In previous years they have offered such to a targeted group based on relatively high spend compared to EQMs. So if you were Gold and then had 40K EQMs on M fares you'd likely get the offer. Dunno if those targeting metrics apply to your wife or not, but that's what the deal was in past years.
Mar 3, 2011, 5:10 pm
#3
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Manasquan, NJ
Posts: 1,413
My daughters have received like offers in previous years, based on (I think) paid BF fares just short of actual qualification. since they haven't dropped below silver level, and all I really care about is free bags and elite seating and access, I have never taken CO up on this offer. But it's not unusual.
Robin
Robin
Mar 3, 2011, 5:22 pm
#4
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: Continental
Posts: 39
I did not get that. I got a challenge to fly 17,500 files in 90 days - Only on continental metal (not on UA metal). would be fine if I could use UA metal.
Mar 3, 2011, 6:12 pm
#5
Join Date: Jul 2001
Programs: Hilton Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 1,266
Ok I know technically anyone can purchase status based on the new CO policy of selling EQM's but what is going on over at CO??
In todays mail, my wife receive a tri-fold card from CO Onepass thats says "Even if you didnt earn Gold Elite status for 2011, you can still enjoy it for."
Is this something new? I know ive read about people being offered to retain status with challenges and i even seem to recall a few years back someone paying a fee to retain their status.
Ive never seen this card before. In short it says You can purchase 2011 Gold Elite status for $495 by calling........Your gold membership will be valid thru Jan 31, 2012.
In todays mail, my wife receive a tri-fold card from CO Onepass thats says "Even if you didnt earn Gold Elite status for 2011, you can still enjoy it for."
Is this something new? I know ive read about people being offered to retain status with challenges and i even seem to recall a few years back someone paying a fee to retain their status.
Ive never seen this card before. In short it says You can purchase 2011 Gold Elite status for $495 by calling........Your gold membership will be valid thru Jan 31, 2012.
I wilb be scrambling at T-24 to get decent seat.
Last edited by milesmilesmiles; Mar 3, 2011 at 6:22 pm
Mar 3, 2011, 6:47 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: EWR
Programs: UA Gold, UA MM, Marriott Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,329
Interesting, My wife was silver last year and doesn't fly much but when traveling on vacations (which is the only time she flies) its usually in F or BF on paid tickets. Which brings me to my next question, I usually pay with my credit card for all my family's tickets but my spend only reflects my ticket price (or so it seems)
Not sure what could have triggered the offer, she wasnt really close to gold and her spend on her one pass account shows very low so that couldnt be it. Should her ticket price show in her spend even if I pay for it? if not, should it be included in mine?
Not sure what could have triggered the offer, she wasnt really close to gold and her spend on her one pass account shows very low so that couldnt be it. Should her ticket price show in her spend even if I pay for it? if not, should it be included in mine?
Mar 3, 2011, 7:04 pm
#7
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Manasquan, NJ
Posts: 1,413
Interesting, My wife was silver last year and doesn't fly much but when traveling on vacations (which is the only time she flies) its usually in F or BF on paid tickets. Which brings me to my next question, I usually pay with my credit card for all my family's tickets but my spend only reflects my ticket price (or so it seems)
Not sure what could have triggered the offer, she wasnt really close to gold and her spend on her one pass account shows very low so that couldnt be it. Should her ticket price show in her spend even if I pay for it? if not, should it be included in mine?
Not sure what could have triggered the offer, she wasnt really close to gold and her spend on her one pass account shows very low so that couldnt be it. Should her ticket price show in her spend even if I pay for it? if not, should it be included in mine?
Robin
Mar 3, 2011, 7:43 pm
#8
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: NYC
Programs: UA GS (1MM), DL Gold, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Avis CC
Posts: 526
I got the tri-fold offering me to buy up to Platinum (for $795). The odd thing is that I am Platinum. 
I'm honestly sick of the selling of status. RDMs are one thing, but shouldn't elite status be the reward for those of us that actually fly enough to earn it? This year I'll have about 150K BIS miles on CO. Good to know that someone with 50,001 EQMs and a spare $800 can get the same benefits.
I'm honestly sick of the selling of status. RDMs are one thing, but shouldn't elite status be the reward for those of us that actually fly enough to earn it? This year I'll have about 150K BIS miles on CO. Good to know that someone with 50,001 EQMs and a spare $800 can get the same benefits.
Mar 3, 2011, 9:00 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: EWR
Programs: UA Gold, UA MM, Marriott Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,329
I got the tri-fold offering me to buy up to Platinum (for $795). The odd thing is that I am Platinum.
I'm honestly sick of the selling of status. RDMs are one thing, but shouldn't elite status be the reward for those of us that actually fly enough to earn it? This year I'll have about 150K BIS miles on CO. Good to know that someone with 50,001 EQMs and a spare $800 can get the same benefits.
I'm honestly sick of the selling of status. RDMs are one thing, but shouldn't elite status be the reward for those of us that actually fly enough to earn it? This year I'll have about 150K BIS miles on CO. Good to know that someone with 50,001 EQMs and a spare $800 can get the same benefits.
Mar 3, 2011, 9:04 pm
#10
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: EAU
Programs: UA 1K, CO Plat, NW Plat, Marriott Premiere Plat, SPG Plat, Priority Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 4,712
Mar 3, 2011, 9:05 pm
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: EWR
Programs: UA Gold, UA MM, Marriott Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,329
Anything spent on tickets for you wife should reflect on her account.. I believe it's only for CO purchases, maybe for Co metal only (rules are listed on CO.com). Boy, I WISH that total CO spend counted for the buyer - last year our family's total CO spend was over $75 K (as per year end cc statement). But divide that by four, and take away non-flight revenue, etc, and it drops to only about $25k for Mr Fish..
Robin
Robin
Mar 3, 2011, 9:11 pm
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: EWR
Programs: UA Gold, UA MM, Marriott Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,329
Mar 3, 2011, 11:02 pm
#13
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Austin, Texas(Best Airport Food in the World)
Programs: UA 1K, CO Pres? Plat, Marriott Plat, Hilton, Avis, Hertz
Posts: 329
Mar 4, 2011, 1:06 am
#14
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Manasquan, NJ
Posts: 1,413
Robin
Mar 4, 2011, 1:24 am
#15
Join Date: May 2009
Location: PHL
Posts: 2,842
Starting in 2011 you will no longer qualify for Pres Plat but rather GS and in accordance with UA's GS program total spend is not published.