UA Silver
 

I'm 228 miles away from UA Silver. I don't have any planned trips remaining this year. Is it worth it to book a flight to gain that status? Cheapest flights from DC area would be about $300 RT. Any thoughts?

It depends how much you plan on flying next year

But I probably wouldn't do it unless you plan to fly a lot next year. You can get the majority of Silver benefits through the credit card (boarding group 2, free checked bag, etc.). It's not like you're going to get upgrades as a Silver, and E+ often only has middle seats left at T-24, except for some international routes.

You should be able to do 228 miles for much cheaper than $300 RT though. Check Hartford, Dallas, Chicago, etc.

On Tuesday, December 16th, you can do IAD-BDL-IAD for $154.20 RT.

Washington (IAD) to Hartford (BDL) - Tue, Dec 16
United United 3725 Dep: 12:40PM Arr: 1:59PM 1h 19m Canadair RJ 700 Economy (N)
OPERATED BY MESA AIRLINES DBA UNITED EXPRESS

Hartford (BDL) to Washington (IAD) - Tue, Dec 16
United United 5689 Dep: 7:33PM Arr: 9:00PM 1h 27m Canadair Reg. Jet Economy (L)
OPERATED BY EXPRESSJET AIRLINES DBA UNITED EXPRESS

Cost per passenger (including taxes & fees) $154.20

Is it worth it? Having a United credit card gets you almost all of the same benefits as UA Silver. It is very unlikely that you'll hit a complimentary premier upgrade (CPU).

The E+ seating is the benefit worth considering that the credit card doesn't supply. If you value the E+ seat and plan one or more international trips, then it could be worthwhile.

i was in same boat last year and just did it, as i had at least 5 domestic trips planned. ended up doing 6, got E+ aisle seat on every one, and cpu on 3 of my 12 segments. surprising since i'm out of sfo.

Some other options:

138 for IAD-EWR same day turn (return flight connects in BDL though) on Monday 12/15

141 for IAD-TPA same day turn on Tuesday 12/16


If you need a weekend flight:
221 same day turn DCA-ORD on Saturday 12/13

I have almost always gotten E+ aisle seat at T-24. I think when others with higher status get CPU'ed, they tend to vacate those seats. I notice there is often more E+ aisle availability at T-24h than T-7days.

The other major benefit is the 500mi minimum. (In my case, 29% of my flights this year were <500mi.) If you tend to fly along the eastern seaboard, this can make a huge difference in qualification next year.