Dec 27, 2016, 5:57 pm

FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides

Last edit by: Pat89339

For each request, please include the following information:

Departure Airport:
Miles Needed:
Required Spend or Maximum Budget (choose one, and state the value):
Available Travel Dates:
Required Metal or Codeshares Okay:
Route(s) You've Already Searched:
Do you have a Chinese Visa (Yes/No)?

For each response. Please quote the original request. DO NOT START A NEW THREAD.
There are many good fares to China (PEK or PVG). If you have a Chinese visa, these options will be provided.

If your requested PQM is in a few thousand, please give a more accurate amount. You will get fewer options with a roundup number (eg, 5000 instead of 4830; IAD-SFO nonstop will work for the latter.)

UA/Star Alliance: 2017-2018 Consolidated Mileage/Status/Challenge Runs help needed

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Dec 19, 2018, 4:59 am

#2491

Kleinnaf

Join Date: Jun 2018

Posts: 489

Quote:

Originally Posted by webmedics

Last minute decision to try and make it from Gold to Platinum.
I spent $2,200 buying United Airlines Award Accelerator and PQM's to make the 50,000 mile mark.
Instead of being an idiot like that again, I'd like to make use of my Visa to China and fly 25,000 more miles.

I'll circumnavigate the globe if anyone has a grand plan !!

Departure Airport: DEN
Miles Needed: 25,000
Required Spend or Maximum Budget (choose one, and state the value): No required spend, no idea on budget
Available Travel Dates: 12/19 to 12/23 (except 12/24 & 12/25) 12/26 to 12/31
Required Metal or Codeshares Okay: United (UA)
Route(s) You've Already Searched: DEN - PEK on Google flights
Do you have a Chinese Visa (Yes/No)? YES !!!

Try SYD, I believe that will get you 19k

Personally I don't think the difference between gold and plat is worth anything!

Kmxu likes this.

Dec 19, 2018, 7:08 am

#2492

nycoffee

Join Date: Dec 2018

Programs: United

Posts: 1

Gold to Platinum PQM

Departure Airport: EWR or LGA
Miles Needed: 7,637
Required Spend or Maximum Budget (choose one, and state the value): $500 (trying to hit PQM from gold to platinum without paying $600 for PQM miles on accelerator)
Available Travel Dates: 12/29 or 12/30
Required Metal or Codeshares Okay: UA
Route(s) You've Already Searched: EWR -LAX, EWR-SFO
Do you have a Chinese Visa (Yes/No)? No

Dec 19, 2018, 7:52 am

#2493

Kmxu

Join Date: May 2012

Location: ORF, RIC

Programs: UA LT 1K, 3 MM; Marriott Titanium; IHG Platinum

Posts: 6,952

Gold to Platinum

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kleinnaf

Try SYD, I believe that will get you 19k

Personally I don't think the difference between gold and plat is worth anything!

United promoted Gold to Group 1 boarding (as Platinum) a few months ago. The RDM difference is just 1 miles per dollar (PQD) between the two statuses. Unless you have a lot of routes that you are able to get complimentary premier upgrade (CPUs) with Plantinum status, it is not worth getting Platinum status by spending money (over $1000) and time (2-3 days) at this time of the year.
To get the ORD-SYD deal, you will need a positioning flight using miles or another airline (at least one-way by using the same-day change from IAH-ORD to IAH-DEN-ORD and getting off at DEN on return).
Good luck.
https://www.google.ca/flights#flt=OR...53*2.USD.71153

Last edited by Kmxu; Dec 19, 2018 at 7:57 am Reason: ORD-SYD for $712

Dec 19, 2018, 8:10 am

#2494

Madone59

Join Date: Nov 2009

Location: 6km East of EPAYE

Programs: UA Silver, AA Platinum, AS & DL GM Marriott TE, Hilton Gold

Posts: 9,582

Quote:

Originally Posted by nycoffee

Welcome to FT NYCoffee ^ That many miles for a budget is a stretch this time of year. Even if there was a $450 or $500 MR out there you'd only be "saving" $100 or so; I'd just pay the $600 and be done.

Dec 19, 2018, 8:15 am

#2495

anandrag

Join Date: Aug 2001

Location: NY

Programs: AA: ExPlat & 3MM; UA: 1k; KL: Plat 4 Life; Hyatt: Plat; SPG, Marriott, Hilton: Gold

Posts: 2,708

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madone59

can do the (now infamous) BQN run. Yields 8.8k and should be available under $500

Dec 19, 2018, 9:30 am

#2496

Kmxu

Join Date: May 2012

Location: ORF, RIC

Programs: UA LT 1K, 3 MM; Marriott Titanium; IHG Platinum

Posts: 6,952

LGA-IAH-EWR-BQN and back for $661 and 8800 PQM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nycoffee

https://www.google.ca/flights#flt=LG...20*2.USD.66020

Dec 19, 2018, 11:21 am

#2497

kcip

Join Date: Jun 2010

Location: BWI/IAD

Programs: UA1K

Posts: 44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kleinnaf

See my post above same flight just buy the 4k option, will cost less than $500 and you don't have to leave home. Remember for the $500 you'd get 6 GPUs which is more than worth it, not sure about you but I use GPUs all the time and would not pass up on such an opportunity.

Once you purchased the extra miles you can cancel the flight right away.

Thanks. It took a few tries to figure out how to find the accelerator option, but that appears to be a good choice. Once I make a booking and buy the accelerator miles, can I just cancel the booking online?

Dec 19, 2018, 11:23 am

#2498

Madone59

Join Date: Nov 2009

Location: 6km East of EPAYE

Programs: UA Silver, AA Platinum, AS & DL GM Marriott TE, Hilton Gold

Posts: 9,582

Quote:

Originally Posted by anandrag

can do the (now infamous) BQN run. Yields 8.8k and should be available under $500

Did you check OP's dates? It isn't/ wasn't under $500, and was near $700 last I checked.

Kmxu likes this.

Dec 19, 2018, 11:42 am

#2499

Kleinnaf

Join Date: Jun 2018

Posts: 489

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcip

yes.

Dec 19, 2018, 1:38 pm

#2500

toddlok

Join Date: Apr 2005

Posts: 75

Close to UA Platinum

Looking to get to UA Platinum, but SAN isn't the easiest airport to fly in and out of, and the premier accelerator just jumped 3x on me overnight.

Departure Airport: SAN
Miles Needed: 2,776
Required Spend or Maximum Budget (choose one, and state the value): $500 (max budget)
Available Travel Dates: December 26-29 (prefer to do a day trip)
Required Metal or Codeshares Okay: Yes
Route(s) You've Already Searched: SAN to many places through the midwest
Do you have a Chinese Visa (Yes/No)? No

Dec 19, 2018, 2:42 pm

#2501

flyer_mty

Join Date: Feb 2009

Posts: 3

Hi everyone.

I will appreciate if you can help me finding out options to earn 13,000 PQM before the end of the year to maintain my UA status.

Departure Airport: MEX / IAH
Miles Needed: UA 13,000 PQM
Required Spend or Budget: <900 or less possible
Available Travel Dates: rest of December
Required Metal or Codeshares Okay: UA metal
Route(s) You've Already Searched: MEX-EWR-Europe/Asia/South America…

Thank you for your help!

Dec 19, 2018, 2:54 pm

#2502

wh6cto

Join Date: Nov 2013

Location: IAD/DCA/BWI

Programs: Hyatt Globalist (2020:Exp), United Gold

Posts: 1,525

UA:$490 SAN-ORD rt 3951PQM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toddlok

Wow, getting hard to find anything.

UA:$490 SAN-ORD 3951PQM
Sat 29 Dec
UA2094 SAN-IAH 0805-1308
UA1899 IAH-ORD 1420-1653
UA651 ORD-SAN 1950-2213
Link: https://goo.gl/flights/Qhx1a

SAN-BZN is $350, but unfortunately 100 miles short. Ugh!

UPDATE: Same price, less flying:

UA:$490 SAN-IAH 3018PQM
Sat 29 Dec
UA1593 SAN-IAH 1209-1715
UA2076 IAH-DEN 1941-2111
UA2416 DEN-SAN 2207-2328
Link: https://goo.gl/flights/ojp76

UPDATE #2 : Glad I kept looking, found a cheaper one. Various flight options, similar prices on multiple dates:

UA:$427 SAN-OGG rt 5500PQM+
Thu 27 Dec
SAN-SFO-OGG-SFO-SAN
Link: https://goo.gl/flights/TMPKF

Last edited by wh6cto; Dec 19, 2018 at 6:57 pm Reason: Added SAN-IAH; added SAN-OR

Dec 19, 2018, 4:28 pm

#2503

wh6cto

Join Date: Nov 2013

Location: IAD/DCA/BWI

Programs: Hyatt Globalist (2020:Exp), United Gold

Posts: 1,525

UA:$954 IAH-PVG 15667PQM or $1015 MEX-TLV 15557PQM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyer_mty

Do you have a China visa? (Question was not answered.) If so, this may be the cheapest option:

UA:$954 IAH-PVG 15667PQM (all UA metal)
Sat 29 Dec
UA182 IAH-SFO 0950-1213
UA857 SFO-PVG 1305-1835(+1day)
Mon 31 Dec
UA199 PVG-LAX 2025-1545
UA494 LAX-IAH 1741-2246
Link: https://goo.gl/flights/e2CgD

From MEX:

UA:$1015 MEX-TLV 15557PQM
Sat 29 Dec
UA1567 MEX-IAD 0940-1445
UA989 IAD-FRA 1725-0710(+1day)
Sun 30 Dec
UA9120(LH) FRA-TLV 1010-1515
Mon 31 Dec
UA9740(LH) TLV-MUC 0700-1010
UA107 MUC-IAD 1210-1535
UA1566I IAD-MEX 1710-2110
Link: https://goo.gl/flights/HNcsA

No China visa required. But only about 12k of this is UA metal, rest on LH. Any reason the 13k must be flown on UA metal?

Unfortunately, both options require an overnight.

UPDATE: interesting option out of MEX (if enough PQM)

UA:$1134 MEX-YVR in Business/First 12792PQM
Sat 30 Dec
UA1025 MEX-IAH 1005-1220
UA1973 IAH-SFO 1429-1648
UA460 SFO-YVR 1925-2145
Mon 31 Dec
UA618 YVR-SFO 0600-0831
UA1615 SFO-IAH 1305-1858
UA429 IAH-MEX 1935-2155
Link: https://goo.gl/flights/wwdiq

Again, requires an overnight.

Last edited by wh6cto; Dec 19, 2018 at 5:10 pm Reason: Added MEX-YVR

Dec 20, 2018, 7:53 am

#2504

flyer_mty

Join Date: Feb 2009

Posts: 3

Thank you wh6cto for your help. I don´t have a chinese visa right now. One correction about my request, I only need to fly 2 segments in UA metal, all other segments could be with Star Alliance.

Once again thank you!

Dec 20, 2018, 8:18 am

#2505

AGYB

Join Date: Dec 2018

Posts: 27

Quote:

Originally Posted by AGYB

Departure Airport: EWR
Miles Needed: 18000 PQM
Required Spend or Maximum Budget (choose one, and state the value): cheapest
Available Travel Dates: After DEC 10th
Required Metal or Codeshares Okay: any
Route(s) You've Already Searched:
(Do you have a Chinese Visa (Yes/No)? no (but im american if that makes a difference

so i ended up making another flight and all i have left is exactly 641 PQM missing, whats my cheapest and quickest option