PLATINUM or GOLD + SILVER??
 

Hi!
I am PLATINUM Elite in OnePass, using COPA (CO partner). During this year I have plans for flying enough as to get that status again.
But, this days, TACA will be giving TRIPLE mileage to suthamericans residents, like me, from MARCH to MAY, where I have plans for 4 travels.
What should I do? If I go on in COPA, I´ll assure PLATINUM for next year, but with 4 flights in TACA, I´ll get SILVER status in their program, and 80K+ miles. The problem is that I´ll have merely GOLD Elite next year in OP. It could be that I could get some more flights, but I´m not sure by this time.
I´d like your feedback about this.
Thank you

If you fly TACA, how close will you be to requalifying for Platinum on COPA? Triple miles and Silver on TACA is a pretty nice incentive. Perhaps you may end up with a few more trips later in the year on COPA and so you would requalify for Platinum anyway. Or you could do a mileage run later to requalify for Platinum.

Hey David,

Hmmm... I'd say it depends on how much you plan to use TACA in the coming year. There are some routes out of EZE where TACA makes much more sense, i.e. to LIM. If you think you will use TACA later, I'd say to go for Silver now, because at the very least, the status will allow you FC check-in and a few bonus miles. Personally, I don't see the difference between OnePass Gold and Platinum as being that great: 125% vs. 100% bonus miles, and with both you can do companion upgrades. In another post, I saw you were about 100% on upgrades as a Silver. So, I don't think you'd lose out on upgrades as a Gold.

On the other hand, you may be able to fax your credentials to TACA and ask them to match your status on COPA. That will instantly put you at Silver-- or maybe a higher level! And as an added bonus, if you do end up flying with the TACA Triple miles promotion, you would earn Elite bonus miles as you do it.

Good luck!

Hi, I would add to the previous post and see if TACA will match you. They probably would (if CSR won't, call back or ask for supervisor--nicely-- this worked for me in the past)

Another thing to consider is TACA's codeshare with AA. Very useful when trying to get mileage tickets. AA won't have space on "their" flights, but will if it's listed with a TACA flight number. From US to Central America, for ex., this costs you 5000 miles (to 35000), but has saved me during last-minute trips by ticketing as TACA since they seem to be more generous with seats reserved for awards.

Personally, I like TACA's customer service better than COPA's, and they do have the newest fleet in Latin America. I realize I sound like an ad, but before I get flamed I promise I don't work for these guys!

Please post your decision, just out of curiosity. good luck

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AA Gold since 1991 finally Plat in 2002!, HH Silver

Woahhh horsey... I disagree big time.. No difference between gold and plat.. having been at both of them.. there is a huge difference just in the upgrade percents.

yeah sure silvers/golds can get upgraded on routes at odd hours and odd routes.. but try being a Gold and getting u/g on an EWR-LAX flight Friday Afternoon.. Gold isn't getting you anywhere.. The OPSC treatment is better at Plat than it ever was at gold.. The pecking order on waitlists, companion upgrades, on board upgrades is better..

I think that one top tier is much better than a mid tier and a low tier elite on two airlines.

Don't believe it; that Gold and Plat (or diamond at hilton) are similar.. this isn't Hilton where that would be true.. or even Marriott.. in the airlines.. there is a difference

Thank you all for your feedback.
I´ve sent several e-mails to TACA FF program, but got no response about an elite match.
In the meantime, I´ve made reservations for 2 flights in TACA, and 2 in COPA (March and April).
I plan to do at least one more trip in TACA before their promotion ends (June 15th).
This will give me first Elite level (PLATA) in TACA, and still will have GOLD in COPA (1 fligt ended, two booked, and two more in Sept and March), since I´ll reach to 50K only with those flights.
But, in JUN, JUL, AUG, NOV I still have chance to do 1 trip each month that could give me PLATINUM again. If in December I see that I´m not getting it, I could do a MR, or to do a more complex itinerary in my last two trips, trying to reach the PLATINUM again.
By the way..., every trip I do are 8k Miles or more.

I think previous posters have covered the issues. (My personal opinion, for what it's worth, is that top-tier on one airline is better than a bottom and a mid.)

However, we ought to be careful about the terms we use. There is no industry standard for equating precious metals to status levels. Gold, for example, is bottom-tier on AA, mid on Delta, top on BA, nonexistent at United. The assumption that everyone shares a particular poster's concept of what "gold" corresponds to is dangerous. Unless we're posting in a specific program's forum, where we can assume that program's context and those who read posts there will understand it, we should define our terms or stick to generic ones like "top-tier."

End of lecture, off soapbox. And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...