Kacee

I'm currently booked to 142K miles. I could definitely use the two additional GPUs and RPUs that would come at 150K. Award Accelerator is pricing out for me right now at 16 cpm, or $1304 for 8000 miles. I'm also farelocked into an $1100 Y/Z fare SFO-SJU that would give me 11,000 EQM, with 2/4 legs in lie-flats.

But I can't decide if it's really worth it. Squeezing in the extra flight would be tough, December's already going to be a 20,000 mile month, following 17,500 in November. But more than anything, I just hate the idea of coming up only 8,000 miles short. Like I'm leaving money on the table.

So who would spend $1100 for 2 GPUs, 2 RPUs, and 20,000 RDM's?

FrenchCaliFlyer

I would if I would use them. I'm not sure I'll be able to use my 6+4 as it is

Televangelist

Hi all,

I have Premiere Silver currently, sitting 6k miles away from Premiere Gold. I don't travel at all for business, so a mileage run to secure Premiere Gold doesn't seem worth it; I only take United or its partners when I travel on multi-country itineraries for vacations 4-5 times a year. Would doing something like one of the United credit card deals push me over into Premiere Gold (I have the 50k miles offer in the mail), or would that not give me PQM?

Semi-related question... when I fly abroad it's generally from WAS through Heathrow, Delhi, or Narita... are those flights likely to be jam-packed full enough with regular business travelers that I'd be unlikely to secure a free upgrade with either Silver or Gold?

Thanks!

(Although I'm very uneducated on miles/points, I do have quite a lot of experience with travel-hacking to lower international base airfare, and I cover a pretty wide range of the globe hitting 12-15 countries a year... feel free to PM me if you have any relevant questions I might be able to help out with!)

nookanaya

Correct, the credit cards available today will not give PQM and will not help you towards gold status this year (next year they might help with a PQD waiver). And there are no complimentary upgrades on international flights to the cities you listed. So no it sounds like a MR to gold is probably not worth it for your travel patterns. If you were hoping for lounge access with gold you can probably buy a few passes on ebay for less than it would cost to to a MR anyway.

Kacee

Actually, Star Gold is much more valuable for international travel than domestic. There's the E+ seating, the lounge access, the extra baggage allowance, and priority check-in, boarding, and waitlisting. As nookanaya states though, you're not going to get free international upgrades. Not even GS get those.

kxinga

and currently there is no plan for a trip before the end of the year. Suggestions?

steveo

I am sitting pretty at 83,000 miles right now. So far I've got trips planned to Barcelona and SFO. I'm based out of ORD so to requalify I'll need to do something creative. I'm thinking of going to SFO via dulles or EWR. I can use RPU to upgrade from EWR to SFO? How many miles is that flight?

thanks

vandrei

Get the 6K to make earn Gold. The bag allowance and E+ at booking are worth it. Plus, as another poster pointed out, you get international lounge access with *G.

Use Premier Accelerator to buy the miles.

malgudi

Can you not look it up???

fly2africa

I have been Premier Gold or Platinum the past 5 years. I do mostly International travel so the Lounge access and extra baggage are great. I am at 98k miles and my travel is done for this year. Is it worth doing a short MR to get the 1K status? Any other way to get the 2k?

malgudi

Interesting ... didn't realize this would happen even if you book a mileage earning fare on UA (016 ticket stock).

I wouldn't hold my breath ... but any luck in contacting MP?

Kacee

Yes it is worth it. Buy the miles (see this thread) or fly them.

Jigen666

Getting 6 Global Premier Upgrades (for your international travel) & 2 extra Regional Premier Upgrades & an extra 25% bonus mile bump. Yes it's worth it, unless you always fly paid First and Business First everywhere you go and have no-one else to share those GPU and RPU's with.

A simple MR 1/2 across the country should do it. Or fly RT with shorter hops that have one connection each way (given that you get 500 mile minimum per segment).

I'd avoid buying miles considering how close you are (unless you really don't want to fly). Fees are high and none of that counts towards lifetime BIS miles.

Good luck.

Mike Jacoubowsky

You gotta fly. Sorry, that's just what you have do. Otherwise you make the rest of us, some of whom have done rather heroic efforts to make up gaps 10x that, rather foolings.

Seriously, those GPUs could come in handy; there are some routings where a W fare (I think that's the lowest for GPUs?) aren't much more expensive than the lowest fare. If space is available, it's a low-cost upgrade.

But, as someone else mentioned, maybe you only fly in biz or first? If in biz, they'll upgrade you to first. If the GPUs still aren't valuable to you, you likely have friends who could use them; a GPU works on any UA-operated flight (where space is available), including domestic. And, as a 1K, your upgrades are more valuable than those of a Platinum (higher on the food chain so more likely to clear).

Unless you're planning to change airlines, it's really tough to come up with a rationale that would pass up the opportunity for 1K by 2000 miles. But that's typical FT speak. And it comes from someone who did an SFO-HNL-GUM-MNL-GUM-HNL-LAX-SJC mileage run, no overnights, to maintain Plat status. So consider the source. Definitely a defect in my gene pool.

Personal update: Miles from ANA & TG flights this past week just posted. I almost wish they'd taken longer to post, 'cuz there are now two ways to look at things. Either I'm greatly relieved to now be at 76,265 PQM and safely Plat (again), or, I'm 23,735 miles from 1K. One day ago I never wanted to set foot on a plane again. But today? Must stop the madness! Time to get off the plane!

AAJetMan

I expect to be about 30K miles short for an international First Class award via United's Mileage Plus. I have no status on United and do not expect to fly the *Alliance nor stay at any hotels before I need the miles (~15 Jan).
So I'm thinking...rather than buying the miles @ $37.50 per 1000 why not use RocketMiles and get 10,000 miles with a $209 (++??) hotel stay that I found? I'd come out about $130 ahead and get a night at a nice hotel.
Am I missing anything?
I already have as many credit cards as Chase will provide me!! And I have the SPG card for 5K United miles.