It's May, I'm at 60k PQMs, why would UA send me a Purchase PQM Offer?
May 15, 2017, 1:55 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: DUB
Programs: UA 1K MM, Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 286
It's May, I'm at 60k PQMs, why would UA send me a Purchase PQM Offer?
I'm presuming these went out broadly, but why on earth would I buy more when I'm tracking to finish at 150k PQM and am already past the PQD barrier?
May 15, 2017, 2:45 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: DUB
Programs: UA 1K MM, Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 286
Here I am, trying to apply logic to the customer marketing of a massive global business, and you come along and reduce it to a cynical (if accurate) recitation of the Ts & Cs.
May 15, 2017, 2:48 pm
#6
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Hiding under the trees in Denver, CO
Programs: UA 1K 2.5MM, Marriott Lifetime Titanium Elite, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 4,306
If I thought I'd need a mileage run to get 1K this year, I'd rather buy a ticket to Hong Kong or Singapore, upgrade, and have a nice weekend in the air. That would yield more miles for less money.
May 15, 2017, 2:50 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,406
I mean the practical side of that is "because they just send all the marketing to everyone". It's not worth their time to only advertise PQM sales to people they think might want PQM.
May 15, 2017, 4:29 pm
#13
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oregon
Programs: AA EXP, AS 75K, UA 1MM Gold, HH Diamond, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Plat, National EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 4,001
Don't forget - they are much less likely to squeeze any money out of you after you cross the threshold. If they are going to spend that $0.0001 on an email to entice you to open your pursestrings, now is better than later and both are better than never!
May 15, 2017, 6:44 pm
#14
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Washington DC and Denver CO
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy Titanium/LT Gold
Posts: 379
At 75k and got the same offer. Was still offered PQMs at check-in last Christmas when I was at 150,000 PQM.
What I still don't get is why these don't earn PQD. It makes no sense. For a dollar you spend on a flight, they have to put you and an airplane up in the air for several hours. For a dollar you spend on straight PQM, they have to move some bits in a computer.
If these things earned PQD, you'd bet the uptake would be higher. Can anyone rationalize UA's marketing strategy here in giving PQS and PQM but no PQD?
What I still don't get is why these don't earn PQD. It makes no sense. For a dollar you spend on a flight, they have to put you and an airplane up in the air for several hours. For a dollar you spend on straight PQM, they have to move some bits in a computer.
If these things earned PQD, you'd bet the uptake would be higher. Can anyone rationalize UA's marketing strategy here in giving PQS and PQM but no PQD?
May 15, 2017, 7:48 pm
#15
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: New Jersey
Programs: UA MM 1K, AA MM Gold, Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 3,235
I think there's still an aversion to allowing someone to buy higher status with a purchase that doesn't involve actually flying on a plane (at least prior to the January special offers for the previous year). Allowing the purchase of PQM's without counting toward PQD's assures that you spend some time on a plane. Of course you can knock out the requirement on one roundtrip flight. Take a GF "F" fare EWR-HKG (connecting ORD) for $28,000 and get 51,000 PQM's. Or "A" fare one way and "Z" fare back for $13,000 and get 34,000 PQM's.