wco81

3ch0

wco81

TPG calculates the values of the different MP elite levels:

https://thepointsguy.com/guide/what-...-status-worth/

Interestingly, Platinum is worth almost twice the value of Gold, at least going by the dollar amounts he attaches to these different levels.

In previous articles, he made it sound like the difference is way closer.

For instance a couple of years ago he did a writeup of Platinum vs. Gold in which he made this conclusion:

That conclusion seems to somewhat contradict valuing Gold at just under $2600 and Platinum at almost $4600. I know for sure the benefits have not improved since that 2016 blog post either.

EDIT: I made a mistake, the previous conclusion that I quote above is NOT from TPG. It's a different travel blogger. Here is the URL of that article:

https://milecards.com/1588425248/is-...th-it-vs-gold/


Maybe the TPG is too generous in his valuation of Platinum and MilesCards isn't generous enough? The tenure of this thread seems to be that most FTers think the latter is more accurate.

fumje

There are weird numbers in some of the itemized calculations, such as the PQD used in calculating mileage bonuses for each tier (4.5k/9k/13.5k/18k).

It helps highlight what are the incremental benefits of each status, but I think you have to do the calculation for yourself based on what you'll use and how you personally value the benefit.

EmailKid

From my reading, FT seems to think Plat just ain't worth it. A couple of RPUs that are not worth much if you live in flyover states and a handful of extra RDMs, and with today's redemptions, I do mean a handful. Oh, and Group 1 IIRC.

Gold for me next year, can't keep up the 1K pace and Plat is glorified Gold + 2 RPUs and a handful of miles. OK, and group 1

laxmillenial

Also don't forget the E+ for 1 companion (Gold) vs for 8 (Plat). Can help if you travel often with large families/friends.
Plat was also devalued when UA decided to charge Plat's $50 for making a change or cancelling an award ticket < 60 days prior to departure. This also hurt a lot.

Phil Level

I'm having a difficult time with the values he assigns to CPUs. Personally, I would give that no more than $25, and probably $0 since I haven't had a CPU in years.
OTOH, he doesn't mention exit row seating for Gold and above, and for that I would probably give value of $100-250.

tstauck

Really depends how much flexibility you have with travel and CPU's. In my free time, I go back to visit family a lot, LAX - ORD - BTV (Vermont) typically, so cross country. Fly Sat morning, return Tuesday evening. Last year I was 4 for 4 on the segments one time and 3 for 4 on the other. I also used my two RPU's on EWR-LAX ps dinner service, booking in advance for a Sat and found R fare both times, and got an instant confirmed upgrade both times. Almost 7 hours of seat time in a fully reclining seat. So to me I thought it was definitely worth the stretch.

Sadly I didn't fly nearly as much last year and back down to a Silver

Kacee

In general, the TPG elite status valuations are not particularly objective or meaningful. Mostly just made up numbers.

Boraxo

So TPG values Plat perks at $2000 more than Gold - let's critique point by point:

(1) E+ for 8 companions (v. 1) at time of booking = $150. Obviously this depends on the size of your family and # of trips and whether E+ is mandatory for you. For a family of 4, assuming 8 paid segments per year, avg price of $40 per person per segment = 2 x 8 x $30 = $480. So I think PG undervalues this perk for your average family but of course YMMV and single people might value at $0.

(2) CPUs = $1000. Obviously this depends on your home airport and flying patterns, but seeing as I saw 0 CPUs as Gold/Plat flying from SFO/IAD/IAH I would value this at $0. It's like winning the lotto if you fly between hubs during peak hours.

(3) RPUs = $200. As stated earlier, I value RPUs at $150 each (particularly if you can use them on transcons) = $300 so I'm a little more generous than TPG. $200 is probably right if you use for midcons.

(4) Mileage Bonus: 9 miles/$ v. 7/$ for Gold = $375. Assuming annual spend of $9k (min. req'd for Plat) and valuing miles @2 cents 9k x 2 x .02 = $180, TPG apparently assumes much higher spend for Plats, but consider also that Plats with Chase UA card can still qualify even with low spend.

(5) Fee Discount Waivers (Plat has lower award change fees than Gold): $100. I think that's about right, the big benefit comes with 1k where unlimited changes are permitted with no fees.

(6) Waived Baggage Fees (3 free rather than 2): $125. Personally I have never checked >2 bags per person even for ski trips, so I value at $0.

(7) Group 1 boarding: TPG includes this under Priority security, boarding, etc. $125. But the only real difference is Group 1 boarding, which has little intrinsic value beyond claiming overhead space closer to your seat (and at hubs G1 may include 50+ people). The bottom line: how much would you pay to be in Group 1 for a year? I love this perk but I think $100 is generous.

So overall I calculate the incremental value of Plat > Gold at $1160 = TPG calculates at $2000. As shown above I attribute most of the value to E+ seating for family and RPUs so if you don't value these perks then Plat is worth substantially less. Conversely TPG places a high value on CPUs which I find absurd because I rarely see CPUs even as a 1K. But if you find you clear many more CPUs as Plat then the value goes up.

zymm

These valuations are so subjective I don't think something like the TPG valuation can ever be accurate for a majority of people, though I think it's still useful as a framework for putting your personal valuation on things. For me :
1) I usually travel solo, so E+ for 8 is a $0 for me
2) I do fly a lot of hub-hub, but I have a reasonable amount of non-hub travel and I'm usually travelling at off-peak times. I agree that $1000 is high, but I would be comfortable saying I get $500 out of CPUS
3) RPUs - I used both my RPUs last year on non-Polaris international flights of about 5 hours. If I could have upgraded for under $200, I would have, so $400 is reasonable here
4) I use the Chase waiver, my PQD tends to be around $5k, so using the valuation above that would be $100 for mileage bonus
5) I don't change award flights that much, but I do sometimes book close in, I'll call this $50
6) I usually don't check baggage at all, but this one did help me out when I was moving this year. Not the 2 bags to 3, but the fact that you get overweight bags up to 75 lbs for free. This wasn't a typical situation for me though, so I'll just call this $25
7) I love Group 1. Being last in Group 1 is better than being first in Group 2, which means I can stay in the lounge an extra 15 minutes and not have to worry about bag space. This probably improves the quality of 3-4 hours out of my year, and I'm happy to call that $80
I'm also gonna give $25 for the drink vouchers in the kit
Add it up and you get $1180, which is surprisingly close to Boraxo's estimate, despite totally different weightings!

WineCountryUA

Time to close and open Is it worth it to stretch for Plat (over Gold)? [2018 Consolidated]

WineCountryUA
UA coModerator