Kacee

What route is that? Maybe SFO-SIN or SFO-HKG. Except the return OW from HKG or SIN is over $1000. For SFO-TYO, UA doesn't even publish a one-way fare lower than a U (which costs over $1400).

uastarflyer

Kacee

I'd do it. In fact, I'd pay $1500 for the Y=>J upgrade alone.

Will you use the 6 GPUs? That's often the key question in valuing 1K.

Artpen100

uastarflyer

Kacee

Asia will be easy with flexibility, as R9 pretty common on many routes. Europe a bit harder. But probably doable.

GoSh4rks

Whoops, left out the second half of that, where you combine it with a nice cheap K fare on the return

Kacee

Why not buy a RT W? Typically in the $900-1100 range for the non-China destinations, excepting Japan, where a GPUable RT fare typically runs in the $1200-1700 range.

GoSh4rks

Assuming he only gets 6 GPUs, and he needs 8 for his entire family RT.

uastarflyer

narvik

60K?
Miles or dollars?
If miles, that's quite a mile run!

StuckinITH

My wife did it for our last TPAC this year for exactly the same reason: to reach 1K (and all the $12,000 for that level is on her dime as she does not work). When we booked our flights there was no P fare available. A few months later, United offered a P fare. Since she was already upgraded on the outbound, she called to do a GG BUY UP to the newly available P fare for the inbound. The cost was about the same as yours.

Dublin_rfk

zdog2x

Run is for 26K miles. Have a few biz trips before the run

Boraxo

I love these threads but as is my custom I think it help crystalize the decision by attaching a monetary value to the additional perks. Here are mine:

1. Additional RDM (2 per $ spent) = 2 x $15k spend = 30k miles @.02 per mile = $600
2. Pre-boarding (now more valuable as you leap past Plats and paid F) = $200
3. 1 free drink and food item on every flight. Most of my travel is international and the rest can be expensed. But for the sake of discussion will assume 10 meals @$10 & 10 drinks @$8 = $180
4. GPUs/RPUs - I assign what I would pay for TOD upgrade on Transcon/Hawaii/Mexico. $150 x 8 = $1200. I know others may assign higher value for Y->F TATL and TPAC but I'm not willing to roll the dice on those trips.
5. Award ticket changes - I've already canceled/changed award tickets 6x this year to replace long connections with nonstops when UA added last minute inventory. Plat change fee is $50 x 6 = $300.
6. Higher CPU clearance - from SFO this is negligible except on leisure routes (e.g. was #16 and # 8 last week on SFO<->IAH flights). For the sake of argument will value @$200as I probably cleared a couple this year.

So (IMO very conservative) grand total is approx. USD $2680.

Everyone has a different experience. If you need specific flights on specific dates with zero flexibility then GPUs do not work well out of SFO on international TATL and TPAC flights (though better on latter). Also very difficult on transcons to east coast unless they clear at time of booking. IME RPUs are easy to clear to Mexico and even sometimes from West Coast to Hawaii. But then again might have cleared those flights with CPUs.