jackflask

Hello!

I have been flying out of NYC for 15+ years, have moved to SF and will be flying out of SFO.

I've barely made executive platinum the past few years on AA and will be switching to UA. I have two AA credit cards (Barclays & Citi) which give me 30k EQM to hit the executive platinum threshold. Unfortunately I don't believe there are any UA cards that accrue elite points.

Any tips on the switch? I plan to do a status challenge in the spring. My guess is that I'll land up as Platinum on UA given I won't have the benefit of the cards.

gaobest

davie355

HNLbasedFlyer

Why stop at a 3MM - grab a 4MM and GS status!

findark

If you can't swing the above, be prepared to dramatically drop your expectations regarding upgrades. Going from EXP on AA to Plat on UA (especially SFO-captive) will take away more or less all of any upgrades you were getting. United does at least fly everywhere from SFO.

Drunkmuppet

What routes do you expect to fly? I actually prefer AA to JFK vs. UA to EWR.

jackflask

All over the place but 2 - 3 times per year NYC or MIA. Not enough to justify the connections to everywhere else.

Sadly I'm married so no shortcuts to GS. The lack of an elite card is a bummer.

Upgrades are pretty solid on AA. IMHO the only one that really matters is the transcon 321T or international. Is there an equivalent to the mileage upgrade (15k) with a $75 copay to put you in the front of your group?

nomad420

Welcome as well! Years back similar situation to you and somewhat reluctantly aligned with UA because of its large presence out of SFO. I hold the Chase UA Club Card FWIW, unfettered club access is nice (not Polaris of course). Flights to NYC via EWR are easy and frequent. Don't often fly to MIA but last time I did UA was a hassle and had to connect in IAH but others more familiar with this route can chime in. As others above said CPU upgrades and even instrument upgrades out of SFO are difficult as it is arguably the most elite heavy hub for UA. CPUs even as GS it can be difficult out of SFO and for years as a 1K I found it to be pretty pathetic. BART is now easy to SFO and from the North Bay they have the Marin Express which is easy and frequent as well. I use Sky Park when I drive to SFO for parking. I actually DID marry a road warrior silicon valley techie and we both have over a million miles. IF she makes GS this year I may ride her coat-tails on that into next year as I probably won't hit the required spend rate for that.

PTahCha

Welcome to FT!

You'll find that there's a few different quirks that are different from AA.

There are certain benefits that are similar between EXP and 1K - for example, pre-boarding, free food/drink in coach. At the same time, the upgrade system is different, since there are no more e-500 stickers at UA, which results in less upgrades since every elite member is on the upgrade list, as opposed EXP and everyone else who chooses to upgrade using stickers. You'll also find that the same day change is a lot more flexible on UA.

Upgrades can be done with Regional, Systemwide (requires W or higher fare for international flights outside of North and Central America), or combination of miles and co-pay. Unlike AA, the number of miles and co-pay will be based on your original purchased fare, as opposed to a flat amount. For most NA routes, co-pay is waived for elite members, except for certain Hawaii routes and premium transcontinental flights (EWR-LAX/SFO and SFO-BOS). Furthermore, for the SFO-EWR (not JFK) route, there is no complimentary upgrade, so everyone is requesting upgrade using some type of instrument. Also, UA takes your money and miles at the time of request, not when it's cleared.

The Chase UA Club Card is the closest thing to an elite credit card that comes with a United Club membership. While it does not accrue EQM, it does provide PQD waiver for Platinum and below if you spend $25,000 annually. No PQD waivers for 1K.

findark

Yes, but it is based on your fare class (on p.s.) so it is almost always prohibitively expensive unless someone else is buying you full-fare and/or refundable Economy. For the p.s. routes (SFO-EWR) they aren't likely to clear anyway.