k_den

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

How does the community value their elite status?

I have a 100% travel job that provides significant indirect compensation via points and miles that allows me to enjoy leisure travel benefits that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. I like these articles since they give it a number, even if the methodology or assumptions differ. I’m not sure I get the full $9,980 from this unless you count the value of the award tickets I redeem, but it’s quite lucrative for me overall.

NOTE: This isn’t a wish-list thread for what benefits you want to see as part of each status tier, but rather how much value do you get from the program as it is currently structured? 2020 hasn’t happened yet.

TPG valuations, must read for details and breakdown
Silver: $960
Gold: $2,645
Platinum: $4,740
1k: $9,980

Waived redeposit fee / free cancellations of award tickets: I had a big year and earned a lot of points, so I’ve been lucky enough to book a fair amount of award travel. That being said, I’m also really used to flying refundable tickets due to the uncertainty in my job and absolutely dread having non-refundable tickets; I generally don’t know where I will be 3 weeks from now! Having award tickets be fully refundable (all the way to the day of departure) and not hit me directly in the wallet as an emergency travel backstop is an incredible benefit.

GPU/RPUs/+points: I did get to redeem two GPUs for SYD-SFO this summer and that was fantastic. I’ve been burning off expiring Plus Points on friends and shorter domestic trips where I’m not booked up front. I looked and I’ve redeposited 800k miles this year (more than I’ve earned).

1k voice / line: I’ve booked several trips on the phone (so I saved the $35 booking fee there) and also use the line to book specific fare classes, did this to book W fare from SYD to confirm a GPU at booking.

Free bags: I don’t check bags on any of my standard commutes, and have booked premium awards on leisure trips so I don’t get much from this.

Early boarding: It’s definitely nice, but I’m often last on the plane to save time elsewhere.

1k check-in: When I do check bags, using 1k / Polaris check in counter is a timesaver

Free clear: This actually just saved me $100 per year as I already subscribed.

Kacee

TPG status valuations are utter nonsense, not worth the time it takes to read. Like virtually all the "content" on that site these days.

My personal valuation? Worth $15k PQD, not worth $24k.

united 1k flyer

I think his valuation of plus points and lounge access are fine. Although any of his benefits that say “ more frequent utilization” are just absurd. I’m sorry but no 1k gets $325 in value from the 1k phone line.

findark

I strongly disagree. The ability to get an agent with little to no hold, 24 hours a day, is incredibly valuable. $325 in value over being a general member? If I flew that much I would pay $325 annually in a heartbeat for that access. Just think how many times you have called, how long you would have had to wait on hold each time, and what your time is worth.

I actually think that many of the individual benefit valuations are not completely ridiculous; the conceit is that it's extremely rare for a single elite to need to use every single benefit to the maximum in each year.

Kacee

The biggest issue I have is with the notion that there is some universal, objective valuation of a given status level.

Many of the benefits are impossible to value objectively. And while there are methods to place a value on upgrade certificates, including market value from ebay and delta between fare purchased and cheapest available fare in upgraded cabin, the different approaches lead to widely divergent values, highlighting the impossibility of providing a one-size-fits-all valuation.

united 1k flyer

I think when i see the whole number of nearly 10,000 dollars I just can’t believe it. I mean no company in the world gives you 10k back when you spend 24k even on their own goods. But when I break down each specific thing they are pretty accurate, but like you said it’s the question of how no one uses every Benefit. If all of your PP clear then you can easily get $3500 in value but if none of them clear that’s minus $3500. It all just comes down to how you use your benefits.

entropy

I don't think its worth $10k, not even close. Would I pay $1000 for it? sure... I don't know what my reservation price would be, I don't think I'd pay $5k. The upgrades may be worth some coin, but at the expense of stress unless you can clear at booking. For me the flexibility of changing/cxl award travel is one of the key benefits.

k_den

Best case, it’s a high end of what you could get. Most people don’t travel this way - hence my question of what does the community value? I don’t know of a lot of people (none actually) who can maximize these benefits. Chasing long-haul GPU space, and the other things they do on TPG for the clicks just doesn’t make sense for most top-tier elites.

The overall value feels similar to the same way you get extra value from buying something on an infomercial... You get TWO pieces of junk for $19.99, a $99 value! Do you need it? not really. Is it a good deal and extra value? Maybe

You can value things that have a 1-1 purchasable relationship. I personally use delta between upgraded ticket and lowest paid fare in same cabin to track GPU value. I would never pay for that fare, but when the website quoted me $20k for the same J seats to Australia I just redeemed on a $900 W fare + GPU, I felt pretty good.

jsloan

I find GPUs extremely useful. Two years ago, I needed a ~$900 PQD run to maintain 1K; this year, I needed ~$500. I considered both well worth it.

$3000? I’d pass.

And, $10K? That’s nonsense.

escapefromphl

Yeah I feel like this is basically industry or even UA sponsored content to drive business for January buy-up / buyback offers. Of course it's worth spending $1300 to retain Platinum because it worth $4,740.00.

drewguy

Yeah, the "valuation" is heavily dependent on an assumption you'd be paying the asking price for those benefits. One example - Clear Membership is "valued" at $100, which is what I would pay for it if I decided to, but I didn't. For free? Sure. E+ for free? Yeah, I get a lot of value from that, but I'm not sure I'd pay it for every flight. And for work, either work would pay for it or I wouldn't get it. Laughable that TPG assigns any value to CPUs for silvers, btw.

That said, there is definitely value, and from UA, they are providing benefits that don't cost them as much as the value to me - e.g., upgrades only when they haven't sold the seat. It's not like a GPU/PP gets me a Polaris seat when I want it; it's only when not enough others want it and it would go out empty (well, I suppose it won't because someone else will have a GPU applied with a lower status/fare class.

therossinator

I think that the free drink and snack in economy is worth well over $50. For all the regional jets I've been on that don't have first, free snack boxes and drinks are quite frequent.

Nicoolio

TPG is motivated to give 1K a high value as it promotes the benefit of affinity credit cards.

SFO_LOW_CLOUDS

Clearing just 3-4 Polaris upgrades a year could make it worth it...

bart889

?

Aren't all the currently available UA affinity cards mostly useless for attaining 1K?