Double EQM - How Often?
 

Does anyone have a sense for how often UAL offers the double EQM promotion in a typical year? Seems to me like they do it twice a year, in May then again in Oct. Would this be a reasonable expectation?

No. I'd say "at most once" is a more reasonable expectation.

In general, they offer it once per year except when they don't. It's never been twice in a year in the past.

Sometimes UA will offer DEQM and DRDM promos in the same years ... and I think I remember seeing a few DRDMs in the same year, though usually they're targeted to specific markets.

I don't ever remember seeing two DEQM promos in the same year.

I don't think they would have offered this one unless the other airlines started it. They had the buy status promo going on and never would have overlapped them without being forced.

I would not expect to see another one this year.

Too often. I'll possibly revise that answer when I stop flying more than 100,000 miles a year! ;)

I'd be quite unhappy to see it offered twice in a year, and I'm not all that happy about seeing it offered ONCE. Double RDM would be a different matter entirely.

Yes indeed, especially now that UA has dropped the triple miles option for 1K's.

I actually think a blanket double RDM promo equivalent to the current blanket EQM promo would actually have a lot more adverse impact on the top elites. RDMs being given out in greater supply means more competition for upgrades and award seats. Giving out EQMs threatens to change demographics (although I frankly doubt it does much ... this year esp.) but doesn't give out a lot more ammo for the newly minted but still equally traveled elites to upgrade and book awards with. Although I confess I a newly minted 2P on my way to 1.5K this year, so that is just my humble opinion.

I don't recall two DEQMs. Until this year and the past year, if they did offer one, it was in the fall, and even them, one had to pay cash to participate. The DEQM for cash in 2006 was how I made 1K for the first time (the other years, the DEQM didn't affect the outcome; it might this year though ... LHR beckons next month). Searching this forum for posts with DEQM in the title, we see one DEQM in 2003, 2006, 2008, and 2009. I'm pretty there have been other years. 2003 and 2006 were paid. 2003 seemed to have a deal where EQMs could be carried forward.

Once a year, last year was about the same time as this year, the year before I think is in Oct, but you have to pay several hundred dollars first before you can do it, which does not worth it at all.

Perhaps I have been on a deserted island...what is the triple miles option for 1K?

UA did not offer one in 2007. I think the frequency to offer DEQM promotion is as often as AA willing to offer.

UA typically is not the leader in these types offers. If AA does it again at the end of the year, expect UA to do the same. It depends on the economic recovery, IMO.

I thought that this was something they did more toward the end of the year, to motivate that last of the year flight you may have otherwise passed on...

The current Double EQM promo can be a Triple EQM promo if you book F, C, D, & Z fares and full fare Y & B coach fares. You are awarded Double EQMs plus the normal high fare class 50 percent EQM bonus(200 +50 = 250 percent EQMs), and this promo also double the high fare class EQM bonus(+50 percent again) equaling Triple EQMs(300 percent EQMs). All other fares earn Double EQMs.