As you’re undoubtedly aware, it’s nearing the end of the qualifying year for 2014 airline and hotel elite status with December 31 quickly approaching. And for the first time in, well, forever, I’m either dropping tier levels or losing status completely in all of my travel loyalty programs. If I were reading this post, say,…
Mileage Runs
Category Archives for Mileage Runs.
Reader Question: Any Issues, Concerns Doing International Mileage Runs?
Blog reader Richard sent in the following question: … I would love to get UAL premier gold again this year but I think it will take an international mileage run (note: my home airport is SFO). I have never done that—are there time concerns/security issues with flying internationally (e.g., to London) only to turn around…
Friday Musings: Chicago Seminars and Milepoint Premium Membership
I’m kicking myself this morning for not booking a trip to the Chicago Seminars after seeing all the Tweets and build-up from attendees this week. If you’re unfamiliar, the annual event brings together the brightest minds in the travel hacking community to discuss all things miles and points. From introductory lectures to advanced credit card…
Great Mileage Run Fares for Segment-Based Elites Are Available
With the majority of airlines matching Southwest’s $49 fares in sub 500-mile markets, it has opened up a two-week window in December for segment-based elites to fly probably the cheapest mileage segment runs of the year for 2014 requalification. The sale also includes January-February 2014 travel, but I’m sure that most people aren’t starting to…
United Airlines Million-Mile Trip Report: Introduction and Background
Last month, I (finally) crossed one million lifetime miles in United’s MileagePlus program. It’s been a long time coming, quite honestly, as I’m certain that I crossed the actual flown amount on United metal years ago. As did most members, I received a nice bump in lifetime miles when Continental OnePass merged with United MileagePlus,…
United Premier Gold Elite Status Wins Over Platinum, Unless…
Last month I wrote a post questioning if I should aim for United MileagePlus Premier Platinum elite status over simply holding Gold for 2014. And I’ve come to a decision. As I mentioned: Whether or not to strive for a higher (or any) elite status really comes down to two considerations: Your planned flying in…
Random Notes From My United Mileage Run on Saturday
This past Saturday I flew a “simple†mileage run on United from Reno to Washington Dulles, connecting in San Francisco in both directions. It was a long day with flight 1 of 4 departing at 5:30 a.m. and flight 4 of 4 arriving back in Reno at midnight. I had Regional Premier Upgrades to burn,…
Mileage Run Opportunity: $224.40 Nets 6,590 United Premier Qualifying Miles
United this morning matched a Delta base fare of $88 one-way in the New York to San Jose market, but act RIGHT NOW if you’re interested as Delta has already pulled the fare. I wouldn’t expect United to keep its fare live beyond an hour or so today. Here’s the nitty-gritty and an example itinerary.…
Using Premier Accelerator as a Fast Track to United Elite Status
As I mentioned yesterday, I’ll be about 11,000 Premier Qualifying Miles (PQMs) short of Platinum status for 2014 after flying what I have booked for the rest of the year. And I’m currently debating whether to go for Platinum, or settle with lifetime Gold. At this point, my travel plans on United Airlines and Star…
Mileage Run Opportunity: $277.61 Nets 9,838 United Premier Qualifying Miles
A very inexpensive fare has been filed to Anchorage from both Boston and New York on United (and American has now matched). For my example routing below, it comes in at 2.82 cents-per-mile (CPM). As always, act fast if you’re interested since this fare won’t be around long. And availability is tight! [Edited 11:00am PDT:…