Last month, I (finally) rolled over one million lifetime miles in United’s MileagePlus program and yesterday I received my credentials via USPS Priority Mail. Here’s a look inside the package. The first item upon opening it was a letter from Tom O’Toole, United’s president of MileagePlus. Note the language that, “you will never fall below…
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United Airlines Adds Spend Requirement for Elite Status Beginning in 2014
Hot off the Flyertalk and Milepoint boards is the announcement that beginning next year, United will follow Delta’s lead by adding an annual spend requirement for elite qualification. Here is UA Insider’s post from this morning: Today we’re announcing some upcoming changes to our Premier qualification requirements for 2014. We’ve posted complete details and a…
Help a Reader: Where Should I Spend My 100-150K Miles Annually?
I received the following question from Peter and he (and I) would love additional feedback beyond what I provided. First, his question: I fly 200K – 250K for business (mostly China) and try to divide it between UA and AA to keep my top tier status with both. I will turn 40 soon and don’t want…
Buh-Bye Upgrade Phobia: Rediscovering the Joy of Coach Travel
I believe it was Matthew over at Live and Let’s Fly who first coined the term “upgrade phobia†– a condition of nervously worrying about whether your upgrade will come through, constantly checking your position on the list, etc. And I have admittedly been deeply phobic most of the time, which results serious disappointment when…
A Look at Cheapest vs. Upgradable United Airlines International Airfares
My travel goals on United have changed this year due to several factors, including a move to a more expensive cost per mile (CPM) originating airport and the increasing likelihood that all U.S. airlines will add some type of elite status revenue requirement to their frequent flier programs. My goal on United this year is…
The First Airline in 2013 Changing to a Revenue-Based Frequent Flier Program Is…
Well, it’s happened. The first frequent flier program to officially change to a revenue-based accrual model in 2013 is… Sun Country’s Ufly. Yeah, not earth-shattering at all for most readers. And in doing a little background on the program, it appears the previous incarnation of Ufly was more akin to the former Southwest system where…
Stick With United as a 1K or Switch to Virgin America as Elevate Gold?
Reader Elizabeth emailed me the following question yesterday: I am a 1k flier on United. I’m thinking of leaving them for Virgin Atlantic, as I moved from California to the UK in 2011 and have grown increasingly unhappy with their service. I fly back to the US from LHR 6-8 times a year. I have…
Poll: Should Award Redemptions for Others Inherit Your Status?
I’ve pulled myself away from my irritation over United’s fare class availability removal long enough to read another Flyertalk thread that got me thinking. And I have a quick poll at the bottom of this post asking for your opinion. My parents recently returned from a trip I booked for them on my miles. A…
United’s Generous Compensation, Yet Impersonal Reply About My Cancelled Flight
I posted last week about how I proactively rebooked myself and was able to keep my upgrade after my United Airlines Sydney to Los Angeles flight cancelled. The next day, I emailed ‘1K Voice’ asking for compensation for the 24-hour delay and subsequent expenses incurred for an extra day in Australia. I further explained that…