A reader recently sent me an email asking what he could do to fulfill the requirement for 1K status on United. He was just 5k away and looking for ideas before it was too late.
If you’re relatively close to the next status level, there are a few things you can try.
5 Tips for Making Status
- Call the Premier/Premier Executive 1-800 phone number and explain your situation (maybe you’ll get someone sympathetic)
- Re-route an existing flight through a United hub airport (to keep the price low) for additional mileage
- Check out the United promotions page for segments which qualify for double mileage points and book accordingly
- Sign up for a airline-sponsored credit card for bonus mileage points or convert credit card points to miles (e.g. 10k Chase card points for 1000 EQM)
- Read this Flyertalk message thread for other options
Don’t wait until the last minute to find out you were 100 miles away from the next status level.
Calling UA MP lines are not going to help you this year. Scouring the flyertalk boards, and from my own experience, they are not going to give you the bump over the status hill. Apparently, they used to do this if you were within 1-2 %, but there have been too many of these and marketing folks are planning to kill this freebie this year. When I asked the 1K desk (and I was 640 EQM from renewing my 1K) for free bump over the 100K mark, they told me to write in around February and ask again.
Re-routing through a hub is a good idea. Don’t forget about purchasing an upgraded ticket (business or first class) for the 150% EQM and EQS bonus.
The other option is to do a mileage run. Plenty of info out there on creating a mileage run and Flyertalk forums are great sites for suggested routes to help people meet their levels.
I just did a mileage run from MIA-ORD-MIA, with just 30 minute layover in ORD. It took me ~6 hrs total, and with the $400 in vouchers I had from UA, cost me nothing. Well worth it to get my 1k status and to get the 4 SWU’s!