United Mileage Plus Buy 2015 Status Promotion is a targeted offer many members, including me, received this past week. The changes in Mileage Plus this year to require a spend component kept me from pursuing Silver elite with 25,000 miles. The miles were not the problem. I could have flown United Airlines to Belfast, Northern Ireland in November 2014 and surpassed 34,000 PQM. I still would have been $700 short on the PQD spend component applied to US residents for Mileage Plus Premier Silver elite.
You reach MileagePlus® Premier® status by earning the required number of Premier qualifying miles (PQM) or Premier qualifying segments (PQS). If you live in the United States, you also have to meet a minimum annual spending level, which is tracked with Premier qualifying dollars (PQD).
You earn PQM, PQS and PQD by flying United, United Express®, Copa Airlines and select airline partners.
I flew American Airlines to Dublin, Ireland instead in November.
Your current MileagePlus member details:
- Total PQM balance at the end of 2014: 23,221
- Total PQS balance at the end of 2014: 16
- Total PQD balance at the end of 2014: $1,254.00
Qualified level for 2015: Member
United Mileage Plus 2015 Elite Qualification Requirements
No problem. United Mileage Plus will sell me Silver elite for 2015.
For $949.
United Mileage Plus has weeded out budget flyers like me from their elite ranks. Even if I were to buy up to Silver elite for 2015, the spend component increases 20% this year to qualify for 2016 status at $3,000 and 25,000 miles for Premier Silver elite qualification. The PQD spend requirement increases 20% for all four levels of Mileage Plus Premier elite.
Chasing status is a costly pursuit for a budget traveler these days with United Mileage Plus and Delta SkyMiles.
FlyerTalk has a thread showing different offers targeted United Mileage Plus members received showing the cost to buy up with this promotion.
