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Elite Status

Buy Delta Elite Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) Until December 31

November 15, 2012

Now through December 31, 2012, Delta is selling Medallion Qualifying Miles. You may buy up to 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) that will post to your 2012 MQM balance and apply toward 2013 Medallion status (2012 qualification) and should post to your SkyMiles account within 24 hours. The prices for the MQM’s are: 2,500 MQMs for $395 5,000 MQMs for $595 [...]

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Virgin America Elevate Program Offers Status Match/ Challenge Program

November 14, 2012

Virgin America launched its Elevate elite status program back in July, and now it’s offering members the chance to status match. Between now and April 30, 2013, qualifying elite level flyers from United Airlines and American Airlines’ frequent flyer programs will be able to request matched status to Virgin America’s Elevate Gold and Elevate Silver [...]

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Travel Tuesday Top 10: Tips on Securing 2013 Airline Elite Status

November 13, 2012

As the year draws to an end many people scramble to bank as many elite miles as possible to secure their 2013 status before airlines reset elite qualification miles to 0 on January 1. Here are 10 quick tips to help ensure that you won’t be left without coveted elite status for next year: 1. [...]

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Video Sunday Reader Question: How To Avoid Hitting Diamond So I Can Rollover Delta Miles

November 11, 2012

This interesting question about elite status – which is on a lot of people’s minds this time of year – comes from TPG reader Sarah: “As the end of the year approaches I know most people are striving to make it to the next elite tier. I have the opposite issue. I miscalculated my flights through [...]

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Delta Medallion Qualifying Mile Sale Promo In the Works

November 8, 2012

The end of the year can be a very stressful time for flyers who are scrambling to hit elite status qualification before the counters reset on January 1. Historically, the only way to get elite miles was to fly, but lately there have been a number of new ways to rack up elite status, including [...]

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American Airlines Double Elite Qualifying Miles Promo – Strategy Update

November 5, 2012

As I wrote about on Friday, in light of its recent operational crisis, American Airlines decided to launch a promotion where elite AAdvantage members earn double EQM’s and points now through December 31. Originally I thought there was only this one promotion, but there’s in fact a separate one for current elite members that allows [...]

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Sunday Reader Question: Worth Doing a Mileage Run?

November 4, 2012

TPG reader Chris asks: “I am currently sitting at roughly 42,000 American Airlines miles for the year and am trying to figure out if it is worth it to make a mileage run to hit Platinum status. I did sign up earlier this year for the promo with AA that offered bonus miles or 500 [...]

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Amazing Deal: American Airlines Double Elite Qualifying Miles Promo Nov 1- Dec 31!

November 2, 2012

Color me shocked, but American Airlines just announced a double elite qualifying mile promotion for travel November 1, 2012 thru December 31, 2012. Additionally, you receive double AAdvantage (regular) miles for travel between November 16 and 26, 2012. To register for the promotion, click here, login and enter promo code AATHX. I have to say, [...]

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Earn Delta MQMs with Hertz Airport Rentals Until November 30, 2012

October 15, 2012

Elite qualifying miles are generally pretty hard to get- you usually get them by flying on paid fares or by spending a lot on credit cards. Once in a while there will be an odd hotel promotion, but never have I seen a car rental promotion offering airline elite miles. Leave it to Delta to [...]

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Earn 250 Delta Medallion Qualifying Miles Per 2+ Night Hilton Stay

October 2, 2012

Hilton and Delta just launched a new promotion offering 250 MQMs (elite qualifying miles) per stay of two nights or more when you select Delta as your double dip partner. These MQMs are in addition to the 10 Hilton points per dollar spent plus the variable regular Delta miles that you earn as a double [...]

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Silver Preferred Status for New or Renewed US Airways Club Membership

September 24, 2012

US Airways is offering both current US Airways Club members up for annual membership renewal as well as potential new members trial Silver Preferred status for 90 days when they sign up for a year of US Airways Club membership. You have to enroll by September 30 and mention the promo code CLBTR, and trial [...]

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My United Platinum Status Match Outcome

August 22, 2012

In a previous post I discussed the different ways you can use your current elite status to get status on another carrier by simply asking or completing a “challenge”- a shortuct toward elite status that airlines offer to lure customers away from their competitors. Elite status is extremely valuable and generally when you request a [...]

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American Airlines Platinum Status and Bonus Miles Promo for International Premium Flights

July 31, 2012

Hey big spenders- American Airlines wants your business and they have a lucrative promotion that offers Platinum status as well as earning up to 60,000 bonus AAdvantage miles. Maybe if they get enough full-fare flyers, they’ll be able to exit bankruptcy as a standalone carrier, though I don’t know why business travelers would choose the [...]

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Transcontinental Series: United

July 30, 2012

This is a post in my new Transcontinental Series aimed at helping flyers choose the best options while flying coast-to-coast, as well as strategies on leveraging elite status and miles to get the most valuable upgrades possible. Other posts include: American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, and Virgin America. Today I’ll be talking about United’s transcontinental routes to/from [...]

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Transcontinental Series: Delta

July 26, 2012

This is a post in my new Transcontinental Series aimed at helping flyers choose the best options while flying coast-to-coast, as well as strategies on leveraging elite status and miles to get the most valuable upgrades possible. Other posts include: American Airlines, United and Virgin America. Today I’ll be talking about Delta’s transcontinental routes and the best ways [...]

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United Elite Maximizer – Worth It?

July 26, 2012

Like the American Airlines Miles Multiplier option and Delta’s Mileage Booster United offers the ability to buy miles as well as elite qualifying miles through their Award Accelerator program. But don’t get too excited yet, because the prices can be astronomical. I have an upcoming award ticket from Europe to the US in business class [...]

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Transcontinental Series: American Airlines

July 25, 2012

This is the first post in a new Transcontinental Series aimed at helping flyers choose the best options while flying coast-to-coast, as well as strategies on leveraging elite status and miles to get the most valuable upgrades possible. Other posts include: United, Delta and Virgin America. Today, we’re starting with American’s recent announcement of new three-class Airbus 321′s that [...]

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JetBlue Announces New Perks Program: Mosaic

July 24, 2012

Fast on the heels of yesterday’s announcement from Virgin America that it would be instituting new elite status levels, JetBlue unveiled its own new system of  loyalty perks for its frequent flyers called TrueBlue Mosaic that will launch this fall. According to the press release, JetBlue’s program benefits will include: Free second checked bag for [...]

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Virgin America Launches Elite Status Program

July 23, 2012

Virgin America announced today at the Global Business Travel Association Convention that its Elevate frequent flyer program will now include a two-tier elite status component starting August 8, 2012. Virgin America’s chart explaining the benefits of its new elite status tiers. Perks will include: -Priority check-in, security clearance and boarding -Points-earning bonuses (25% for Silver, [...]

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Update: My United Status Match That Wasn’t

July 12, 2012

Earlier this week I blogged about status matching and challenging elite status and that I recently was offered a match to United Platinum, simply by emailing them my American Airlines Executive Platinum information. Here’s my email exchange – as you can see, this didn’t end up as planned and I’m not happy about it. My [...]

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Sunday Reader Question: Strategies for Low-Level Elite Upgrades

June 24, 2012

This question came in from TPG reader Luke regarding his imminent achievement of Delta Silver Medallion status (congratulations!): “I am about to become a Delta Silver Medallion member for the first time.  I’m just out of college so this is my first time ever becoming a Medallion.  I know its not much to you, but [...]

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Travel Tuesday Top 10: Best Airline Elite Status Perks (And How to Get Them Without Being Elite)

June 19, 2012

I’ve had elite status for so long, that it’s sometimes hard to remember what life was like before being showered with endless perks. While pre-elite life is a distant memory, I do recall it being a lot less enjoyable. While some airlines are scaling back on elite benefits, like United recently did with stripping lower-level [...]

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Fun Read: New York Times – Have Elite Fliers Been Downgraded?

June 11, 2012

The New York Times published an interesting article titled Have Elite Fliers Been Downgraded? this weekend that discusses whether airline elite status benefits and perks have been eroded to the point of being irrelevant. While I agreed with some of the points, I don’t fully think the current state of elite status is so doom [...]

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US Airways New Elite Upgrade Enhancements

May 31, 2012

Don’t worry – these enhancements are actually good ones! US Airways just sent out an email to Preferred (elite) members of its Dividend Miles program announcing the airline has revamped its Preferred Upgrade procedures “to increase your chances of an upgrade,“ by using “new technology” that checks for upgrades several times a day (presumably instead [...]

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