Silver Preferred Status for New or Renewed US Airways Club Membership

Sept. 24, 2012

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3 min read

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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

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 Silver offer is only available to non-Preferred members. The updated elite status on your traveler profile will be applied about 4 weeks or so after accepting the offer. To retain that Silver status after the trial, you’d have to fly 7,500 or 10 segments on US Airways within the 90-day trial period, then you’d have Silver status through February 28, 2014.

Since I don’t have elite status on US Airways and I would be a new member, this offer would cost me $450 for a standard annual membership plus a $50 new member initiation fee for a total of $500.

That’s pretty steep, but it might make sense in certain circumstances because membership grants you access to 250 club locations worldwide including United clubs and Star Alliance lounges. If you have a Platinum Amex, you could use your $200 annual airline rebate toward your club membership, bringing the cost down to $300.

Granted, the Amex Platinum already gives you access to US Airways Clubs (as well as American Admirals Clubs, Delta Sky Clubs and Priority Pass clubs), so essentially you’d be getting a back door pass to United and Star Alliance lounges. United Club access requires a $50 new member initiation fee and sots $475 annually for non-elite members, though because I’m a Premier Platinum member, it would cost me $400, so by taking the US Airways offer, I’d be saving $150 and getting low-level US Airways elite status (at least for the trial period) in the bargain, which confers benefits like free first checked bag ($25 normally), priority check-in and boarding, preferred seating and complimentary upgrades on domestic flights as well as to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Also remember that a status match and challenge on US Airways usually costs $200 to try for Silver ($400 Gold, $600 Platinum), so if you had been considering a status match, doing it this way would save you that amount as well.

I wouldn't mind United lounge access, but I already have Platinum status on United (and thus Star Alliance Gold status which means lounge access when flying internationally), so I won’t be taking advantage of this offer, but it could be interesting for those of you looking to try out US Airways elite status and getting access to both its lounges as well as those of United and Star Alliance when you fly.

If you are a US Airways Dividend Miles member, but didn't receive a targeted email, you can subscribe to the "News & Offers" newsletter on US Airways.com, or to take advantage of this offer specifically, call (800) 828-8522.
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