Skip Silver, Or Pay Extra To Hit It?

[BrentH]

I recently realized how status worked, and discovered I should be platinum.


(Things I was screwing up: HUGE airline hopping, not realizing I could claim international partner SCs, poor uses of points, saving a few bucks and picking discount over Flexi when the difference was next to nothing, thinking family pooling made the lounge twice as difficult to get into instead of half, etc)


[Oh those wasted years in uncomfortable gate lounges with $15 sandwiches, paying for my own idiocy]


...anyway, I'm 20 points off Silver - and my next trip takes me to Gold (family pooled + making use of those cheap business class Reward 100 SC fares).

Since all but 2 of my next flights are in business I don't need to worry about Lounge access for the trip. And since the bulk of the flights are rewards (no FF points) the 50% point bonus is pretty worthless (around 500pts extra).


Do I do a quick status run (perhaps a cheap MEL-OOL for lunch) to collect all the metal, luggage tags, and a pair of lounge passes for the first non-business leg of my next trip?


Is there any other benefit I'm overlooking?

 

[Sprucegoose]

Do you have the time and inclination? Very subjective criteria.

i would if I could. Enjoy the experience

 

[777]

Personally i wouldn't bother. Silver will be of almost zero use if you're flying in J.

 

[robd]

Save it until you're Gold, then use your money/points to get Platinum.

 

[bullerdude]

I think you need to decide on whether you value the lounge access for the economy leg of your next trip more than the price of getting silver to get you the lounge access.

If you do, then take the status run. If you don't, then wait and use you money to get to Platinum.

 

[777]

I think you need to decide on whether you value the lounge access for the economy leg of your next trip more than the price of getting silver to get you the lounge access.

Silver doesn't actually get you lounge access anyway.

 

[mannej]

Silver doesn't actually get you lounge access anyway.

Don't you get two lounge passes?

 

[777]

Don't you get two lounge passes?

Yes, fair point. Would work for two trips i guess.

 

[bullerdude]

Yes, fair point. Would work for two trips i guess.

By which time the OP would be Gold and have full lounge access.

 

[samh004]

If you've managed thus far to sit at the gate, and not in the lounge, I think you'd be better placed saving your money and putting it towards Platinum, which will be on the horizon shortly

 

[BrentH]

Thank you everyone for the great feedback.

If you've managed thus far to sit at the gate, and not in the lounge, I think you'd be better placed saving your money and putting it towards Platinum, which will be on the horizon shortly

A couple of people have mentioned this. Won't these SCs count as SC balance towards Platinum anyway?

I'm on track to do somewhere around 1370 SCs by December this year. So I'm not too worried about future SC runs or maintaining status while credits expire.

 

[bullerdude]

Thank you everyone for the great feedback.



A couple of people have mentioned this. Won't these SCs count as SC balance towards Platinum anyway?

I'm on track to do somewhere around 1370 SCs by December this year. So I'm not too worried about future SC runs or maintaining status while credits expire.

Yes they would - I was more thinking along the lines of better spend your money on say longer domestic or international flights that have better earn rates then doing a quick status run to get a small number of status credits.

But if you already on track to get Plat, then it really comes down to your decision of do you want the 2 lounge passes for your domestic flights?

 

[138-CAN]

I think two lounge passes could be worth it, although they may not be used by the OP, they could be a good gift for someone, or your partner when they aren't travelling with you

 

[Mak404matt]

I think two lounge passes could be worth it, although they may not be used by the OP, they could be a good gift for someone, or your partner when they aren't travelling with you

VA 'lounge passes' are stored on the card, cannot be gifted apart from if you and 1 other person are travelling.

I guess this is unlike QF who give the physical passes, which you will see on eBay etc

 

[138-CAN]

VA 'lounge passes' are stored on the card, cannot be gifted apart from if you and 1 other person are travelling.

I guess this is unlike QF who give the physical passes, which you will see on eBay etc

Ah thanks for that point. I didn't realise that the 'lounge passes' weren't physical ones. Good to know.