Elite status with an airline translates into some pretty attractive privileges. We’re talking access to luxury departure terminal lounges, greater baggage allowances, discount first class seats and preferential boarding.
Attaining elite status the conventional way – i.e. wracking up thousands upon thousands of frequent flier miles – will likely remain the preserve of road warriors.
But that doesn’t mean occasional travelers are barred from the top grade altogether – thankfully for them, there is a short cut.
According to the Wall Street Journal, fliers prepared to invest $4,000 to $7,000 a year can buy their way to top-tier status.
Used wisely, that initial investment can reap benefits of much greater value. For example, elite fliers are entitled to a handful of free international upgrades a year. When you think about how a $1,200 round-trip economy ticket to Europe can be turned into a $7,000 business class bed, you quickly see how elite status pays for itself.
US Airways offers fliers the chance to directly buy their way to its ‘Chairman’s Preferred’ status for $4,000.
Unfortunately, other airlines don’t sell status outright (though frequent fliers are occasionally offered the opportunity to ‘top-up’ their mileage or ‘requalify’ for a particular status level, often for around $500 to $1,000).
To gain access to elite status in those programs some fliers are choosing to play the system. These travel hackers heavily research flights and prices to find trips that’ll enable them to accumulate the magic number of miles the conventional way.
Putting aside the time necessary to fly those routes, the total cost of tickets isn’t as much as you might think. The most creative and savvy travel hackers are completing their ‘mileage runs’ and ‘status runs’ for around $6,000 a year. And, as we said before, the rewards they reap fair outweigh all the time and money they put in.
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…
(Image: Lu&Si)
