United Wants $5,000 To Buy Up To Gold Status From Silver

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United Airlines offered to sell me an upgrade from its MileagePlus Premier Silver status to Premier Gold for $5,000. 

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United Mileage Plus Premier Silver And Gold Status Comparison

The two lowest tiers in United’s MileagePlus Premier status program are fairly similar on the surface. Here’s where they are unique and how they compare.

Premier Silver Benefits

Complimentary Economy Plus Seating at Check-In – Enjoy extra legroom by accessing Economy Plus seats at time of check-in, though availability can be more limited compared to higher statuses.
Premier Access – Benefit from designated check-in lanes, priority security lanes (where available), and early boarding. This can help you settle in quickly before general boarding begins.
A Complimentary Checked Bag (70 lbs.) – Waived baggage fees for one standard-sized bag up to 70 pounds, making it easier to handle longer trips without additional fees.
Preferred Security Lane Access – Participate in faster security queues at select airports, allowing you to pass more quickly through TSA checkpoints.
Clear Path to Upgrades – Automatically added to upgrade waitlists for first class or Economy Plus, though Silver members are last in priority among elite tiers.
Increased Mileage earning – Flyers will earn 7x points per dollar of airfare (excluding taxes and fees)

Compare that to Gold status.

Complimentary Economy Plus Seating at Booking – Reserve Economy Plus seats immediately after your ticket purchase rather than waiting until check-in, improving your odds of securing highly coveted extra-legroom seats.

(2) Complimentary Checked Bags (70 lbs. Each) – Travel with extra luggage at no cost, a valuable perk for extended trips or those who prefer checking multiple pieces of baggage.

Increased Seat Upgrade Priority – Gain a higher position on upgrade waitlists for first class, Polaris business class (on select flights), or Economy Plus seats. This means a greater chance of flying in a premium cabin compared to lower-tier members.

Star Alliance Gold Status – Receive broader benefits when flying with Star Alliance partners, including extra baggage allowances and priority boarding on partnering airlines worldwide.

Reduced or Waived Fees – Enjoy waived same-day change fees on many tickets and other lower fees that can save you money if your travel plans shift unexpectedly.

Increased Mileage earning – Flyers will earn 8x points per dollar of airfare (excluding taxes and fees)

The differences between the two are limited:

Silver can get preferred seating including Economy Plus at check-in vs in advance with Gold.
The higher status also adds one additional free checked bag up to 70 lbs.
Gold status holders have a better chance at an upgrade to first though in practice will still be miles behind because of Global Services, Premier 1K, Premier Platinum, and buy-ups.
Golds receive same-day standby benefits which could be valuable for some road warriors, along with reduced fees on changing tickets.
Star Alliance Gold status is probably the most valuable on its face for those who travel internationally on coach tickets for which they receive lounge access (but not domestically.)

While the value will be unique to every traveler, even four international trips abroad only really saves $200-300 if one were to purchase lounge entry because they don’t hold Gold status. An extra checked bag could come in handy, but again, you’re only replacing $25-100/trip that you need a second bag checked. The upgrades to first class will be rare, maybe 1-2/year unless the flyer is based in a very small market with E-170/175 service. Earning one more MileagePlus award miles per airfare dollar could matter a lot in aggregate, but at the lowest two tiers with such a minimal distinction isn’t a noticeable benefit.

In total, an active flyer could see a few hundred in benefits from the elevation, maybe over $1,000 if they really maximized their opportunities.

The Offer To Upgrade

United Airlines, in a marketing communication within the app, proves either it thinks its customers are stupid, or it works so often proving that some really are. I barely qualified for Premier Silver status last year as I wasn’t focused on earning status with the carrier at all, but found myself qualifying due to circumstance.

An offer to upgrade to Gold was waiting.

Then United gave me the pricing and a deadline to decide.

Who is spending this kind of money on moving up from Silver to Gold? Does United actually want to sell it or is it trying to build value to drive customers to fly more this year? How many customers are really buying up from Silver to Gold worth maybe 20% of the price they are charging?

Those most likely to benefit would probably already have Gold or would be (presumably) closer to achieving it based on increased flying activity.

Conclusion

While it was no doubt software and not people who set the rate for the upgrade from Premier Silver to Premier Gold, the concept that a United MileagePlus member could spend $5,000 to move to Gold is beyond me.

What do you think? Are you taking the offer? Is there value I didn’t assess that makes this less crazy?