Loyalty: What’s happening to US Frequent Flier Programs? Which should I choose?

Advice on how to get the most out of your travels!

I have been a loyal United Airlines customer for essentially my entire traveling life. I still remember how happy I was the first time I achieved that aspirational goal of qualifying for 1K Status. After several years at 1K and many more at Premier Executive (Gold) I am done turning a blind eye to the increasingly underwhelming premier perks, seemingly infinite upgrade standby lists and stricter qualification requirements. I am officially going on the market as a free agent in 2015.

The most important criteria to me is to be able to earn points based on mileage rather than ticket price. I love the thrill of finding the best deal to get where I need to go, giving me miles based on what I pay takes some of that fun away. I also enjoy feeling special, so was nervous about losing elite status. Ideally, I would find a program that would match my current United Gold status with minimum difficulty.

The table below compares loyalty programs for the major U.S. carriers. These details are based on information related to the airlines’ 2015 programs and are documented for the mid-tier status (i.e. status associated with 50,000 points/miles).

2015 Loyalty Program (“Mid/50K” Level) United American/US Airways Delta Virgin America Southwest Alaska Hawaiian
Program Link United American/US Airways Delta Virgin America Southwest Alaska Hawaiian
Point Accrual Formula based on Mileage
Point Accrual Formula based on Spending
Elite Qualification based on mileage flown
Elite Qualification based on spending
 Earning % bump  60%  100%  60% 100% 100%  100%  100%
Premium Economy (U.S.)
Upgrades confirmed (hours before)  48  72  72  24  72
Alliances/partnerships  Star Alliance  One World  SkyTeam  Virgin  American /Delta  American /Virgin
Lounge Access (Int’l) (Int’l)  3 passes
Elite Match  Challenge  Challenge (call)  Challenge  Yes
Notes  must use 500 mile upgrade cert. Free drink & snack; can buy a status boost  roll-over qualifying miles  Free drink  Retroactive miles

After the research, I decided to attempt to get Alaska Airlines to match my status. I had read on numerous travel blogs that all I needed to do was submit a front and back scanned copy of my elite card, a copy of my United statement and a scanned copy of my driver’s license. I sent an email with these items to elite.flyer@alaskaair.com. …..5 business days later I received the following email:

Congratulations, You’ve Been Nominated for MVP® Gold Status
We are honored to welcome you to theMVP Gold level of our award-winning Mileage Plan™.You can now take advantage of your exclusive MVP Gold benefits. We hope you enjoy your new perks and look forward to welcoming you on your next flight very soon.

I now get premium treatment on Alaska, American and Delta through December 2015. I’ve never been so excited to shift loyalties!