So How Did 2014 Treat You?

Before all your mileage/ point counters reset tomorrow, let’s take a look at how everyone did.  I’ll review my plan vice results and ask you to chime in and compare.

Airlines:

Goal: United 1K

Results: Only 62,046 EQM so no 1K for me for the first time in ten years.  Interestingly, I had $7,036 in spend so that doesn’t appear to be a problem for future years as many had worried about.  Fortunately, I passed a million miles last year so I only fall to Gold.  Also, the million miler benefits gets my spouse the same status as me so she drops too, but not before getting a free Global Entry card as a result of being 1K this year.

Goal: Alaska MVP Gold

Results: I was heading into fall with only 32,000 EQM and had already made my reservations for mileage runs to reach 40,000 EQM and requalify.  Then I read One Mile at a Time and found that AS was matching status up to MVP Gold75K (yes that is a mouthful to say), and sent them my UA 1K statement.  I actually thought it wouldn’t work since I was already an MVP Gold and this was to attract new customers, especially from Delta.  However, the AS fairy came along a few days later and changed my status to 75K and I got all the benefits except the 50K in bonus RDM.  My wife had been busting her butt all year to make 75K and was not happy that I had figured out a smarter way.  It helps to read Boarding Area! p.s. thanks Lucky.

Hotels:

Goal:  Marriott Platinum

Results: I only ended up with 4o nights plus 15 from the credit card, so will lose Platinum status for the first time in 8 years.  This was a year in which I didn’t PCS or have a long TDY so I just couldn’t get the travel.  I did pass 700 lifetime nights so hoping for eventual lifetime Platinum, but I have to get my lifetime points to 2 million and am only at 1.35 million so I’ve got a long way to go.  That’s what I get for staying in the cheap places!

Did do pretty well on getting RDM miles with the AA Executive card’s 100,000 mile sign-up bonus and getting Capital One and Chase Ultimate Rewards cards for those short trips which are better paid for by these points instead of spending 25-50K from one of the airline accounts.  Been great for flying my daughter from Tulane to see us in D.C.

Overall, not the best year and lost status on two of the three programs I had top status in, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.  So how did all of you do?  Let’s hear your successes or failures for 2014.