Why I Don’t Care About Airlines’ Elite Status, Even Though I’m a Frequent Flyer

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Frequent flyers with elite status can get lots of complimentary benefits. Here’s why it’s not always worth the hassle, even if you fly often. [[{“value”:”

I love to travel, so I fly fairly often — eight times last year, to be exact. But I don’t have elite status in any frequent flyer programs, and to be honest, it doesn’t interest me.

Getting elite status is a popular goal for many travelers, mainly because of the benefits offered. If you have it, you’ll earn more miles on flights you book. Depending on your status tier, you could also get early boarding, waivers on common fees, airport lounge access, and complimentary upgrades.

Why wouldn’t I want all that? There are a few reasons I don’t care about earning elite status. If you’ve been thinking about going for it, you may want to see if any of these apply to you first.

I’m not loyal to any particular airline

I’m not the type of person who always flies with the same airline. I book based on which airline has the most convenient flight options and the amenities I want (for example, if it’s an international flight, I make sure there’s a business-class cabin with lie-flat seats).

You earn elite status based on the money you spend and the number of flights you take with an airline. For that reason, it’s much harder to do if you fly with multiple airlines.

Before you try to earn elite status, make sure you’ll be able to take most or all of your flights with that airline. If you live near one of its hubs, then it could be worth it. But if you like to have flexibility about which airline you use, then there’s no point to chasing elite status with a single carrier.

I book business class, so I already get most of the perks

Because I love to travel, I want to enjoy it as much as possible. So I always book business class, or first class if it’s a domestic flight. I want to be comfortable, and also, I love the pre-flight champagne.

It’s more expensive, although I save a lot of money by paying with points from travel credit cards. In fact, earlier this year, I saved $5,687 this way on business-class airfare. But overall, flying business class costs me more — and I’m fine with that. Travel is one of the places where I don’t mind spending money.

Booking a business-class ticket gets me many of the same benefits of elite frequent flyer status. I can already check a bag for free. I can visit the airline’s lounges. And I don’t need to get upgraded. Having status with an airline wouldn’t improve my travel experience much, if at all.

Frequent flyer programs are too complicated for my tastes

Whenever I read about frequent flyer programs, my eyes glaze over. To get elite status, you need however many MQDs, PQFs, or PQPs, and those are just some of the many acronyms I’ve seen airlines use.

It seems like way too much work. I don’t want to keep track of the loyalty miles or points I’ve earned, calculate how much I’ll earn through future flights, and make sure I’m going to meet the yearly requirements to get elite status.

Some people enjoy learning about frequent flyer programs and strategizing how they’ll move up the status tiers. If it’s interesting to you, then go for it! But if it feels like a chore, it may not be worth it.

Trying to achieve elite airline status makes sense for some travelers, specifically those who travel with the same airline often. But most travelers are probably better off booking with whichever airline has the best deal and flight option available. If you want to upgrade your travel experience, you can do that on your own by booking a premium economy, business, or first class ticket. And if you’re trying to keep costs down, make sure to pick up a credit card that earns travel rewards.

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