5 Drawbacks of Airline Elite Status

All the major U.S. airlines have loyalty programs where passengers can earn miles. If you travel with an airline often enough or spend enough on one of its credit cards, you could also earn elite status.

Getting airline elite status sounds exciting. We all love feeling special. When you travel, getting to board early because you're in the platinum or diamond group gives you that feeling of being among the privileged few.

But before you put too much effort into earning elite status, it's worth knowing about the drawbacks.

1. Status requirements can be confusing and hard to reach

Each status tier in an airline's loyalty program has its requirements, and they can be complicated. You may need to complete a certain number of flights. You may need to earn a certain number of qualifying points. Or you may need to do both.

Take the United MileagePlus program as an example. If you want to earn Premier Gold status, the requirement is 24 PQFs (that's Premier qualifying flights) and 8,000 PQPs (Premier qualifying points). There's also an alternative option of 10,000 PQPs.

Not only can these requirements be confusing, it's often difficult to meet them. You need to be a frequent flyer and spend enough money with the airline to have a chance.

2. You need to meet the status requirements every year

Airline elite status isn't a lifetime appointment. When you earn it, you keep it for the remainder of the calendar year and the next full calendar year. For example, if you earn it this month, you'll have it for the rest of 2024 and all of 2025.

To keep it, you need to continue meeting the status requirements. This could be reasonable if you earn it through your normal travel and spending habits. But if it's a struggle to meet the requirements, you'll have that same struggle every year.

3. Upgrades aren't guaranteed

Complimentary upgrades are arguably the best perk of airline elite status, but they aren't guaranteed. When you have elite status, you're eligible for complimentary upgrades. You could get one, but it depends on who's ahead of you on the upgrade list and how full the flight is.

Passengers in higher status tiers have priority on the upgrade list. So unless you earn your way into the highest status tier, you could still be behind several other passengers.

4. Not all the benefits are that useful or exclusive

Outside of upgrade eligibility, the benefits of elite status are hit or miss. For example, with many airlines, elite status includes free checked baggage and priority boarding. These can be nice if you plan to check a bag and want to get on the plane early. But if you only travel with a carry-on and don't mind boarding with the main cabin group, those perks don't really improve your travel experience.

It's also worth mentioning that you can often get the same benefits from travel rewards cards. Some airlines also have their own credit cards that include free checked baggage and priority boarding.

5. It encourages you to book with that airline, even if it doesn't have the best ticket prices

For the most part, you only benefit from elite status when you fly with that airline. This can put you in a difficult position when another airline is offering lower flight prices.

Do you spend an extra $50 or $100 to fly with your airline of choice and maybe get a free upgrade? Or do you take the lowest price and forgo any elite status perks? You won't have this dilemma when you're a free agent without attachment to any particular airline.

Going for elite status can make sense if you're a frequent flyer, you have an airline you like, and it offers the routes you normally fly. But for most people, being loyal to a single airline isn't worth it.