I’ve been meaning to mention this, but it just kept slipping my mind. You might remember that I signed up for the Dividend Miles Trial Preferred program on the first day of the Grand Slam promotion back in September. My trial period ended on December 13th and a couple days later I received an email from US Airways, “Your Trial Preferred Status.”
“Congratulations, you’ve qualified for Silver Preferred! You’ll keep this status through February 28, 2013. Take a look at your Preferred benefits. And did you know you can buy up to Preferred to maintain or elevate your status? The cost depends on how many miles and segments you’ve flown in 2011.”
Of course, I’d already received my Silver Preferred membership card a couple weeks before which had a February 2013 expiration date. I mention all this because it confirms the answer to a question I’ve seen on some of the forums about how long your US trial preferred status is good for. Since I started in the second half of the year, my status was good for the remainder of 2011 and all of 2012. US Airways website was slightly confusing on the topic in that it only listed one date…. February of 2012 if you signed up for the program. I confirmed with a US Airways representative that the status would be good for all of 2012 before signing up for the program, and the membership card and email from US Airways confirm what I hoped I knew.
Living where I live, US Airways is a very useful airline, and I like having status on them even though I wish it was Gold status and not just Silver. We’ll see how this year goes. Now I just wish Dividend Miles offered one-way awards.
Do you know whether you would have been upgraded to Gold status if you had completed 20 segments instead of the Silver’s 10? I bought the Silver trial program, and now it looks like I’ll hit the requirements for Gold before my 90 days are up.
Rumor is that you will get the higher status. I have a friend who did the Silver trial and will cross the Gold threshold this week. I will report back on what happens.
Sol, check out this post.
Those 2 system wide upgrades are not good in the US and are a bit confusing. You can upgrade you and a traveling companion on the same flight, subject to availability. If you use one of the upgrades when traveling by yourself, you cannot “bank” the companion portion for use later and you’re now down to one upgrade for yourself and a companion.
@Krys – The unlimited upgrades are only good in North America. Chairman Preferred members receive 2 Envoy upgrades each year. Other than that you will not receive first class upgrades on trips to and from Europe.
I have been debating on buying this offer. Do you know if I can receive the first class upgrade on trips to and from Europe?
The complementary preferred upgrades do not apply for international flights. If you make it all the way to Chairman’s Preferred status, you do receive 2 system wide upgrades that you can use on international flights.