Going for Gold! Tier point help query :)

So, quick one here for the miles / tier point gurus of you!!

I am currently Silver and 14 tier points away from Gold. I must attain those by end of September 2013 otherwise it jumps up to 24.

I have a pending flight to JFK this summer 30 july - 12Aug ) its in the itinery calendar!) that will earn me 10 tiers.

So that leaves me just 4 to get! the problem is i have to get those four between 12th Augut and end of September. I think?

So now where you guys come in. what would be your strategy to get to gold. Would you go on one long haul economy round trip soemwhere for a long wekend ( Dubai / new York ) or perhaps look at using miles and book an economy and upgrade to PE ( or book PE upgrade with miles to Upper ) to get beyond the 4 needed. or go random and do return trips to Edinburgh on Little Red ( 2 per trip ) or is that just silly. Though a trip to Edinburgh is a doable thing in a short 6 week window.

i am just a bit nervous after so much hard work ( and lots of £!!) i will be so close yet so far from 1 year of Gold.

any advice appreciated peeps
x

What's the cheapest? Probably a pair of little red flights rather than a long haul - which you can do any time between now and September and not just in the period 12th Aug to 30th Sept.

So you could have a couple of day trips so no hotels or just do a fly up, get off the plane and then get straight back on the next one back.

A couple of EDI runs would do it nicely.

Be aware though that August is edinburgh festival time, and hotel prices rocket into outer space...

I would ask what benefit you're looking to achieve by getting Gold?

If you do all your long haul flying in Upper anyway, then other than a few extra miles there's not much benefit to Gold over the Upper Class ticket you'll be carrying anyway.

all very sharp advice. I usually fly BA to glasgow ( which is my home town ) to visit family often anyway for long weekends so flying to EDI is not too out of my way, pick up a car hire and go see the folks. so the little red thing seems to makes sense. Clarkey makes a good point though. My past 4 trips have been Upper ( either via a sale price purchase - some good deals - or via a PE upgrade. Earning double miles, more likely to be upgraded, guaranteed seat on full flights, guest access to the lounge , use of lounge even when not flying upper on the occasion i do PE it. etc are ok i suppose. I think the benefit is probably pyschological which is often how customer retention schemes work i suppose.

All that glitters is not gold as they say perhaps!!

Double miles alone makes it worth while if you are almost there in terms of TP.
Lounge access and 'status' also important (whenever they make the 'mystery call' from check-in they always mention the gold card).
free upgrade pretty rare. Priority wait list very useful.
Guaranteed seats - not such a good thing as it is only in economy and has to be at a full fare.

thanks for advice. probably will do two edinburgh runs unless i come up with another bright idea