Can anyone tell me the cheapest way to do a gold run?
How many tier points do you need?
As far as I'm aware there are no longer any short-cuts to earning VS tier points now. The Delta domestic first class flights are not very good now VS alined DL tier point earning with VS earning.
In terms of fewest flights, Upper Class I fares are the easiest as if you are lucky you can get an I fare for not much more than a Z fare.
MAN>JFK is currently quite easy to book Upper Class I fares (400 TP's for a return flight) with a 744 with the smaller J cabin currently being used on those routes. A return I fare to JFK is approx ~£2200 though.
What I do is book an I fare and then bring the cost down by booking it as a MpM fare by adding miles to it.