As a lowly 1K who only spends the minimum $12k annually of my own dime (and earns around 125k UA PQM on top of 100k over at AA), I would never dream of qualifying for GS myself… but one can dream.
One time I was upgraded to First Class (domestic, US) and I sat next to the guy (at that time, literally a guy, a man) who essentially runs/administers the GS program.
He was extremely friendly, and as the drinks & flight continued, I pulled a /small/ amount of info from him about GS.
BASICALLY, it comes down to profit. Every year the bar changes, but if you are something like the 0.1% most profitable customer, you are in GS. Every year the amount varies, but typically you need to buy $50K - $75K of high-profit airfare (read: full class airfare, usually highest class of service, often international)
If you saw me (small business owner, consultant) you'd think I'm either a schlub or an athlete, but not a "CEO type". I am CEO of a one-person company. I do very well, but I don't work for Google / Bain / McKinsey / etc. So I book inexpensive airfares (it's my company, my money) and I accept that there are employees who just travel a lot and get treated like royalty.
I would love to have others jump in and tell me this next statement is flat-out wrong, but IMO the GS folks aren't entrepreneurs and small business owners, they work for BigCo and are treated like royalty. Not jealous at all, from my informal survey the divorce rate of GS is way higher than average. Also many GS folks on the "fringe" are stressed out b/c once they've had it, they don't know exactly what they did to get it, and what it will take next year.
I sleep well at night.
Personally, I'd rather never have to get on a plane - unless I'd like to.
I’ve never heard of the prepayment for GS option, and those numbers seem low. Do you have a source for that?
Investment Levels
Individual Plans
Minimum $25,000 - Complimentary Premier Gold
$35,000 - Complimentary Premier Platinum
$45,000 - Complimentary Premier 1K
$50,000 - Complimentary Global Services
Corporate Plans
Minimum $50,000 - 1x Premier Gold, 1x Premier Silver, 4x United Club Annual Memberships
$100,000 - 1x Premier Platinum, 2x Premier Gold, 3x United Club Annual Memberships
$300,000 - 1x Premier 1K, 1x Premier Platinum, 3 Premier Gold, 6x United Club Annual Memberships
[1]: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/products/business/passp...
[2]: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-airlines-mileageplus/...
Flew internationally a couple of times and the level of attention was insane.
Get to airport and they walk you to the lounge, past security, and then come grab you when you're ready to pre-board (before everyone including military).
My connecting flight was delayed by 20 minutes, cutting down my connection time to 50 minutes. No problem, concierge called me and let me know they had proactively booked me on the next available flight just in case.
I would always buy economy seats and there wasn't a single time I wasn't upgraded to first.
Whole experience was insane, wish I could qualify for GS ever in my life.