Q. Any thoughts on whether it's worth it to purchase Premier Gold status at United for the rest of this year?

I was Premier Gold last year, as United decided to upgrade certain customers to the next highest level if you were near to making that level (I'd been Gold the year prior to that).

As I've fallen back to Premier Silver status for this year, United says they're making an offer for me to purchase Premier Gold status for the rest of the year (for $1300).  Others that I know with Silver status weren't given an offer, probably because they weren't close to making the Gold level.

The primary benefit is being able to choose seats in economy plus at the time of booking rather than scrambling the night before flying.  Also would have 2 free checked bags instead of 1.

I've heard you say that it's better to just search all sites for the lowest fare on any airline, but I do have status with United, albeit Silver.

A. There are some additional advantages to achieving “gold” on United, especially if you fly internationally with other Star Alliance partner airlines. I’ve always thought that free upgrades to business and first class were the most valuable perks, but those upgrades are getting harder to find. True, you might have priority over other passengers in the event of a cancelation or misconnection. But if only being able to choose premium economy seats is your goal, remember that you can buy a lot of premium econ seats with $1300. It really depends on how often you travel and what you hope to gain from the elevated status.