Help Desk: AAdvantage Elite Status Challenges (Gold and Platinum)
NOTE: CHALLENGE HARD END 23 DECEMBER 2015
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Elite Status Challenges are unpublished offers from American Airlines AAdvantage designed for those who want a shortcut to AAdvantage Gold or Platinum status because they will be flying American Airlines frequently and wish to enjoy elite benefits more quickly. These three month Challenges are subject to enrollment fees, have defined start and end dates that can affect how long your status lasts, and are based on elite-qualifying
points, not miles. Status is conferred upon successful completion of a Challenge. Officially, there is no corresponding EXP Challenge, although a very small number of targeted frequent fliers with the highest status on another airline and/or influential travel-related work position may be invited to participate in an analogous offer. Direct elite status matches are offered only by invitation for a very small number of top fliers.
Please see the following resources for full details on Elite Status Challenges:
Additional Information on AAdvantage Elite Status:
There are three elite levels, Gold (GLD), Platinum (PLT), and Executive Platinum (EXP or EP), with increasing benefits at each level, including preferred seating, check-in, security lines, and boarding; bonus miles; and various free upgrade instruments, discounts, and fee waivers.
June 11 2013 e-mail to new Challenger beginning 16 June 2013:
Dear MRS. FREQUENT FLYER,
This is to confirm your registration for the American Airlines AAdvantage PLATINUM® Quick Qualification Challenge. We have charged your credit card a non-refundable fee of $240.00. Remember that Challenges are based on points, not miles. If you earn 10,000 points in the three months ending 09/15/2013, you will enjoy AAdvantage PLATINUM status through February 2015.
And now you have more opportunities to complete your Challenge because points earned on qualifying flights on American Airlines, American Eagle, the AmericanConnection® carrier, British Airways, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Qantas and their eligible codeshare flights count toward your Challenge.*
Learn more about point accrual and qualifying fares for each airline: (links to each Challenge airline page on aa.com follow)
We hope that you successfully complete your Challenge so you can begin enjoying all the benefits of AAdvantage PLATINUM status.
Sincerely,
Judy S. B.
Manager, Member Services
AAdvantage® Customer Service
Note: US flights qualify now as well.
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The AA Challenge Help Desk
To assist members with questions about Elite Status Challenges that they have not been able to answer on their own using the above resources, the AA Moderator team has established a new type of thread in the forum, designated as "Help Desk". The previous thread on this topic has effectively worked this way for several years, and based on how things go with this first thread, we will consider similar threads on other commonly broached topics in the future.
New threads on this topic will be merged into this one and bumped by the moderators as necessary. As such, we do
not expect that this thread will develop into a searchable database, but that it will nonetheless provide a valuable resource to members. Accordingly, we may shed / pare down posts from time to time to a trailing thread or similar device.
Our goal is to provide a place where members can feel welcome to post such questions and expect helpful, accurate responses. In this way, we hope to accommodate the needs and desires of both new and veteran members - those who aren't sure they are interpreting the available resources correctly can ask for help without fear of snarky responses; those who do not wish to participate in such threads are invited and, indeed, encouraged, to ignore this thread.
Please be forewarned: This thread will be subject to heavy moderation. Posts that are incorrect will be subject to deletion without notice - DO NOT POST answers unless you are 100% sure your answer is complete and correct. Posts that are unhelpful or off-topic will also be subject to deletion without notice - DO NOT POST unless you can be friendly, helpful, concise, and salient.
Finally, a few guidelines for members posting queries to this thread:
- Please DO make an effort to review the above resources before posting here.
- Please DO try to give as much information as possible related to your Challenge plans, flights, etc.
- Please DO understand it could take some time for answers (especially on holidays and weekends.)
- Please DO thank helpful members volunteering to reply to your questions.
Sincerely,
The AA Moderator Team
P.S. Our thanks to Moderator dstan, who did much of the conceptual and design work on this idea.
Please use PM or RBP for comments, suggestions, recommendations, etc.