Programs: AA PLT, US Silver, SPG Gold, AMEX PLT, Hertz GLD, NREMT :)
Posts: 174
Quote:
Originally Posted by awpeters
I believe I'm finally putting this in the right thread (my bad, newbie mistake)
So Should I AA PLT/GLD Challenge? I currently have no status, and O EQM this year. Status will be very useful for me over the next 15 months.
I'm going to asia:
All in Q (0.5 EQP/mile flown):
LGA-BOS AA 4464 -- 184 miles --> 92 EQP**
BOS-ORD AA 649 -- 867 miles --> 433 EQP (525 EQP total)
ORD-NRT AA 153 -- 6274 miles --> 3137 EQP (3662 EQP total)
NRT-HAN AA 5843 op by JL -- 2314 miles --> 1157 EQP*** (4819 EQP total)
...
SIN-NRT AA 5837 op by JL -- 3324 miles --> 1662 EQP*** (6481 EQP total --> GOLD)
NRT-JFK AA 168 -- 6745 miles --> 3372 EQP (9853 EQP total)
**Question 1: I have no status. If I'm enrolled in the Challenge do I get the 500 mile min -- that would put me to PLT? (I assume not)
***Question 2: Are these EQP earning, and how if so, what ratio? 0.5? (Thats what it seems from aa.com)
With DBL EQM or NYDBL RDM: about 35K EQM/RDM
Wondering if I should GLD or PLT challenge, knowing I'll have to do another, albeit brief, trip this year if I want to make PLT.
Obviously, I will make GLD on this trip, with or without the challenge. With a GLD challenge, I would make it faster and start to earn the 25% earlier plus EQMs towards upgrades.
With a PLT challenge, I would still need another 150 measly pts. Without, I would need ABOUT 15K EQM--2 MRs. But MRs are also mileage earning and the cost of the challenge would go towards these tickets instead.
Any thoughts or insights I'm not getting?? Are my numbers correct? Its sooooo close to PLT
Please advise for a newbie excited to make some level of AA status for the first time!!!!
So an update to this situation: I spoke to a CSR and a CSR supervisor when signing up for my PLT challenge and asked about the EQP on the codeshare segments, as well as on the LGA-BOS (could I get 500? ..I said I wouldn't sign up for the challenge without it--which was 100% true--would rather fly an 1-2 MRs for the $200 cost). CSR calculated it and said no, and I was under 10K, I would have to take a short trip. When I asked to speak to the supervisor, the CSR said the supervisor calculated it as over 11K EQP (1.0 full EQP for the codeshare segments). I though she was mistaken, as did the CSR, but the supervisor guaranteed it and there is now a note in my account saying she guaranteed it, saying what EQP i would get per segment, and indicating i would cross the threshold on the final NRT-JFK segment. ....So I said, "ok, if you guarantee it and this will be here after the fact, I'll sign up!" Again emphasizing the true statement that I wouldn't sign up for the challenge if I didn't make PLT on this itinerary.
Does this seem odd? Did she just sell me on it? Am I going to get screwed by the computer? Will they still have the notes after the PNR is complete? Will I have recourse?
I paid to sign up, but it still doesn't seem right to me. Thoughts?
Programs: AF/FB outta the door Plat, NW Plat, bmi DC Gold, BA EC Gold, HHonors Diamond, SPG Plat
Posts: 1,763
Can someone please clarify whether for challenges tickets have to be on AA stock (ie 001 ticket) or whether they can be ticketed/plated on another airline? I presume it is only the flight number that is looked at but want to make sure.
I paid to sign up, but it still doesn't seem right to me...
True, but challenge is an undocumented feature and whatever the person with the highest authority in AA decides, that's what it is. So, you should be OK. However, "trust but verify", so check your status after all of your flights and be prepared to take a short MR if it comes to that.
I currently do not have any elite status with AA. My account summary indicates that I have 8560 Elite Qualifying Miles YTD. I will be flying JAX-MIA-SSA-REC-MIA-JAX next month. The JAX-MIA segment is in class Q and all other segments are in class N. I recently signed up for the double EQM promotion. Should this be enough to qualify for AAdvantage Gold?
Programs: AA EXP, SPG Gold, CO Plat, IC Amb, *A Miles but no status
Posts: 201
Quote:
Originally Posted by citizenoftheworld
I currently do not have any elite status with AA. My account summary indicates that I have 8560 Elite Qualifying Miles YTD. I will be flying JAX-MIA-SSA-REC-MIA-JAX next month. The JAX-MIA segment is in class Q and all other segments are in class N. I recently signed up for the double EQM promotion. Should this be enough to qualify for AAdvantage Gold?
According to Milecalc.com your trip will get you 18440 EQM thanks to the current double EQM promo. Btw, they don't factor in Fare class for EQM. So, yes, you will qualify for Gold.
True, but challenge is an undocumented feature and whatever the person with the highest authority in AA decides, that's what it is. So, you should be OK. However, "trust but verify", so check your status after all of your flights and be prepared to take a short MR if it comes to that.
I just ran into a brick wall with AA.
My platinum challenge was already paid for and started.
The miles have finally started to come in. However, my status didn't change
after I crossed over the 10,000 points threshold. I called AAdvantage and the
rep looked into it. After several minutes... she came back on the line....
it turns out that I do not qualify because
my AA ticket was paid/purchased outside
of the USA. (not US dollars)
The trips starts in Argentina, with stops in Chicago, Tokyo... and ends in Singapore.
The ticket only shows two airlines, AA and JL. The ticket is on AA stock.
My AAdvantage acct address on file has always been in the US. (my home address)
Had I known that tickets purchased in non-US$ and originating outside of the US
would not quaflity for the platinum challenge, I would have never paid the $200.
Called AA a couple more times and spoke to two supervisors... got the same reply....
While I'm not happy about it, I can understand it if it's their policy. Fine by me,
but now I'm mad because they refused to refund me the $200.
I have called my credit card company(Discover Card) and disputed the charge...
I am extremely upset by AA's underhanded tactics. When I first called to sign up
for the challenge, the rep looked at my reservation and fare basis. She told me that
my trip would qualify, so I happily allowed them to put $200 charge on my card.
Now they have my money, they tell me I don't qualify my challenge because my
ticket was purchased outside of the US using foreign currency? This is pure fraud.
I think this is a great case to upgrade to the corporate office - you were told you qualified and the trips qualified for a Platinum Challenge (did you get the e-mail?) and then, after the fact, were denied and denied a refund. They surely can't have it both ways?
Here is a link to a page with humans you can contact. Acuerdate - succinct, but covering all the necessary information, and ask for what you want granted, whether it is your Platinum status or your $200 returned. No threats, but certainly a statement that the results of this request will directly influence whether you ever fly American Airlines in the future. (After all, LAN Argentina + Lan Chile et al are also a way to get status and flights on oneworld.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Argen_Tina
I just ran into a brick wall with AA.
My platinum challenge was already paid for and started.
The miles have finally started to come in. However, my status didn't change
after I crossed over the 10,000 points threshold. I called AAdvantage and the
rep looked into it. After several minutes... she came back on the line....
it turns out that I do not qualify because
my AA ticket was paid/purchased outside
of the USA. (not US dollars)
The trips starts in Argentina, with stops in Chicago, Tokyo... and ends in Singapore.
The ticket only shows two airlines, AA and JL. The ticket is on AA stock.
My AAdvantage acct address on file has always been in the US. (my home address)
Had I known that tickets purchased in non-US$ and originating outside of the US
would not quaflity for the platinum challenge, I would have never paid the $200.
Called AA a couple more times and spoke to two supervisors... got the same reply....
While I'm not happy about it, I can understand it if it's their policy. Fine by me,
but now I'm mad because they refused to refund me the $200.
I have called my credit card company(Discover Card) and disputed the charge...
I am extremely upset by AA's underhanded tactics. When I first called to sign up
for the challenge, the rep looked at my reservation and fare basis. She told me that
my trip would qualify, so I happily allowed them to put $200 charge on my card.
Now they have my money, they tell me I don't qualify my challenge because my
ticket was purchased outside of the US using foreign currency? This is pure fraud.
__________________ Lend a hand up with Kiva; far more than a hand out.
According to Milecalc.com your trip will get you 18440 EQM thanks to the current double EQM promo. Btw, they don't factor in Fare class for EQM. So, yes, you will qualify for Gold.
As the OP presumably has no status, there is no minimum 500 EQM per segment guarantee. So, JAX-MIA-SSA-REC-MIA-JAX = 8791 mi (Great Circle Mapper, AA.com may differ slightly), and with DBLEQ, that totals 17,582. With YTD EQM, still enough for GLD at 26,142 total.
Don't forget that the SSA-REC and REC-MIA legs do not count separately (unless there is a stopover in REC). It's a direct flight, so the return to MIA earns the same as the nonstop MIA-SSA leg on the outbound.
Good point - if the OP is on the smae flight number, even if same type aircraft are changed or there is a "change of gauge" - the flight earns as if it were nonstop.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ready2Go
Don't forget that the SSA-REC and REC-MIA legs do not count separately (unless there is a stopover in REC). It's a direct flight, so the return to MIA earns the same as the nonstop MIA-SSA leg on the outbound.
__________________ Lend a hand up with Kiva; far more than a hand out.
I recently completed a successful Platinum Challenge. I started the challenge in August, and therefore my Platinum status is valid till Feb 2011. I will accumulate over 50K EQMs for the current year in a few days. Question: Will that extend my Platinum status to Feb 2012? My own hunch is that it will NOT, but it will obviously be nice if it does.
Programs: AA EXP 1.1MM, AC Member, Marriott Plat, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 338
Quote:
Originally Posted by akm
I recently completed a successful Platinum Challenge. I started the challenge in August, and therefore my Platinum status is valid till Feb 2011. I will accumulate over 50K EQMs for the current year in a few days. Question: Will that extend my Platinum status to Feb 2012? My own hunch is that it will NOT, but it will obviously be nice if it does.
No, your Platinum status will last until February 2011.
__________________
61/62 EXP upgrades confirmed in 2009.
Are you from the future? Do they still have sandwiches there?
Programs: AA Platinum(new, via challenge), UA 1K(since '06), BR Diamond(since '08)
Posts: 32
last flight made me a Platinum, but I cannot see status on my account?
My most recent AA international flight was just posted today. The elite qualifying points shown is a couple hundred above the Platinum requirement. 10230 points to be precise. I guess this means I'm Platinum as of this moment. When I was looking at my account online, it looked the same to me. Nowhere does it say "Platinum" and I also did not receive the Platinum bonus miles for the last flight. How long does it take AA to update my new Platinum status? Is it necessary for me to call them and ask? I have no AAdvantage elite status prior to this because I'm using the AAdvantage Platinum status-match challenge.
Please help me because I'm a newbie to the frequent flyer game. Thank you for your assistance!
Programs: AA EXP (OW Emerald), CO Plat (*A Gold), AdmsClub, HH Silver, PC Gold. LH/BA/UA pond scum
Posts: 911
Quote:
Originally Posted by SwissYankee
Please help me because I'm a newbie to the frequent flyer game. Thank you for your assistance!
Oh, and welcome to FT! This is a great site and with just a little effort you will learn all about how the system works.
I predict that soon you will soon find other things to stress out about, like why haven't your domestic upgrades cleared and it is less than 24 hours before your flight, and why do the unwashed masses think they can use the priority lane and will the BA lounge dragons let me in without a PLT card*....
*Based on 11 BA flights this summer I would say it's 50/50.
So, you should be OK. However, "trust but verify", 
