ARCHIVE: AAdvantage Gold & Platinum Elite Status Challenges 2004 - 2011
#3301
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: US
Posts: 92
Lifetime status questions
Hi guys,
I am currently GLD (dropped from PLT :-( ) and am temporarily relocating to UAE. I am nearing 1MM (5k to go).
Questions are:
-I am going to change my Aadvantage account profile address to UAE today. When I do complete the remaining 5K miles, i understand I should get 4 eVIP's instead of the 8 500 mile upgrades due to the fact that i am outside US. Is this true?
-If true, how do they send the eVIPs? sorry, have never got one, so don't know if it is a paper certificate or electronic? Do these eVIP's have an expiration date? And i assume i can only use them on AA metal or any OW carrier? Using on AA metal can be difficult from UAE.
Thanks in advance,
Ketan
I am currently GLD (dropped from PLT :-( ) and am temporarily relocating to UAE. I am nearing 1MM (5k to go).
Questions are:
-I am going to change my Aadvantage account profile address to UAE today. When I do complete the remaining 5K miles, i understand I should get 4 eVIP's instead of the 8 500 mile upgrades due to the fact that i am outside US. Is this true?
-If true, how do they send the eVIPs? sorry, have never got one, so don't know if it is a paper certificate or electronic? Do these eVIP's have an expiration date? And i assume i can only use them on AA metal or any OW carrier? Using on AA metal can be difficult from UAE.
Thanks in advance,
Ketan
#3302
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
-Yes.
-Electronic (visible in your AAdvantage account online.)
-AA metal only, so you'd have to fly to an AA gateway from UAE, such as LHR, before you can use a VIP / SWU.
-Electronic (visible in your AAdvantage account online.)
-AA metal only, so you'd have to fly to an AA gateway from UAE, such as LHR, before you can use a VIP / SWU.
Hi guys,
I am currently GLD (dropped from PLT :-( ) and am temporarily relocating to UAE. I am nearing 1MM (5k to go).
Questions are:
-I am going to change my Aadvantage account profile address to UAE today. When I do complete the remaining 5K miles, i understand I should get 4 eVIP's instead of the 8 500 mile upgrades due to the fact that i am outside US. Is this true?
-If true, how do they send the eVIPs? sorry, have never got one, so don't know if it is a paper certificate or electronic? Do these eVIP's have an expiration date? And i assume i can only use them on AA metal or any OW carrier? Using on AA metal can be difficult from UAE.
Thanks in advance,
Ketan
I am currently GLD (dropped from PLT :-( ) and am temporarily relocating to UAE. I am nearing 1MM (5k to go).
Questions are:
-I am going to change my Aadvantage account profile address to UAE today. When I do complete the remaining 5K miles, i understand I should get 4 eVIP's instead of the 8 500 mile upgrades due to the fact that i am outside US. Is this true?
-If true, how do they send the eVIPs? sorry, have never got one, so don't know if it is a paper certificate or electronic? Do these eVIP's have an expiration date? And i assume i can only use them on AA metal or any OW carrier? Using on AA metal can be difficult from UAE.
Thanks in advance,
Ketan
#3303
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Caracas
Programs: Former AA PLT/GLD, A3 *G, Priority Pass
Posts: 1,144
As I understand it, if you completed a Gold Challenge in 2008, there should be no problem attempting a Platinum Challenge anytime. If you think you will earn 10k points this calendar year, you should be able to sign up for a Platinum Challenge (which if done in, basically, the second half of 2009, would extend Platinum status through the end of February of 2011.)
As to subsequent Challenges, you may not Challenge for continued status, that is true; you will have to drop from Platinum status before you will be granted the option of attempting a Platinum Challenge, or from Gold before attempting another Gold Challenge.
As to subsequent Challenges, you may not Challenge for continued status, that is true; you will have to drop from Platinum status before you will be granted the option of attempting a Platinum Challenge, or from Gold before attempting another Gold Challenge.
As I understand it, all the above is correct, but there is the additional restriction that if your Platinum status was achieved via challenge, you have to wait until both your Platinum and subsequent "soft landing" Gold status have expired before attempting another Platinum Challenge. In other words, you can not challenge for consecutive years. If you do not requalify via normal methods, after a Platinum Challenge, you must wait through a full year of Gold or after a Gold Challenge, you must "endure" a year of no-status.
#3305
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: hopefully somewhere interesting, just moved from CMB to CAI
Programs: AAdvantage, Etihad Guest, Qatar Privilege Club
Posts: 48
Do codeshares count for the challenge?
A comment here http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index...lenge_%28AA%29 cites an AA rep in July 2008 saying that codeshares don't count towards a challenge: it has to be an AA number on AA/AE/AC metal. Do we have a definitive answer regarding this?
Apologies if the answer to this is somewhere already, I've searched through this thread for "codeshare" and only found one result which doesn't discuss this, but I find it hard to imagine that if this is the situation then nobody on here has discussed it!!
Apologies if the answer to this is somewhere already, I've searched through this thread for "codeshare" and only found one result which doesn't discuss this, but I find it hard to imagine that if this is the situation then nobody on here has discussed it!!
#3306
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: OKC/DFW
Programs: AA EXP/2 MM
Posts: 9,999
A comment here http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index...lenge_%28AA%29 cites an AA rep in July 2008 saying that codeshares don't count towards a challenge: it has to be an AA number on AA/AE/AC metal. Do we have a definitive answer regarding this?
From the wiki:
"In previous years, points earned on flights marketed by partners would earn points. That is no longer the case. As of January 2007, only flights marketed by AA (with an AA flight number) will be eligible for earning points that count towards the completion of a challenge. You can still fly on non-AA metal flight operated by a partner, but you must make sure that you have booked an AA flight number for the flight. "
http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Challenge_%28AA%29
#3307
Moderator: New York City and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2007
Programs: AA PLT, Natl EC
Posts: 10,855
A comment here http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index...lenge_%28AA%29 cites an AA rep in July 2008 saying that codeshares don't count towards a challenge: it has to be an AA number on AA/AE/AC metal. Do we have a definitive answer regarding this?
NOTE: a conversation with an AA rep on 15-July-2008 indicated that while bullet 2 below seems to indicate that AA codeshare flights count towards the challenge, that in fact only AA, AE and AC will count.
#3308
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: SFO/OAK
Programs: AA EXP 3.4MM, BAEC, UAMP, Skyteam (<10k) HH Gold, IHG Plat, Hertz Gold, GE/TSA TT
Posts: 2,723
A comment here http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index...lenge_%28AA%29 cites an AA rep in July 2008 saying that codeshares don't count towards a challenge: it has to be an AA number on AA/AE/AC metal. Do we have a definitive answer regarding this?
Apologies if the answer to this is somewhere already, I've searched through this thread for "codeshare" and only found one result which doesn't discuss this, but I find it hard to imagine that if this is the situation then nobody on here has discussed it!!
Apologies if the answer to this is somewhere already, I've searched through this thread for "codeshare" and only found one result which doesn't discuss this, but I find it hard to imagine that if this is the situation then nobody on here has discussed it!!
btw - he flew during the LHR to JFK or LAX promotion and earned a total of about 43k RDMs for the trip, then went on vacation to FCO with an award ticket in Feb.09 to visit his girlfriend... a very good challenge, no?
#3309
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Home Airports: CAE/CLT
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, National Executive
Posts: 5,452
GREAT! (and I only had to slog through 3K posts to find this)
The wiki talks about this but I was looking for someone who spoke to AA.
Mrs. Gamecock and the two chicks will be doing a Tour-de-US from FRA this summer. (FRA-DFW-SAT-DFW-CLT-DFW-FRA) and I wanted to do the Gold Challenge on the FRA-DFW and then "upgrade" the challenge to PLT.
So can you upgrade the challenge once you earn 5K EQPs or after you reach 10K? (from the way I understand your post it's the latter)
The wiki talks about this but I was looking for someone who spoke to AA.
Mrs. Gamecock and the two chicks will be doing a Tour-de-US from FRA this summer. (FRA-DFW-SAT-DFW-CLT-DFW-FRA) and I wanted to do the Gold Challenge on the FRA-DFW and then "upgrade" the challenge to PLT.
So can you upgrade the challenge once you earn 5K EQPs or after you reach 10K? (from the way I understand your post it's the latter)
This information may be useful to some:
I signed my wife up for the Gold challenge this morning. She's flying MIA-LHR-AMS on Friday, then AMS-LHR-JFK-MIA with me on the 18th/19th. The trip should net her about 7000 EQP and I'm planning a west coast trip sometime in February/March so I asked if it were possible to "upgrade" to the Platinum level if she completed 10000 EQP in the challenge period. The answer (after checking, and from an AA CS supervisor), was a definitive yes, however the additional fee is now $100, not simply the difference between the two different challenge fees.
I signed my wife up for the Gold challenge this morning. She's flying MIA-LHR-AMS on Friday, then AMS-LHR-JFK-MIA with me on the 18th/19th. The trip should net her about 7000 EQP and I'm planning a west coast trip sometime in February/March so I asked if it were possible to "upgrade" to the Platinum level if she completed 10000 EQP in the challenge period. The answer (after checking, and from an AA CS supervisor), was a definitive yes, however the additional fee is now $100, not simply the difference between the two different challenge fees.
#3310
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Generally not, if I understand your post correctly. You could complete a Gold Challenge with 5,000 points, and then sign up for a Platinum Challenge - status granted after the next 10,000 points are earned. In other words, if you are asking if the first 5k points would earn Gold and you do 5k more for Platinum, no - it was possible at one time, but these days one would only earn egg on one's face attempting to do so.
GREAT! (and I only had to slog through 3K posts to find this)
The wiki talks about this but I was looking for someone who spoke to AA.
Mrs. Gamecock and the two chicks will be doing a Tour-de-US from FRA this summer. (FRA-DFW-SAT-DFW-CLT-DFW-FRA) and I wanted to do the Gold Challenge on the FRA-DFW and then "upgrade" the challenge to PLT.
So can you upgrade the challenge once you earn 5K EQPs or after you reach 10K? (from the way I understand your post it's the latter)
The wiki talks about this but I was looking for someone who spoke to AA.
Mrs. Gamecock and the two chicks will be doing a Tour-de-US from FRA this summer. (FRA-DFW-SAT-DFW-CLT-DFW-FRA) and I wanted to do the Gold Challenge on the FRA-DFW and then "upgrade" the challenge to PLT.
So can you upgrade the challenge once you earn 5K EQPs or after you reach 10K? (from the way I understand your post it's the latter)
#3311
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Home Airports: CAE/CLT
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, National Executive
Posts: 5,452
It seems you did understand my question correctly, but what you are saying seems to contradict what photodave said.
Could very well be I am the one who is misreading what photodave said..
Could very well be I am the one who is misreading what photodave said..
Generally not, if I understand your post correctly. You could complete a Gold Challenge with 5,000 points, and then sign up for a Platinum Challenge - status granted after the next 10,000 points are earned. In other words, if you are asking if the first 5k points would earn Gold and you do 5k more for Platinum, no - it was possible at one time, but these days one would only earn egg on one's face attempting to do so.
#3312
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
I think what photodave is saying may be different - changing the Challenge his wife signed up for to Platinum. But signing up for Gold and earning it, then adding 5k more and earn Platinum (using Gold benefits whilst one is completing Platinum,) though it used to be common, is as I understand it not allowed any longer - concurrent Challenges are addressed in the Wiki on this page.
Then again, the Challenge is undocumented, so we can not see into every nook and cranny, nor how different CSRs may represent it to us. And there are many instances of members getting what was not intended, much as I earned many bonus miles from upgraded transpac fares that were only intended for passengers flying I/D/J (alas, they shut that door when they realized...)
(One can use the "Quote-Plus" button to quote more than one post, so the reader does not have to search for previous posts with relevant information, btw.)
If you contact AA and they say they will allow it, please post your experience - this adds to the unofficial "documentation" we maintain here.
Then again, the Challenge is undocumented, so we can not see into every nook and cranny, nor how different CSRs may represent it to us. And there are many instances of members getting what was not intended, much as I earned many bonus miles from upgraded transpac fares that were only intended for passengers flying I/D/J (alas, they shut that door when they realized...)
(One can use the "Quote-Plus" button to quote more than one post, so the reader does not have to search for previous posts with relevant information, btw.)
If you contact AA and they say they will allow it, please post your experience - this adds to the unofficial "documentation" we maintain here.
This information may be useful to some:
I signed my wife up for the Gold challenge this morning. She's flying MIA-LHR-AMS on Friday, then AMS-LHR-JFK-MIA with me on the 18th/19th. The trip should net her about 7000 EQP and I'm planning a west coast trip sometime in February/March so I asked if it were possible to "upgrade" to the Platinum level if she completed 10000 EQP in the challenge period. The answer (after checking, and from an AA CS supervisor), was a definitive yes, however the additional fee is now $100, not simply the difference between the two different challenge fees.
I signed my wife up for the Gold challenge this morning. She's flying MIA-LHR-AMS on Friday, then AMS-LHR-JFK-MIA with me on the 18th/19th. The trip should net her about 7000 EQP and I'm planning a west coast trip sometime in February/March so I asked if it were possible to "upgrade" to the Platinum level if she completed 10000 EQP in the challenge period. The answer (after checking, and from an AA CS supervisor), was a definitive yes, however the additional fee is now $100, not simply the difference between the two different challenge fees.
#3313
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Home Airports: CAE/CLT
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, National Executive
Posts: 5,452
If you contact AA and they say they will allow it, please post your experience - this adds to the unofficial "documentation" we maintain here.
#3314
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Weekdays: LAX; Weekends (when not in a metal tube): LPC
Programs: AA EXP, SPG Gold
Posts: 228
Simple Questions
Apologies in advance if these can be found somewhere, but I searched the Wiki and the thread and found nothing to answer them.
Am I correct in assuming that when FewMiles pages say that the "flight" that completes a challenge earns the relevant bonus miles that this means the "leg of the trip", or is it really the "segment". So if one were flying LAX-MIA-SCL-PUQ R/T and the MIA-LAX segment completed a challenge would the bonus apply to the entire PUQ-SCL-MIA-LAX component, or just the MIA-LAX? (I assume there is no way the entire LAX-PUQ-LAX itinerary earns the bonus.)
The flight above is booked in N, so it's only 1/2 the points. But it should yield around 7,800 points. I could do a cheap LAX-JFK ( 2,400 points in N, again) round trip weekend for about $289. So that plus the $150 challenge fee would get me PLT. No?
And, to make sure I'm rock-solid on this, the duration of the new status is determined by the START of the Challenge date, not its completion, right? Starting this challenge bfore 6/16 would mean the PLT staus would only last thru 2/10.
Sorry if these are silly.
Any thoughts on effective/cheap/easy ways to grab the 2,500 EQP to finish off the challenge if I do the trip to PUQ would be welcome.
Thanks!
Am I correct in assuming that when FewMiles pages say that the "flight" that completes a challenge earns the relevant bonus miles that this means the "leg of the trip", or is it really the "segment". So if one were flying LAX-MIA-SCL-PUQ R/T and the MIA-LAX segment completed a challenge would the bonus apply to the entire PUQ-SCL-MIA-LAX component, or just the MIA-LAX? (I assume there is no way the entire LAX-PUQ-LAX itinerary earns the bonus.)
The flight above is booked in N, so it's only 1/2 the points. But it should yield around 7,800 points. I could do a cheap LAX-JFK ( 2,400 points in N, again) round trip weekend for about $289. So that plus the $150 challenge fee would get me PLT. No?
And, to make sure I'm rock-solid on this, the duration of the new status is determined by the START of the Challenge date, not its completion, right? Starting this challenge bfore 6/16 would mean the PLT staus would only last thru 2/10.
Sorry if these are silly.
Any thoughts on effective/cheap/easy ways to grab the 2,500 EQP to finish off the challenge if I do the trip to PUQ would be welcome.
Thanks!
#3315
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: SJC/VCE
Programs: AA PLT (2.9+ MM), HH GLD, Hyatt Diamond, SPG PLT
Posts: 10,161
Am I correct in assuming that when FewMiles pages say that the "flight" that completes a challenge earns the relevant bonus miles that this means the "leg of the trip", or is it really the "segment". So if one were flying LAX-MIA-SCL-PUQ R/T and the MIA-LAX segment completed a challenge would the bonus apply to the entire PUQ-SCL-MIA-LAX component, or just the MIA-LAX? (I assume there is no way the entire LAX-PUQ-LAX itinerary earns the bonus.)
Yes, 10,000 points within the challenge period + the fee = PLT status.