ARCHIVE: AAdvantage Gold & Platinum Elite Status Challenges 2004 - 2011
#5641
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: used to be PER, now it's nowhere/eveywhere
Programs: QFF NB, AA GLD
Posts: 3,467
Hi misjinks
Your questions take me back to mid-2008, when I was a total newbie and had similar questions. Ah the nostalgia
I try to answer some of your questions for you.
In order for the EQP earned to count towards the challenge, the flight must have an AA flight number. How you bought the ticket is irrelevant. So your American Eagle and Cathay Pacific flights must have the AA codeshare flight numbers. IIRC the aa.com website will show the actual flight numbers of the flights you are buying and so you can be sure of this.
No comment from me, other than to suggest you check out itsasoftware,com.
gcmap.com gives slightly different mileages from the figures you have quoted, but however - assuming you are earning 1 EQP per butt-in-seat mile then you cross the 10,000EQP line during your JFK-HKG flight. This means you will get the PLT bounus for that flight and all subsequent eligible flights for as long as you have PLT status
You will have PLT status after your JFK-HKG flight. You will of course want to keep flying Oneworld or AA-Partner airlines so you will accrue AA miles and get the bonus miles too. If travelling economy on other airlines you don't always get 100% miles - depends on the booking class (see the AA web site for details)
It takes a day or two for the system to realise you have PLT staus, so when you check in at KUL your boarding pass should show your status and you can then get into the lounge (I'm assuming here that you'll be flying CX to HKG)
There is no rule that says during a challenge you cannot have award flights - so yes you can book them as award flights - if you have the miles and if there is availability
Yes and Yes
Well to be honest - not the second you hit 10k EQP - but a day or two thereafter
And yes AA miles can be used to redeem awards on any OW flights and also some addional AA-Partener airlines - see the aa web site
Edited to add: Dang Microwave beat me to it!
Your questions take me back to mid-2008, when I was a total newbie and had similar questions. Ah the nostalgia
I try to answer some of your questions for you.
Hi there, I'm scheduled to fly quite a bit in the next three months, and am hoping to start my very first AA challenge (PLT), so I'm a total newbie but trying to learn fast! I thought I would try to share my plans and calculations and see if anyone spots any n00b errors.
Here are my rough travel plans for the period in which I'm hoping to complete the challenge (August 1 - October 31):
August: London to Boston (One way)
September: Boston to Kuala Lumpur (Return)
October: Boston to London (Return)
As I calculate the PLT challenge (I will likely be flying H class or thereabouts as it seems to be cheapest when I last searched for flights through kayak.com, so probably the best I'm going to do is 1-1 bonus):
(A) August: LHR-BOS via JFK (approx £694) = 3696 miles = 3696 EQP
(B) September: BOS-JFK-HKG-KUL = 9806 miles = 9806 EQP
(C) September: KUL-HKG-JFK-BOS = 9806 miles = ? EQP
(D) October: LHR-BOS (direct) = 3250 miles
(E) October: LHR-BOS (direct) = 3250 miles
TOTAL BASE MILES FLOWN: 29,808 miles
I have a bunch of questions and I really apologize if they are unbearably n00b. I have never done this before! Feel free to just answer one or half or whatever at a time!
1) The flights above will probably booked through AA.com but from my initial research they are "codeshared" with American Eagle and Cathay Pacific. I can't seem to find if the flight numbers start with AA in the booking process without actually completing the booking, but they are to be purchased through the AA website--surely this means they will count towards EQP?
Here are my rough travel plans for the period in which I'm hoping to complete the challenge (August 1 - October 31):
August: London to Boston (One way)
September: Boston to Kuala Lumpur (Return)
October: Boston to London (Return)
As I calculate the PLT challenge (I will likely be flying H class or thereabouts as it seems to be cheapest when I last searched for flights through kayak.com, so probably the best I'm going to do is 1-1 bonus):
(A) August: LHR-BOS via JFK (approx £694) = 3696 miles = 3696 EQP
(B) September: BOS-JFK-HKG-KUL = 9806 miles = 9806 EQP
(C) September: KUL-HKG-JFK-BOS = 9806 miles = ? EQP
(D) October: LHR-BOS (direct) = 3250 miles
(E) October: LHR-BOS (direct) = 3250 miles
TOTAL BASE MILES FLOWN: 29,808 miles
I have a bunch of questions and I really apologize if they are unbearably n00b. I have never done this before! Feel free to just answer one or half or whatever at a time!
1) The flights above will probably booked through AA.com but from my initial research they are "codeshared" with American Eagle and Cathay Pacific. I can't seem to find if the flight numbers start with AA in the booking process without actually completing the booking, but they are to be purchased through the AA website--surely this means they will count towards EQP?
2) I am in the process of booking (A). Is there any way at all to get a cheaper flight than it presently seems to be? My B and C flights will be paid for by my company, so I'm not too bothered about that, but the A flight is out of pocket.
3) Am I right to think that at the point of (B), I will have completed the PLT challenge and, despite the challenge period not being over, be eligible in (C), for PLT bonus? E.g. does this means that on my return flight KUL-BOS, I should accrue 9806 x 2 = 19612 RDM? And because I make 10,000 EQP 194 miles into my (B) trip, do the remaining 3502 miles earn the PLT bonus?
4) Given that I'll complete the AA challenge by (B), do I even have to fly AA (even codeshares) for the other flights? Are there better airlines?
5) Would I be eligible for upgrades & lounge access etc. on (C) due to my new PLT status? Flying 30+ hours one-way in coach is probably just about do-able at my age, but twice in the space of two weeks seems...painful.
6) Hypothetical question: even though the challenge period won't be over, would I be able to book (D) and (E) as award flights? Or will I have to continue to pay for them? Less hypothetically, how can I book (D) and (E) as cheaply as possible? (they will be out-of-pocket). For this leg I don't really care about flying coach, as long as it's cheap.
7) Finally, what does all of this mean for my One World status? Do I instantly become Sapphire on OW, the second I hit 10,000 EQP and complete the challenge? And do I understand correctly that the RDMs accrued from this challenge can be used to redeem awards on any OW flights?
Well to be honest - not the second you hit 10k EQP - but a day or two thereafter
And yes AA miles can be used to redeem awards on any OW flights and also some addional AA-Partener airlines - see the aa web site
Edited to add: Dang Microwave beat me to it!
#5642
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: AA, BA
Posts: 153
Do you need to be a U.S. Citizen, or have a U.S. Address, to enroll in the challenge?
#5643
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 10
Cheapest way to rack up 10K EQM with AA?
Hey guys, new to the boards here. I just signed up for the Platinum Challenge with American Airlines and was hoping for any advance on how to achieve the 10,000 points they require to meet the challenge. Does 1 EQM equal 1 point for the challenges like this? And if so, are there any double EQM out of SFO or LAX that will allow me to rack up the 10,000 points needed to meet the Platinum Challenge within 2 or 3 roundtrips?
Trying to do it for the cheapest possible and don't really care where I fly. I live in San Francisco but can get to LAX pretty cheaply so flying out of either SFO or LAX is fine. Just want to hop on the flights and earn the 10,000 points needed as quick and cheaply as possible.
Know of any good deals out there on those routes to rack the points up fast?
Trying to do it for the cheapest possible and don't really care where I fly. I live in San Francisco but can get to LAX pretty cheaply so flying out of either SFO or LAX is fine. Just want to hop on the flights and earn the 10,000 points needed as quick and cheaply as possible.
Know of any good deals out there on those routes to rack the points up fast?
#5644
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: LAX
Posts: 6,769
Hey guys, new to the boards here. I just signed up for the Platinum Challenge with American Airlines and was hoping for any advance on how to achieve the 10,000 points they require to meet the challenge. Does 1 EQM equal 1 point for the challenges like this? And if so, are there any double EQM out of SFO or LAX that will allow me to rack up the 10,000 points needed to meet the Platinum Challenge within 2 or 3 roundtrips?
Trying to do it for the cheapest possible and don't really care where I fly. I live in San Francisco but can get to LAX pretty cheaply so flying out of either SFO or LAX is fine. Just want to hop on the flights and earn the 10,000 points needed as quick and cheaply as possible.
Know of any good deals out there on those routes to rack the points up fast?
Trying to do it for the cheapest possible and don't really care where I fly. I live in San Francisco but can get to LAX pretty cheaply so flying out of either SFO or LAX is fine. Just want to hop on the flights and earn the 10,000 points needed as quick and cheaply as possible.
Know of any good deals out there on those routes to rack the points up fast?
Purchasing full-fare Y or F will give you 1.5 EQP per mile flown, so that could also be worth it to you.
#5645
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: London UK
Programs: BAEC Silver, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 2,044
#5646
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
Welcome! Be sure to check out the tools here too - the FAQ and the Wiki.
Your cheapest fares earn 1/2 EQ point per EQM; Y, B and above, including "instant upgrade" fares, earn 1.5 EQP per EQM. Some intermediate (coach, some restrictions,) fares earn 1:1. You get to choose - fly as many as 20,000 miles or as few as 6,667 to make the Challenge.
The Wiki lists more information about fare class inventory:
http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index...lenge_%28AA%29
Tools include http://www.farecompare.com/search/flyertalk.html
This will be merged into the active Challenge Help Desk thread, where it belongs.
Your cheapest fares earn 1/2 EQ point per EQM; Y, B and above, including "instant upgrade" fares, earn 1.5 EQP per EQM. Some intermediate (coach, some restrictions,) fares earn 1:1. You get to choose - fly as many as 20,000 miles or as few as 6,667 to make the Challenge.
The Wiki lists more information about fare class inventory:
http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index...lenge_%28AA%29
Tools include http://www.farecompare.com/search/flyertalk.html
This will be merged into the active Challenge Help Desk thread, where it belongs.
#5647
Join Date: May 2011
Location: London/Boston
Posts: 10
Wow, thanks so much to both Microwave and pandaperth for your almost simultaneous and excellent & thorough answers. As both of you have independently recommended itasoftware.com, I'd better get cracking on that
@pandaperth: I was using webflyer.com rather than gcmap.com to calculate mileage -- is gcmap more reliable? How do folks here generally estimate their mileage?
@Microwave: Thanks so much for the tip about V fares -- do you know if, in the booking process, there is any way to search for those directly? And yes, I am in London & happy to take mocha with a guru! I'll PM you about that
@pandaperth: I was using webflyer.com rather than gcmap.com to calculate mileage -- is gcmap more reliable? How do folks here generally estimate their mileage?
@Microwave: Thanks so much for the tip about V fares -- do you know if, in the booking process, there is any way to search for those directly? And yes, I am in London & happy to take mocha with a guru! I'll PM you about that
#5648
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus
Posts: 9,765
#5649
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
N.B. Putting a fare on hold and calling to upfare it to a class inventory awarding higher EQM does not result in cost, if one uses AA or Web Services to make the change and then continue through with the booking online.
U.S. or Canada
1-800-222-2377
6:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m. CT daily
United Kingdom
0844 4997300 (0.05 GBP/min, network charges may apply)
Monday - Friday
7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. GMT
Saturday - Sunday
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
All Other Locations
1-918-832-1384
6:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m. CT (U S Central Time, not China "Time",) daily
There are some tools we use:
KVS, though I am not a user and therefore leave it up to you to explore its capabilities. There are threads about KVS - Advanced Search for threads using "KVS" in quotation marks searching in thread titles will reveal some, and opening the search to all Fora will reveal more.
ExpertFlyer, which I do subscribe to because it allows me to see all fares on AA and some others, award and upgrade availability, detailed fare rules and fees, etc. before I buy.
FareCompare as optimised for FlyerTalkers.
ITA Software as you have discovered.
U.S. or Canada
1-800-222-2377
6:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m. CT daily
United Kingdom
0844 4997300 (0.05 GBP/min, network charges may apply)
Monday - Friday
7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. GMT
Saturday - Sunday
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
All Other Locations
1-918-832-1384
6:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m. CT (U S Central Time, not China "Time",) daily
There are some tools we use:
KVS, though I am not a user and therefore leave it up to you to explore its capabilities. There are threads about KVS - Advanced Search for threads using "KVS" in quotation marks searching in thread titles will reveal some, and opening the search to all Fora will reveal more.
ExpertFlyer, which I do subscribe to because it allows me to see all fares on AA and some others, award and upgrade availability, detailed fare rules and fees, etc. before I buy.
FareCompare as optimised for FlyerTalkers.
ITA Software as you have discovered.
#5650
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus
Posts: 9,765
Two minor clarifications: all AA flight numbers will earn 1 EQM/BIS flown--the difference in earn rates is in EQP/EQM; also, calling to upfare doesn't incur additional ticketing cost if you do as JDiver suggests (which is wise and sound advice), but of course it will result in additional cost inasmuch as a fare that earns 1 EQP/EQM is more expensive than a fare that earns 0.5 (offered as an axiom--I'm sure there are exceptions of course.
#5651
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 10
If you buy the cheap fares, 1 EQM usually comes with only 0.5 EQP for the challenge. Also, double EQM promos don't affect EQP, so they won't be of any help there.
Purchasing full-fare Y or F will give you 1.5 EQP per mile flown, so that could also be worth it to you.
Purchasing full-fare Y or F will give you 1.5 EQP per mile flown, so that could also be worth it to you.
Here's my travel plans through the end of July:
#1 [ALREADY BOOKED] SJC to ORD to TPA (This flight is already booked and the leg from SJC to ORD is a 1EQP fare and the ORD to TPA is a 0.5EQP fare so this itinerary gets me 2,325EQP)
#2 [NOT BOOKED YET] TPA to SJC (Fly on American, this will layover in DFW so this flight would get me 2,357EQP if booked in a 1EQP per mile flown fare or 3,535 if booked in 1.5EQP per mile flown)
#3 [NOT BOOKED YET] SJC to TPA to HSV (or BNA or BHM or MEM) to SJC (4,873EQP if booked in a 1.0 fare or 7,309EQP if booked in a 1.5 fare)
So either #2 or #3 would have to be booked in a 1.5 fare in order to get 10,000EQP needed for Platinum Challenge. Any ideas for how to do that the cheapest way possible?
Alternatively, I also need to go from LAX to TLV in July. My brother is a pilot for Delta and I was planning to just use one of the super discounted tickets he has access to (for about $500 as opposed to the lowest fare available on Orbitz for $2,000) but if I took AA's partner, El Al Airlines to Tel Aviv and booked a 1.5EQP per mile flown fare, I'd get 11,340EQP for just that one flight alone giving me all I need for Platinum. If I could pay $2,000 and get a 1.5EQP per mile flown fare for LAX to TLV, I'd do it, but is that even possible since the lowest deep discount fares showing up on Orbitz are $2,000 right now?
Last edited by SpaceFlier; Jun 9, 2011 at 7:42 pm
#5652
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: AA, BA
Posts: 153
britenbsas thanks for the info. I am actually doing the plat challenge for my girlfriend and I, EZE-JFK R/T.
Have you only challenged the one time? or did you re-challenge during eligible yr?
Have you only challenged the one time? or did you re-challenge during eligible yr?
#5653
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: AA 1.5 MM Exec Plat, WN A-List, DL Silver, UA nonrev
Posts: 2,593
One very important thing to remember about challenges - the flights have to be on AA or AA codeshare. Any portion coded with El Al's code (LY) will NOT count toward your challenge points.
#5654
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVPG 75K
Posts: 2,574
You definitely cannot earn points toward a challenge on ANY El Al operated flight, as AA is no longer allowed to place its code on said flights due to a regulatory change by the FAA. Gulf Air is also affected.
#5655
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 10
Okay, appreciate the info! What's the best way then to get 1.5EQP per mile flown on the other two trips I have planned in the next couple of weeks -- #2 and #3 in my post above -- without spending four figures? Your help would be HUGELY appreciated!