Originally Posted by timkirk

I paid $100 yesterday to sign up for the AA GLD challenge (to begin May 1st) and realized today that I will likely attain 10,000 EQPs by the end of July. I called today and was told that it was too late to change it to a PLT challenge.

However, the AA customer service rep did tell me that if I reach 10,000 EQPs before July 31st, I can simply pay an extra $80, upgrade to the PLT challenge, and immediately get PLT status. He told me that, had I elected the PLT challenge yesterday, I would have paid $180 upfront and, if i didn't reach 10,000 EQPs by July 31st, I would lose the full $180 and not have attained any elite status.

I am very skeptical of what I was told for one big reason: why would anyone pay the $180 upfront, with the possiblility of attaining nothing, when they could simply start with the GLD challenge, re-assess their EQPs, and upgrade the challenge during the three-month window as appropriate? Why would anyone not retain that optionality?

Thanks.