Originally Posted by Microwave

I think you may be getting a bit duped by your web search. aa.com does not show all fares, just a smattering of fares that they group into names like "economy flexible" and "super saver". These names don't really mean anything, but the booking class does (if you click the plus sign, next to your desired flight on the flight search result page, look at the line called "booking code"). The cheapest booking class that earns 1.0 EQP/EQM on that route is V. A V fare for your dates is $1233, whereas there is an N fare for $1033, and O fares even cheaper than that. If you place a hold on the "economy super saver" fare, you can then call AA to "upfare" your reservation to the V fare, which will get you you can get full EQP earn without having to buy a much higher fare class (like one that's labeled "economy flexible", which is very expensive) on the website. So while you say you're seeing $1600 as the cheapest fare that earns at full EQP, it most definitely isn't, and you can get those points much cheaper if you do a bit more searching and calling on the front end.

I urge you to read the Challenge page on the FlyerGuide wiki from top to bottom (although specifically the section titled Booking Flights for a Challenge), then check out and use the Inventory Classes and Mileage Eligibility page as a reference. Bottom line: save yourself some serious coin and fly in economy upfared to V.