You mention AA and UA only, but if DL is an option and you have great credit and can find a way to put huge charges on credit cards (business expenses for your or a friend's business, tax payments, etc), there's a way to get to 1MM pretty quickly: Get two Amex DL Reserve cards (one biz, one consumer version) and two Amex DL Platinum cards (one of each flavor as well). You'll get 30K MQMs off the bat, then if you charge exactly $60K to each reserve card and $50K to each Plat card per year ($220K total), you'll net another 100K MQMs per year. To boot, you'll be earning almost 1.5 RDMs/$ as well, because of bonuses there. Some hefty annual fees, but companion certificates offset if you utilize them. Get two more Reserve cards in a spouse/partner/friend/family member's name, spend for them, then transfer the MQMs to yourself and pick up another 60K MQMs (160K MQMs in all) per year. First year, you'll have 190K MQMs and by year 5 you'll have 1MM status if the rules remain the same. Fly a resonable amount and you can cut it to 3 or 4 years. Along the way, you'll maintain Diamond status. Have at it!