Originally Posted by
Cardboard55
Are there any strategies for softening the blow of losing status when switching programs, or do I just have to suck it up and/or figure out a way to make a Challenge work?
Challenges can be easy -- and FAST.
We don't know your home airport, or enough about your actual flying patterns to be very specific with suggestions, but I'd suggest you sign up for the Plat challenge and fly one of these:
Originally Posted by
rdrnnr
+1
This by the ever-estimable CokeandTaco deserves a bump.
Routings SFO-JFK-MIA-MDE then back MDE-MIA-ORD-SFO will accrue 9495 actual BIS mi, for ALL First/Business travel, at 6.8 cpm -- less than I've paid for many seats in deep disc economy over the years!
Caution: an overnight in MDE seems unavoidable. Plan/budget accordingly.
1 of these on a Status Challenge, and you're Plat. Fly 7, and you're 300 EQPs short of EXP.
Position to/from SFO, spend ~$950 (incl the challenge fee) plus 1 hotel night in Medellin, and you can be AA Plat by the end of January. Your 14,240+ EQPs so earned will more than qualify you.
See CokeandTaco's original post for more data:
Originally Posted by
CokeandTaco
Samples:
AA: Jan 24-26 SFO-ORD-MIA-MDE-MIA-ORD-SFO $684ai (A,I) (8864mi ~7.7cpm)
-other routings available....