Originally Posted by
TlvLove
Harking back to previous question I raised in this threat, related to the current question:
If both BAEC Gold/Emerald and AA Plat/ EXP are within reach, but AA Plat/ExPlat requires co-pay for the status match (about 200$ IIRC from what Gardyloo posted) would that still be a worthwhile target? I seem to think it would be, given the value of SWU. What are the key differences, other than Avios / AAdvantage miles, and the SWUs?
Recently AA has made some changes in the challenge system worth noting; see these threads -
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...gram-come.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...-targeted.html
In terms of advantages of one over the other, a couple of things come to mind -
AA EXP doesn't automatically get access to AA lounges on North American itineraries while BA Gold has access to BA (and other Oneworld) lounges on any itinerary.
AA EXPs get unlimited (space available) upgrades on North American flights; BA Golds don't receive any automatic upgrades.
I can't speak to BA Gold, but the dedicated AA EXP desk people are miracle workers in cases of IRROPs or things going sideways. They're the best customer service people I've encountered anywhere, by an order of magnitude.
But the SWUs and - to me - better redemption characteristics of the AA program - cheaper mileage requirements for most flights, more partners - are the main advantage.