Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
HELP DESK & FAQ: Gold and Platinum Status Challenge
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A new Challenge operated in 2016, but has now been superseded by a yet newer 2017 Challenge, which includes 1) earning EQM OR EQS minima, 2) an EQD component, and 3) a pay for interim status option. It appears this newer iteration allows challenging for Gold or Platinum, but presumably still not Platinum Pro or Executive Platinum.
We know there is a new AAdvantage elite status challenge for 2017; we do not know all the details yet, but we know the basics (thanks to danbrew and raghavchadha). As the information is clarified in this thread by members' contributions and updates, you will be able to read about and discuss further details here - and the Wikipost will be updated.
NOTE the Wikipost is "community property" - it is not the "job" of Moderators or anyone else to update Wikis. A Wikipost may be updated / edited by any FT member with 90 days on FT and 90 posts on FT.
NOTE: Until late 2015, American Airlines offered a status challenge, a shortcut, to AAdvantage Gold and Platinum status available to all AAdvantage members. (AA did not generally offer "matches" to status.) You can read an abbreviated history below, and the archived thread about the challenge here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...ec-2015-a.html (link)
The original Gold and Platinum challenges ended in September of 2015. AA employees stated then that a new AAdvantage status challenge was in the works for 2016. You can read more about it here:
OBSOLETE: HELP DESK & FAQ: 2016 AA Elite Status Challenge
Thank you for your contributions to our knowledge base.
/Your American Airlines | AAdvantage forum Moderator team
2018 (February) version of Challenge email sent Challengers (thanks to louienet):
Dear louienet,
Here’s all the information you need to know about the AAdvantage Platinum challenge.
Meet the following requirements in a 3 month time frame after paying the applicable fee:
- 12,500 Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) + $2,000 Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs)
OR
- 16 Elite Qualifying Segments (EQSs) + $2,000 EQDs
Eligible Airlines
American Airlines | British Airways | Finnair | Iberia | Japan Airlines | Qantas Airways
Earning EQMs and EQDs
When booking on aa.com, you’ll see the EQMs, EQSs and EQDs on the ‘Review and Pay’ screen.
EQMs are based on a combination of miles flown and the fare purchased. For example, on American Airlines marketed flights*:
- Full First and Business Fare tickets earn 3 EQMs per mile flown
- Discounted First and Business Fare tickets earn 2 EQMs per mile flown
- Full Economy Fare tickets earn 1.5 EQMs per mile flown (Premium Economy fares do.)
- Discounted Economy Fare tickets earn 1 EQM per mile flown
- Basic Economy tickets earn 0.5 EQM per mile flown (and 0.5 EQS)
- Travel on the other eligible airlines may earn a different (sometimes lower) amount for the same type of fare. Please see their airline pages on aa.com to view their EQM accrual rates.
EQDs are earned as follows:
- AA marketed flights - ticket price (base fare plus carrier-imposed fees, excluding any government-imposed taxes and fees)
- Flights on the other eligible airlines - based on a percentage of the miles flown and the fare purchased. Please see their airline pages on aa.com to view their EQD accrual rates.
Regards,
A. K
AAdvantage Customer Service
American Airlines
Elite Status Challenge and Flyertalk History
The now defunct original AAdvantage elite Gold and Platinum status challenge is archived; thread can be read here.
The original EQ Points based challenge lasted a number of years. It was AFAIK first documented systematically by FT member FewMiles, who had it on his own web pages with other status-earning information.
The first FT thread about the challenge was started 17 Dec 1998: The Elite Challenge
On a fateful day, 26 Jun 2000, FewMiles asked about taking the challenge in this post; fish on! 
On 27 Oct 2000, FewMiles starts a new thread announcing a web page for his Unofficial guide to AAdvantage - elite status, Gold/Plat challenge ... on webflyer.com, later moved to shaw.ca. As these existed before web archiving was common, no record exists with Wayback Machine, etc.
It appears this program has been selected by the new management to continue going forward so AA can offer a shortcut to status that they possibly feel is more rewarding (to AA) and effective than merely handing out status matches to anyone with status in another airline / alliance.
In 2016, a revised Challenge was offered, as covered in this thread
Thanks to danbrew, louienet and raghavchadha for your contributions
Last edited by JDiver; Apr 24, 2018 at 12:30 pm
Reason: Update / Add 2018 Challenge letter v. Feb 2018; add Challenge history