I'd say do credit to AA until your challenge end - you'll get OWS till the end of the year, which is a good thing.
I often make an excel sheet when I know I have a lot of flights coming up to work out the optimal crediting strategy. Often I take AY, AA, BA and one of CX/QR (depending, if I have plans flying them)
If you haven't joind AY+ yet, wait with it until you want to start earning with them. The membership year is tied to your joining date, not calendar year, so if you join e.g. in May, you'll have until nex May to reach whatever status you aim for.