Originally Posted by
yvr__dad
That is subjective. For example, if you read Air Canada's Terms and Conditions, it states:
How to qualify
Qualification for Aeroplan Elite Status is based on the number of eligible flight activities between January 1 and December 31 of the previous calendar year. Aeroplan Members who reach a higher status level during the qualification year may be eligible for early recognition at a higher Elite Status level.
(emphasis is mine)
As above, the term "eligible flight activities" also includes credit card spend - for example, my credit card spend helped me achieve 50K this year. So in this case, credit card spend is indeed included in eligible flight activities.
Flight activities are one way to achieve status, but that doesn’t imply flight activities are the only way to achieve status. Credit card spend is not considered flight activity, even if it did help you achieve status.