Originally Posted by
happiest_at_40000
Totally new to Elite status and a bit confused here. Until 6 months ago had no status but then became Gold. And now due to a bit of flying the last 6 months I am so close to Plat.
I just got over the $4500 threshold so I have the check mark there for Plat. But I have 39,534 on the miles and I believe I need both of them. So I am 466 miles short but do I have to do this by Dec 31st 2021? If so I need to to catch a quick flight to SF or PHX. Or can I do this in January b/c my Gold status says its good until Jan 2023 so doesnt that mean whenever I hit Plat its also good til 2023 and i am not bound by qualifying by 12/31? However, I am also confused b/c of the new qualifying rules beginning in January 2022 which dont use these same parameters.
Also, how big of an upgrade is Plat over Gold? Likely I still wont get upgrades given there are so many Exec Plat & Plat Pro's right? And I am on a Business or First only run now since senior year of HS and dont want to break that so I dont see myself buying any flights in Coach in hopes of an upgrade. So really what does Plat get me then if I dont use the upgrades? I dont check bags so dont need that perk either.
Thanks
If you always fly paid Business or First, status on AA gets you relatively little, except for a multiplier for redeemable miles and -- come January -- Loyalty Points. If Admirals Club access is important to you and you don't want to pay for it, I would investigate whether your flying patterns would get you oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status with a foreign oneworld carrier, like BA or IB; status in a foreign-based program would give you lounge access when flying AA domestically. Status in BA requires a minimum number of BA or IB coded segments each year; status in IB has no such requirement, but IB's qualification period runs from April 1 through March 31.
How much of your flying is short-haul, and how much is long-haul? Attaining status on BA or IB is based on distance and class of service flown; dollars spent is irrelevant.
Note that different FFPs have different rules, redemption rates, and fees, so consider those differences too when deciding which program to credit your AA flights to.