Incentive to travel this year?
 

Hi folks:

I re-qualified for S100K for 2023 via the credit card promo. I have 53K SQM and $11K SQD.
I have a few travels coming up before December 2022, and I am confused what the incentive is to travel? My understanding is that all I will get is SQM for 2022 which will reset to 0 on January 1, 2023, or I am to assume that any travel this year will carry over and count towards my 2024 re-qualification?

-Or- am I better off postponing all travels to 2023? Please help.

The main incentive would be getting where you want to go.

I'm debating the incentive to buy paid tickets, and using points for trips I wouldn't normally, but I'm not changing my travel patterns.

At this point, unless I've missed something, AC has not yet given any indication that anything from 2022 will carry over into 2023 (other than eUpgrades and SQM if you've got the right credit card). Some people around here have been lobbying for those who qualified for status—especially SE status—the old-fashioned way ($20k SQD) to get some kind of head-start on next year's qualifying, but so far nothing has been announced. So the main incentive for this year is getting where you want to (as canadiancow said) and possibly getting more eUpgrades, Priority Rewards, Aeroplan points, and threshold gifts. Which means that if you have travel late in 2022 that can be rolled into early 2023, it might make good sense to do so.

I think at this point there's not a lot of reason to believe anyone will be starting the new year with more than $0 SQD. However, there's good reason to believe there will be ways of earning SQD next year other than strictly through receiving 1 SQD per $1 spent.

On top of what the cow said, consider flying other airlines/alliances. I've flown a bunch of SkyTeam and have made at least DL PM, might even make it to DM before the end of the year. Or if you're stuck with Star, consider whether having some points at another program (e.g. UA) might be useful.

I disagree completely. Air travel is back to close to 2019 levels. AC has already massively bloated the ranks of elites with all their promos and extensions. Why on Earth would they let people earn SQD on the cheap next year?

It's my guess--and I could be wrong--that they will continue to offer occasional incentives or bonuses--double SQD or some bonus related to credit card spending, etc. The pandemic has allowed them to try out some new ideas to see how they can manipulate our behavior through them. I'm guessing some will stick. But obviously it's all just speculation.

I wouldn't mind "getting something", but please not that. My hope is they STOP making it easier for people to earn status.

Though I think I've booked almost all of my travel for the rest of the year already, with the assumption that I can't get anything from AC.

Yeah, I usually wait until the end of the year to decide whether to credit my UA flights to AC or UA (gotta earn UA MM somehow), but this year I'm doing it all up-front.

I'm also planning to credit a large paid J *A trip to UA. It will cross me over the Silver threshold (though I may get it through Marriott anyway - TBD), and earn me some UA miles (which are still useful for SAUA).

Though that is a trip I might have booked on AC if I weren't (well) above the SE qualification thresholds. Or at least credited to AC if I weren't (well) above the 350k threshold gift.

I firmly hope that they don't offer any more freebies (neither double SQD promos, nor stunts like the $30K spend for free status, etc). However, and perhaps selfishly, I do wish that they would provide an SQD rollover. They could make it a high bar ... perhaps only rolling over amounts in excess of $20K, no matter what status you have ... so it's not something that would aid the bottom feeders. It would, however, give those of us who do like a fly, some recognition & motivation for flights made at the end of the year. I would spend more with AC if they did.

agree on this. I’ll finish the year with over 200k and can roll over to next year because of my Amex but I still have 0 sqd. I’ll probably finish the year just shy of $100k sqd so letting me start with 20k sqd (or anything) next year would be nice. While I know I’ll have no issue hitting that number it’s still the piece of mind and the thought that’s nice.

If reaching 250 k status miles, don't you get one year of banked SE status?

yes I believe so. You can use it first year you miss hitting it.

But what if you're already past 350k?

"What is the incentive?"

mm, 2mm, 3mm...