ben1979

I PLT challenged my way into AAPLT last April but between April and December I only racked up 40,000 EQMS. After waiting for a while the AA Elite buyback link via points.com went live today. However, I am having second thoughts about doing the buyback as it is $650.

I'm looking for some feedback on if sending $650 buying back my status is really worth it. I do not fly for work so all of my leisure travels comes out of my own pocket. On one hand I can buyback my PLT and get 100% bonus, intl lounge access, higher priority, etc. On the other hand going back down to GLD will still give me most of the benefits of being elite and save $650, which can put towards 1.5 Euro trips to qualify for PLT this year...

Any constructive thoughts would be appreciated

DataPlumber

Don't take this the wrong way, but you challenged your way to PLT and you don't fly enough to make it and want to pay to stay? If you want to, I guess it is your perogative. I am not sure that was what these programs were designed for.

If lounge access is so important, why not stay within your means as GLD and buy a AC membership and pocket the difference.

FWAAA

Serious advice? Next time, don't wait until late January to ask whether $650 to keep Plat is worth it. Instead, ask earlier (like last October-November) whether it is worth spending about half that amount to get the 10k miles you need to qualify for Plat.

Worth $650? I can't imagine how. YMMV.

ESpen36

I'm not sure if AA will let you buy back PLT status if you previously held it via Challenge only. In other words, because you did not qualify "for real" in 2004 with miles/points/segments, you might not be eligible. You should call AAdvantage Customer Service (1-800-421-0600) to double-check.

If you are eligible, then consider these issues:
1) Is most of your travel mostly domestic or mostly international? If your travel is primarily domestic or "North American," you won't benefit as much from the lounge access policy. Also, unless your O/D is a major hub, you still will be able to use F-class check-in if you drop to GLD.
2) Are you planning to requalify for PLT this year using miles/points/segments? If so, will you fly those early enough in the calendar year so that you won't be without PLT status for very long after March 1?

ben1979

I was originally on track to get 50k+ EQM I needed with a transpac trip in December, but that trip was canned the last minute and by this time it was already late Dec so I couldn't even get a cheap Site59 deal to top off my account

Good point. I should check into that. However, I think the other posters has a point about dropping down to GLD and just buy a AC membership before the end of Feb.

Thanks everyone

DannyP

An Idea I plan to try: I have been eyeing the CO elite program for some time. If and when my status is not renewed on AA, I will call AA and ask them if they would consider a comp for an extra year. When they say no, I will remind them that other airlines will comp me, and suggest that I take my business there. At that point, I would call most likely CO, and get a match.

jdn

Remember, also, the bonus points you get from PLT as opposed to gold. Figure out whether the difference in bonus miles will "buy" you anything worthwhile that $650 wouldn't buy you. The difference would be 37,500 miles before you re-qualified for plat. So, lounge access + 37,500 miles, or $650?

anc-ord772

What happens when CO says no? As a 1P last year AA did not comp me to PLT. Of course I stuck with UA and made 1K, AA's loss I guess.

DataPlumber

AA has not been comping UA status since 2003, only challenges. Maybe not AAs loss. They are going after big spenders, no juts comping for the heck of it. I suspect someone did an analysis of the comps were not leading to gains in incremental revenue. I think by offering the challenges they are making you put some skin in the game.

Funny, I wonder if they are still comping form CO though?

jaguar

I had two friends who are AA Platinum get comped to NW Gold.

justageek

I disagree that the challenges find "big spenders." In fact, I think they do exactly the opposite.

AA would have a more "stringent" requirement if they comped from other airlines than if they did challenges. For Plat challenge, you need 10,000 points which you can pick up in a single transcon round-trip (booked in YUP and making a couple of connections each way)--$1000 or less. To get comped to Plat from another airline, you would (if AA did it) need to fly about 50,000 miles on that other airline (class-of-service bonuses would come into play, of course), which generally costs more than $1000.

So, I think that having Plat on another airline is much better evidence that you are likely to be a "big spender" on AA than is your completing the Plat challenge.