dw210

I apologize in advance if this is addresed elsewhere. I seriously spent hours reading the STICKYs, WIKIs, AAs website and this forum - - without success.

I curerntly have 37,814 EQMs and 37,443 EQPs. My next trip is in late-October:

DFW-NRT on AA in J: 6427 base miles
NRT-MNL on JAL in J: 1893 base miles

then, 2-weeks later return
MNL-NRT on JAL in J: 1893 base miles
NRT-DFW on AA in J: 6427 base miles

I'm thinking that I reach PLT on the NRT-DFW segment. But I am registered for the DBLEQ promotion - - so does that mean I qualify during the DFW-NRT segment? Wishful thinking maybe....

spacelucky

DBLEQ usually kicks in later (a few weeks after the complete of your flight). So I would say in general you will be PLT on the NRT-DFW seg. However, it seems like AA is posting the bonus in a batch by batch approach, there is a chance that you will be lucky and your bonus will be posted within 2 weeks. Then you will be PLT on the MNL-NRT seg.

ijgordon

If you get lucky and the double EQMs post from your two outbound flights before your return trip, then you should have Platinum before your return.

If not, then you should qualify by EQPs on your MNL-NRT segment, although the miles (and status) won't post until a few days after the flight. You will get the 100% bonus miles on the flight that you qualified on, and all subsequent flights.

I think the only difference for you between the two outcomes is that you may get the 100% elite bonus miles on the NRT-MNL segment if the DEQMs post before your return trip, since that would have been your qualifying flight. But I'm not sure how that's working with the promotion and the batch processing. But it's hardly something worth worrying about, it's not even that many miles. There are no other published benefits to being Platinum over Gold on a paid business class ticket.

dw210

Thanks for the quick relpies. I was hoping that I could somehow qualify on the outbound DFW-NRT flight, and get the 100% bonus for the full trip. But Hey, I'm not greedy.... I'll take the miles/points and the new status whenever AA deems that I am worthy

ijgordon

You still may. I'm not sure how they're treating status qualification via the DEQM promotion. You're right, that with the DEQMs, you'd qualify solely on the DFW-NRT flight. Typically AA does go back and retroactively credit elite bonuses when they process the month-end statements (if not sooner) to correct lags that occur in these types of situations. So it's possible.

BarkinJ

Lets be very clear. spacelucky means that you will become PLT on the MNL-NRT trip. You will not be PLT until the miles from that trip post, around 48 hours after you fly.

Gamecock

You should get 100% bonus on the flight that puts you over 50K miles.

Not sure how it will pan out with DEQMs.

imagineertobe

And if lounge access is a consideration for you:

On your return, supposing that you're not yet officially PLT, you can explain that you've technically passed the 50k threshold but that it hasn't posted yet, and (if you get someone like I did in the same situation a few years back) they might invite you in. Not required of them, but nice if it happens.

gemac

OP is in paid business, so he should have lounge access anyway (JL lounge in MNL and NRT, AA lounge in NRT and DFW).

imagineertobe

Er, yes of course... er, I meant supposing that he was in Y...

BarkinJ

My experience was very different.

I was sitting at 99,836 EQM in my account. I was at LAX for a LAX-JFK redeye, and stopped into the Admirals Club.

Me: I want to join the AC, and I'd like to join at the Executive Platinum rate.
AAngel: I see here that your status is actually PLT.
Me: As you'll see when you check my account, I'm 134 miles from EXP, and I'm holding in my hand a boarding pass (and I'm about to board a flight) which will easily put me over 100,000 EQM. So I'm hoping you can do something...
AAngel: Sorry. I can't grant EXP privileges until you actually cross the 100K EQM threshold.

(I spoke to her boss, who gave me the same answer.)

The next evening at JFK, while waiting for the return flight, I stopped by the AC.

Me: I want to join the AC, and I'd like to join at the Executive Platinum rate.
AAngel: I see here that your status is actually PLT.
Me: As you'll see when you check my account, I was 134 miles from EXP, and then I flew on AA flt 30 last night, which easily put me over the EXP threshold.
AAngel: Sorry. I can see in the computer that what you're saying is true, but I can't give you the EXP discount until your miles from last night's flight actually post to your account. Until that happens, you're still PLT.
Me: I'm not asking to be upgraded on the flight as an EXP, or for the ability to use an eVIP before earning them. I just want the discount that EXPs get for joining the AC. Don't you see... I want to give you money. I want to buy an AC membership.
AAngel: Sorry... I'm glad to offer you an AC membership at the PLT discount.

Moral of the story: You're not GLD or PLT or EXP until the miles post to your account. Period. No ifs ands or buts.

imagineertobe

Respectfully, BarkinJ, your situation would require some serious computer tricks on the part of the AAngel, something I understand her perhaps not being able to do. It's not everyday that folks are allowed to reduce the price of something by $50.

However, in my case, the AC welcome agent might simply have turned her head while I walked in, knowing that my story was legit, and seeing that I needed a shower

Your last point is certainly something to keep in mind, though - the rules are the rules, and we should consider situations where they are overlooked as nice favors rather than regular operations.

BarkinJ

Thank you. That's exactly my point. While I wish the AAngel or her supervisor could have pulled some strings, I understood that I was asking for them to do something "against the rules." I wasn't upset that she couldn't do it, no matter how much I would have appreciated a quiet place to work and check my email. Throughout the interaction, I was polite and professional, and I thanked the AAngels for their time when it was clear that they couldn't help me with my request.

I think FTers need to be careful not to recommend -- as an answer to a poster's question (especially a new-to-AA or new-to-FT poster) -- that they try to get an AA employee to "overlook" a rule. Doing so creates flyers who have a sense of entitlement, and who believe that they have a good chance of getting around AA's rules.

My entire success in going from nothing to GLD to PLT to EXP came from gaining a sophisticated understanding of AA's rules and regs (and how to make the most of them), rather than trying to skirt the rules and get around the regulations.

I may be naive or idealist when I say this, but I'd really like to believe that AA is more generous and good-willed with their FF benefits when members of the program treat AAdvantage as what it is: a set of privileges granted to AA's best customers. I think we all get hurt when people get the attitude that AA and the AAdvantage program ought to be exploited and cheated for all they're worth.

imagineertobe

Agreed, BarkinJ. Updated my original post to reflect (y)our sentiment.

gemac

If needing a shower were a reason for the welcome agent to turn her head and allow those who did not qualify into the club, the clubs would be enormously overcrowded. Perhaps something else could be arranged, possibly involving fire hoses.