The Great AA Mileage Race to "D-Day" (MM change day) - 12/1/11
Aug 28, 2011, 7:11 am
#196
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: DFW, DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, SWA A-list +
Posts: 1,007
Why not get the AA Exec card? For $495 a year you basically get gold status (free bags, etc.) and you get the admirals club membership. You also can earn miles towards LT status in 2012.
Aug 28, 2011, 7:22 am
#197
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: WAS
Programs: AA EXP2M, DL 1MM DM ext, UA PP <=> HH G/Marr PE/Hyatt G/IHG P FT RA ( Recovering Addict)
Posts: 4,596
I will be at about 825,000 on December 1. I don't have any status, and have never made it. I fly about 15,000 miles a year. Some questions:
1) Is it worth paying $1,000 for 50,000 miles now, to get me closer? I do spend about $500 a year in luggage fees.
2) I have a Bank Direct account which pay me miles every month. Does it make sense to keep any money in my account for the month of November, since the miles usually post in the first few days of December, so they wont count.
3) I heard that you can buy a 2 year cd from bank direct and get miles anyone know how fast they post? Can i wait until November to convert my savings to the CD?
1) Is it worth paying $1,000 for 50,000 miles now, to get me closer? I do spend about $500 a year in luggage fees.
2) I have a Bank Direct account which pay me miles every month. Does it make sense to keep any money in my account for the month of November, since the miles usually post in the first few days of December, so they wont count.
3) I heard that you can buy a 2 year cd from bank direct and get miles anyone know how fast they post? Can i wait until November to convert my savings to the CD?
Yes
2
Not for LT but for the RDMs
3
They post fast, within 30 days per reports here. I would not wait until Nov, but do it now.
4
You can also buy 20k SPG for 700$ = 25k miles if needed as a last resort.
Why not a Citi CC application?
5
Lastly get the Exec Card now for the next year. I think there will be a lot of cancellations in Dec 2012.
Below are four options to try to buy yourself closer to lifetime (130k total for $2,690 - not worth it to me, but an option for some)
Buy & Share Miles
Citi ExecutiveSM / AAdvantage® World EliteTM MasterCard® 25k miles for $450 ($0.012857/mile)
I didn't see any first-time cardmember language & if you apply before Dec 2011 the spend on this card through Dec 2012 will count toward lifetime.
Buy & Share Miles
- buyAAmiles - 50k miles for $1,030 (0.0206/mile)
- giftAAmiles - 40k miles for $1,030 (0.02575/mile)
- shareAAmiles - 15k miles for $180 ($0.012/mile)
NOTE: shareAAmiles not incrementally new, just paying 1.2cents to move miles between accounts)
Citi ExecutiveSM / AAdvantage® World EliteTM MasterCard® 25k miles for $450 ($0.012857/mile)
I didn't see any first-time cardmember language & if you apply before Dec 2011 the spend on this card through Dec 2012 will count toward lifetime.
I bought SPG at 2.8 = AA 2.24 cpm to top off accounts.
Not going to do it next year, but this year was an exception for LT.
Lastly, what this will do is drive up the value of a VIP; no more 4x multiple VIPs from 2013 onwards.
Advice to all, if you are close to 2 MM, STOP SHORT at 1.999999, or as close as you can and cross in 2012. Your 2012 VIPs x4 will work in 2013.
Last edited by ffI; Aug 28, 2011 at 7:31 am
Aug 28, 2011, 8:07 am
#198
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Oak Park, IL
Posts: 999
Maybe this is a crazy idea. I am looking at chargesmart.com to pay off my mortgage with a credit card. There is a $24.95 fee per transaction so if I charged the credit limit, I could get miles pretty cheaply. We owe about 50k on a 6% loan. It never seemed worth it to refinance but I could pay the whole thing off to get the miles. It seems like we'd be making 6% on our money as well as earning 50k miles. Would you do this??
Deb
Deb
Aug 28, 2011, 8:51 am
#199
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: There And Back Again
Programs: AA: LTG, HH: Diamond, SPG
Posts: 32
I was under the impression that there was a maximum of 40k miles with the buy/gift/share miles combined in a calendar year and not 40k each totalling 120K (or a little extra with the buy bonus miles). Am I incorrect in my understanding of this rule?
That is correct. I called a day or so ago to confirm. Otherwise, I would have friends"gift" me 40k miles and then be done with making it to 1MM in very short order.
That is correct. I called a day or so ago to confirm. Otherwise, I would have friends"gift" me 40k miles and then be done with making it to 1MM in very short order.
Aug 28, 2011, 9:17 am
#200
Join Date: May 2011
Location: CT
Programs: HHonors Silver
Posts: 429
Maybe this is a crazy idea. I am looking at chargesmart.com to pay off my mortgage with a credit card. There is a $24.95 fee per transaction so if I charged the credit limit, I could get miles pretty cheaply. We owe about 50k on a 6% loan. It never seemed worth it to refinance but I could pay the whole thing off to get the miles. It seems like we'd be making 6% on our money as well as earning 50k miles. Would you do this??
Deb
Deb
Aug 28, 2011, 9:39 am
#202
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 324
If I understand how it works, VIPs earned at any time in 2012 will expire in February 2014?
After BankDirect miles post in October, my wife's AAdvantage account will be very close to 2M. It makes perfect sense now to have her cross that threshold with BIS miles sometime in early 2012.
The extra year of VIP validity is worth a lot.
Aug 28, 2011, 10:07 am
#203
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: Gold, plat, diamond and more
Posts: 3,360
Is it not possible to transfer SPG to someone else AA acct?
If not, due to AA or SPG?
How would AA care as long as they are paid? Many has reported transfer from their SPG to multiple other US accts during Grand Slam, so would there be a difference? Wyndham has reported they accept transfers to other people accts as well.
If not, due to AA or SPG?
How would AA care as long as they are paid? Many has reported transfer from their SPG to multiple other US accts during Grand Slam, so would there be a difference? Wyndham has reported they accept transfers to other people accts as well.
Aug 28, 2011, 10:47 am
#204
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Benicia CA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K, AA 3.8MM, UA 1.1MM, enjoying the retired life
Posts: 31,849
Aug 28, 2011, 10:58 am
#205
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: Gold, plat, diamond and more
Posts: 3,360
Is it not possible to transfer SPG to someone else AA acct?
If not, due to AA or SPG?
How would AA care as long as they are paid? Many has reported transfer from their SPG to multiple other US accts during Grand Slam, so would there be a difference? Wyndham has reported they accept transfers to other people accts as well.
If not, due to AA or SPG?
How would AA care as long as they are paid? Many has reported transfer from their SPG to multiple other US accts during Grand Slam, so would there be a difference? Wyndham has reported they accept transfers to other people accts as well.
"Both the Starwood Preferred Guest and airline frequent flyer program accounts must have identical member names in order to complete this request; different names will cause the transfer to reject."
Is this new? Or has the multiple 1 point transfers from plats during Grand Slam on US just slipped under the radar?
Aug 28, 2011, 11:06 am
#206
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 48
Question:
My brother (who shares the same last name as me) has about 100,000 starpoints.
Would I be able to transfer those point to AA miles directly to my FF number?
Would it be preferable to try to directyl transfer the starpoints first to my account? Only issue is we dont live at the same address, so i dont know if that can be done unless i change his or my address.
What do you think?
My brother (who shares the same last name as me) has about 100,000 starpoints.
Would I be able to transfer those point to AA miles directly to my FF number?
Would it be preferable to try to directyl transfer the starpoints first to my account? Only issue is we dont live at the same address, so i dont know if that can be done unless i change his or my address.
What do you think?
Aug 28, 2011, 12:07 pm
#208
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Suburban Chicago
Programs: AA LTP; SPG Gold
Posts: 359
Maybe this is a crazy idea. I am looking at chargesmart.com to pay off my mortgage with a credit card. There is a $24.95 fee per transaction so if I charged the credit limit, I could get miles pretty cheaply. We owe about 50k on a 6% loan. It never seemed worth it to refinance but I could pay the whole thing off to get the miles. It seems like we'd be making 6% on our money as well as earning 50k miles. Would you do this??
Deb
Deb
Aug 28, 2011, 12:18 pm
#209
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Central Florida, US
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 634
That is an excellent idea. I hadn't considered it. With AAdvantage Citi AMEX and MasterCard promotions, I'll earn 1.5 miles/dollar through November 30th.
Aug 28, 2011, 12:35 pm
#210
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: WAS
Programs: AA EXP2M, DL 1MM DM ext, UA PP <=> HH G/Marr PE/Hyatt G/IHG P FT RA ( Recovering Addict)
Posts: 4,596