The Great AA Mileage Race to "D-Day" (MM change day) - 12/1/11
Aug 31, 2011, 1:48 pm
#271
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 43
Advice please
sitting at 790k and here's what I'm doing:
-been earning miles from a Guaranty Bank airmiles account that ended up with BBVA Compass when Guaranty folded. Left it there even after they reduced the earning rate. Now I'm going to pull that $60k out and put it in a 2 yr Bankdirect CD so that'll be 60k now.
-should receive 23.5k from a new CitiGold checking account I opened a few months ago but am a little concerned that someone mentioned difficulty getting the bonus. I never funded this account with anything near the min amount to prevent fees.
-opened the world elite Citi MC yesterday and was told I'd receive the 25k bonus (have signed up for 2 other Citi cards in the last year or so)
-transferred 43k Diner's Club Rewards Points to AA
this will put me at 941.5k
I will spend $40k on the Citi elite MC next year so that should get 40k + 10k bonus (I assume the EQM bonus counts towards LT)
I only have 1 trip before 12/1 but it's AUS->JFK->ZRH and I'll do the mileage multiplier. This should get me there with a little bit of buffer and if something goes wrong BIS flying will get me there soon enough.
Then I'll relax
-been earning miles from a Guaranty Bank airmiles account that ended up with BBVA Compass when Guaranty folded. Left it there even after they reduced the earning rate. Now I'm going to pull that $60k out and put it in a 2 yr Bankdirect CD so that'll be 60k now.
-should receive 23.5k from a new CitiGold checking account I opened a few months ago but am a little concerned that someone mentioned difficulty getting the bonus. I never funded this account with anything near the min amount to prevent fees.
-opened the world elite Citi MC yesterday and was told I'd receive the 25k bonus (have signed up for 2 other Citi cards in the last year or so)
-transferred 43k Diner's Club Rewards Points to AA
this will put me at 941.5k
I will spend $40k on the Citi elite MC next year so that should get 40k + 10k bonus (I assume the EQM bonus counts towards LT)
I only have 1 trip before 12/1 but it's AUS->JFK->ZRH and I'll do the mileage multiplier. This should get me there with a little bit of buffer and if something goes wrong BIS flying will get me there soon enough.
Then I'll relax
Aug 31, 2011, 2:33 pm
#272
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: SEA
Programs: HH Gold, SPG Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 354
Unless you've already reached the annual limit for buy/gift miles, it seems like a much cheaper option (at least until midnight tonight when the 25% bonus expires).
Or I suppose if you don't want to spend the minimum $500+ to trigger the bonus and your mileage multiplier costs aren't that high either.
Aug 31, 2011, 3:47 pm
#273
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: HNL, DFW, SFO
Programs: A/A LifeTime Platinum 3MM; Lifetime Admiral's Club, Star Alliance Gold
Posts: 92
Congrats on your plan to reach 5MM. Unless I am missing something, the Citi Executive AAdvantage card has a $450 annual fee which includes a membership in the Admiral's club. What if you already have a membership?
I'd like to find a way for my wife, who is at 2.5MM, to make it to 3MM and earn the 4SWU, but she already has a lifetime membership in the Admiral's club. Any ideas? Thanks.
Aug 31, 2011, 3:57 pm
#274
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: AA LT Plat - 2MM;HH Diamond
Posts: 239
Aloha JDiver:
Congrats on your plan to reach 5MM. Unless I am missing something, the Citi Executive AAdvantage card has a $450 annual fee which includes a membership in the Admiral's club. What if you already have a membership?
I'd like to find a way for my wife, who is at 2.5MM, to make it to 3MM and earn the 4SWU, but she already has a lifetime membership in the Admiral's club. Any ideas? Thanks.
Congrats on your plan to reach 5MM. Unless I am missing something, the Citi Executive AAdvantage card has a $450 annual fee which includes a membership in the Admiral's club. What if you already have a membership?
I'd like to find a way for my wife, who is at 2.5MM, to make it to 3MM and earn the 4SWU, but she already has a lifetime membership in the Admiral's club. Any ideas? Thanks.
Dan
Aug 31, 2011, 4:06 pm
#275
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: HNL, DFW, SFO
Programs: A/A LifeTime Platinum 3MM; Lifetime Admiral's Club, Star Alliance Gold
Posts: 92
Mrs Outpaddling currenty has a Citi World Elite Mastercard with an $85 annual fee that has always been waived. I don't think Citi will waive the $450fee, but it won't hurt to ask. It is unlikey that she will earn .5MM by BIS any time soon, so I think it is worth $450 for four system wide upgrades that she will earn at 3MM. Thank goodness she made lifetime platinum before D-Day!
Aug 31, 2011, 4:30 pm
#276
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 467
Mrs Outpaddling currenty has a Citi World Elite Mastercard with an $85 annual fee that has always been waived. I don't think Citi will waive the $450fee, but it won't hurt to ask. It is unlikey that she will earn .5MM by BIS any time soon, so I think it is worth $450 for four system wide upgrades that she will earn at 3MM. Thank goodness she made lifetime platinum before D-Day!
Aug 31, 2011, 6:37 pm
#277
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: SC, AA MM, HH Silver
Posts: 741
There are 2 items I haven't seen mentioned here unless I missed them.
1) Download the AAdvantageeshopping toolbar and do searches. You get 1 mile for every 3 searches. Not a whole lot of miles but they are free and post every month.
2) Call Citi and see if there are any promos for your card. I called last week for a technical question and the rep told me I could get 1 1/2 miles per $1 until 11/30. Both my MC & Visa were eligible.
1) Download the AAdvantageeshopping toolbar and do searches. You get 1 mile for every 3 searches. Not a whole lot of miles but they are free and post every month.
2) Call Citi and see if there are any promos for your card. I called last week for a technical question and the rep told me I could get 1 1/2 miles per $1 until 11/30. Both my MC & Visa were eligible.
Last edited by Pat H; Aug 31, 2011 at 6:47 pm
Aug 31, 2011, 7:35 pm
#278
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: AA LT Plat - 2MM;HH Diamond
Posts: 239
There are 2 items I haven't seen mentioned here unless I missed them.
1) Download the AAdvantageeshopping toolbar and do searches. You get 1 mile for every 3 searches. Not a whole lot of miles but they are free and post every month.
2) Call Citi and see if there are any promos for your card. I called last week for a technical question and the rep told me I could get 1 1/2 miles per $1 until 11/30. Both my MC & Visa were eligible.
1) Download the AAdvantageeshopping toolbar and do searches. You get 1 mile for every 3 searches. Not a whole lot of miles but they are free and post every month.
2) Call Citi and see if there are any promos for your card. I called last week for a technical question and the rep told me I could get 1 1/2 miles per $1 until 11/30. Both my MC & Visa were eligible.
Dan
Aug 31, 2011, 7:37 pm
#279
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Cypress Hills Research Center
Posts: 5,295
Just a bit curious here. From your profile and postings it seems like you'd be able to get to 5MM without the CitiExecAAdv card (bonus + spending). Maybe not by 12/1 but surely not too long after. Is it really worth the $450/year for the miles or are you also interested in the other benefits of that card?
Aug 31, 2011, 7:59 pm
#280
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Alexandria, VA
Programs: SPG Pref+, Hilton Silver, Hyatt Plat, BA Blue, AA Riff-Raff, UA Unwashed, Travel Anonymous Platinum
Posts: 1,469
Currently I'm at about 605K lifetime miles, and have just brought 50K tonight, as well as applying for the Citicard AA Business MC for the 40K bonus after $1K spending. I've got about 40K SPG that can be converted to 50K miles, as well as a 25K bonus from Citicard for meeting spending threshold on a AA Visa. So if everything works out, I'd be about 770K miles plus change by 12/1, and would just have to fly 230K BIS miles to hit LT GLD, which I might be able to do over the next 5 to 10 years. At the worst, I'd have plenty of miles for a RTW trip in F/J. 
Aug 31, 2011, 8:54 pm
#281
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 7,043
If you did 100 searchs per day, seven days a week, between September 1st and November 30th (disregarding the fact that searchs near 11/30 would not post by the 12/1 cutoff) it would be 3000 miles.
Anyone for which 3000 miles is the difference maker would get there by flying...
Regards
Aug 31, 2011, 10:55 pm
#282
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: Free agent AAdvantage LT GLD
Posts: 221
I just applied online and I ended up in a chat window and received instant approval. During that chat the agent told me I qualified for the 25k bonus miles. Is there a benefit to upgrading an existing account instead of applying for a new one?
Aug 31, 2011, 10:58 pm
#283
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,535
Aug 31, 2011, 11:01 pm
#284
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: Free agent AAdvantage LT GLD
Posts: 221
Am I missing something here? Why do the mileage multiplier at its avg cost of 3.28cpm when you can just buy the miles for around 2.2cpm?
Unless you've already reached the annual limit for buy/gift miles, it seems like a much cheaper option (at least until midnight tonight when the 25% bonus expires).
Or I suppose if you don't want to spend the minimum $500+ to trigger the bonus and your mileage multiplier costs aren't that high either.
Unless you've already reached the annual limit for buy/gift miles, it seems like a much cheaper option (at least until midnight tonight when the 25% bonus expires).
Or I suppose if you don't want to spend the minimum $500+ to trigger the bonus and your mileage multiplier costs aren't that high either.
Am going to open a Bank Direct 2 yr CD for 60k tomorrow. I have asked them the penalty for early withdrawal but not received a response. Will post here since I haven't seen that info yet.