ijgordon

Only if they are the AA codeshare, meaning they have an AA flight number.

Capite

I just bought the $10k EXP version of the card.

It really works out great for me:
My business is ramping up and I was just about to start heavily traveling international business class. I am able buy my own travel and get reimbursed. And conviently for me, I was going to book 'second honeymoon' tickets for my wife and me to South America. The EXP status should really help.

For you EXP's who think this will dilute your status, I wouldn't worry. I think I am one of the few people clearly in the sweet spot to buy this card, through a combination of travel profile and perfect timing, and even then it was a difficult decision to give all that money up front to one airline. I wouldn't worry that they are going to sell too many of these.

I'll try to keep everyone posted on how it works. One downside is that I can't start using it until the card actually arrives in the mail. I paid for Priority Shipping, but who knows how long they will take to process it. Also, my EXP status doesn't take effect until I get the prepaid card and 'activate' it.

psyflyer

booking frequently F/J long-haul at last minute 10grand is easily spent. Dont look too often how much an itin is, but last April i went to OZ for a short trip(landed @ 8am in syd and left next day at 1pm or so, just over24hrs on the ground in OZ, and managed an intra-OZ flight to CBR from syd!) and I found out 1 day b4 going. My ticket from BOS-LAX-SYD on QF/AA in F was $17grand. In January flew JFK-HKG in CX F and they bought it wbout 1 week b4 and px still had a 19 handle on it... F was packed too. So 10grand seems cheap... but then again its really 20grand as they are giving it out for 6mos... interesting concept though. I guess it only makes sense if you 0 status on AA and have a ton of travel coming up.

swag

Gosh, you'd think when you spend ten grand, they'd throw in the FedEx overnight delivery for free...

writetorich

Well they may noy sell an "awful" lot of these. But do you think that there are an "awful lot" of uvailable upgrade seats??

They sell a lot ( at corp contract rates).


If each long haul international flight averages FIVE upgrade seats per flight, you are talking about a small inventory.

All four of the following are now competing for the same inventory.

1-real explats
2-explat lites
3-non explat friends and relatives of explats desiring to use VIPS
4-Eilte desiring cash and miles upgrades
5- average joes, non elites, desiring cash and miles upgrades.


So a whole lot of people competing for a small inventory of upgradable seats.

gemac

From postings on this thread, it would seem that the biggest impact would be on those desiring to upgrade from paid J to F on international flights. Those paid J tickets are a good way to rack up $10,000 in flying in a few months. In addition, two round trips can use up the $10,000, so some of these people would not be making EXP the hard way. Those who pull the trigger on flights at the last minute and want to upgrade from J to F may well see some degradation of their ability to do so.

It seems that if someone buys this card to get EXP and normally flies coach, they will fly coach enough to get EXP the normal way next year (and on into the future), so pretty much of a one-time deal for them.

It will be interesting to see what AA does with this next year. Will it go away for a while and then resurface next summer, or will it just gear up and roll on?

Also, prepare for the onslaught of questions about "I didn't use all the money on my account, how can I get an extension" next February and May.

bbkenney

I am not sure what all the worry is. Most all of the above are at least partially subsets of each other, that is to say: all of #1 + all of #2 + all of #3 + all of #4 + all of #5 are not the true size of the "competition". Most were there before. Personally, I am still 100% for '06 and those that made EXP with segments already + those who are out there trying to make EXP with segments haven't hurt a bit. I can see this really attracting lifetime PLTs who know they will spend 10K in the next 7 (10) months.

I think the benefit to AA is that lifetime GLD/PLTs who have no shot at PLT/EXP are easy prey for CO, UA, DL, or anyone else who might have more convenient schedules, bigger planes, whatever, on a given trip, would do this, get the bennies and AA gets their business.

JonNYC

I really have no concerns about this personally.
Let folks get a few months at EXP (securing 10K worth of their travel in the process) and then when they drop to Plat-- if the experience of people here is any indication-- they will sorely miss EXP level and, assuming they have it in them in the first place-- will try to qualify for same next year. I'd certainly rather see them accomplish this is this way rather than starting to offer EXP comps and/or EXP challenge, etc.

elitetraveler

Jon - has anyone ever gotten final and offical confirmation on

1- are the 8 eVIPs part of this package
2- can existing EXPs purchase the 10k program to get the additional eVIPs

AA never called me back, and I figure you seem to be on the ball on fact vs. fiction

JonNYC

It was posted in this thread by our official AAdvantage participant (a much more reliable source of info than me.)
1. Yes
2. Of course not.

elitetraveler

jon - thanks

what is the official participant's name? and too bad on point 2 - i would have probably switched a couple BA trips to AA

tismfu

YourAAdvantageVoice. See her reply to you here.

ratnamg

brp,
I dont question that one can make EXP by spending $5K but at the same time there are quite a few of us who have spent over $20K to achieve that status. The major business routes (DFW-BOS, ORD-BOS, DFW - NYC, ORD - NYC, ORD - SFO, DFW -SFO, BOS -LAX, BOS - SFO, NYC - SFO, NYC -LAX etc) are atleast $500 for a 14 day advance fare(which is the typical business practice). One would have to make atleast 40 on a lot of these routes to make EXP - COST $20,000.

Now if you assume that such a business traveller would make atleast 1 or 2 International RT the cost goes up further. Most corporations allow International RT to be in J i.e., $5,000 being extremely conservative here. total cost (30 RT @ 500 + 2 International RT @ $5,000 = $25,000).


This most certainly dilutes the EXP product!!! I for one will take my business to other airlines once I hit EXP in Aug.


This is no longer fun!

DallasAudiGuy

Well - to me this is the fundamental changes to the program

1) AA wants to reward big SPENDERS, not just big FLYERS.

2) AA wants your money up front for this.

So the points other posters have been making are true. It is very possible to get ExP for less than $10K. My answer to them is - "so what".

For those people who do not have business that takes them overseas, yet spend big $$ with AA (and from the poster above, significantly more $$), AA is now rewarding high $$ ticket buyers with status.

A better example would be a passenger who makes 1 trip J class to KIX each year.

Buy a $5000 prepaid card, buy the flight, make PLAT for the next 8 months, even if you are not flying AA.

Also - another question...what about the end of the year requalifying purchase? What if you earned PLAT on your prepaid card? Could you then buy status again every year?

ratnamg

I couldnt agree with you more... This a breach of the EXP sanctity(if one existed)!!!

There will be quite a few who'd be happy just becuase they no longer have to get BIS Miles or Points to reach EXP..