Akulashark

I am in the middle of a challenge to Gold. I know the challenge works on points and my travel rules dictate I buy cheap fares, which means 1/2 the points.

How do I know how many points I have made in the challenge? Is there a way to see status?

Also, if I hit the 5000 points in the middle, does it automagically make my status gold? Or do I have to wait for the 90 days to be up?

Deltahater

Did you read the sticky?

You can use one of PHLMCFLY's spreadsheet to keep track of your points (also in the sticky and wiki)

Your status will be updated as soon as you hit 5,000 within reason for AA's IT guys to process, say a week or less.

JDiver

There is a specific line on your online account that tells you how many E Q Points you have - you need to track that number. (Or, you can also use tools like McFlyPHL's spreadsheet as an adjunct, as mentioned - links in the Unofficial Users' Guide sticky.)

You will earn the 50% bonus points on the flight you cross the 5,000 EQ Points Challenge threshold on, and though you will become Gold on that flight, it will not be reflected in your online account information for a few days - AA processes data in batches.

AA Novice

So your saying on a platinum challenge DFW/HNL booked in P I will get double miles on the return leg because I will make platinum somewhere on the way back?

Gandhi90s

Yes.

almabl

Hi,
I am GLD today and I already have in my aaccount 34,000EQM. My next trip includes ZRH-JFK-SCL and also SAL-DFW-CDG-TLV all during the next two weeks. According to Great Circle Mapper this is around 18,000 miles. Is there any reason to sign up for a PLT challenge today? Is there anything that I missing, or at this point does not make sence?
Thanks

Gandhi90s

It depends on how many EQPs the 18K miles are worth, and whether or not they are on AA-coded flights. The faster you can get to PLT, the faster you can enjoy the benefits including the PLT mileage bonuses. If, for example, you are flying on fares that earn 1.5x EQP, JFK-SCL would be your PLT qualifying flight on a challenge.

bdemaria

It would all depend on the fare basis of that trip. Challenges are based on POINTS, not miles. If you are on a discount fare, you will only early .5/points per mile. In addition, the flights have to have an AA flight #.

If you have a more expensive fare, then the advantage to signing up for the challenge would be that you would start accruing the PLT bonus (100% instead of 25%) sooner than reaching PLT via the miles.

chicagoariel

Hello all --

I apologize for the basicness of this question. I've read the "AA challenge guide," but I suppose I feel like there has to be some catch in what I'm about to do.

I have a new job that involves travel to Tokyo (either from Chicago or New York.) I fly economy, and it looks like my first trip will be booked on fare code "L", ORD-NRT return. That appears (from the great circle mapper) to mean that that first return trip will net me 12,548 miles (or so? I actually don't really know how miles are computed.)

So clearly, I think, I can "meet" the Platinum challenge with this single trip. Is that true? Here's what I would do:

1. call the customer service number, and tell them I want to start the challenge on a particular date, and that I want to do the "Platinum challenge".

2. go on aa.com, book my flight (making sure, duh, that it's after the challenge date start.)

3. fly, work hard, etc. Fly home... suddenly, as soon as the return trip posts to my mileage account, I am suddenly upgraded to Platinum status?

Is it really that easy? I feel like there has to be a catch somewhere, or that I'm missing something! I usually screw this stuff up. I apologize if it "really is that simple"; I just am so used to airlines screwing up and screwing us over that I feel like maybe there's some rule.

Gandhi90s

You are correct, as long as the fare code is L (which earns 1.0x points). Challenges are based on points, not miles, and some fares earn only 0.5 points (or no points) per mile.

bdemaria

The key is to calculate POINTS, not miles. An "L" fare ticket will net 1 pt/mile. 12K+ miles at 1pt/mile would be enough. However other fare buckets only net .5pts/mile. If you have the lower fare, then you wouldn't earn enough points.


1. call the customer service number, and tell them I want to start the challenge on a particular date, and that I want to do the "Platinum challenge".

2. go on aa.com, book my flight (making sure, duh, that it's after the challenge date start.)

These can be done in either order, challenges only start on the 1 or 16.

3. fly, work hard, etc. Fly home... suddenly, as soon as the return trip posts to my mileage account, I am suddenly upgraded to Platinum status?

Yes.

chicagoariel

Thank you both very much!

I couldn't figure out how/why AA did this program, but then I saw a remark that it was a way to steal high-budget travellers from other airline programs; if you were used to the benefits of the equivalent program on a different airline, you could quickly gain the same on AA.

So that makes sense, and now that I understand why they do it I feel a little more confident it will actually work.

aktchi

Yes, Chicago-Tokyo round trip in L class would suffice for a platinum challenge.

You can start the challenge on 1st or 16th of a month. Your status lasts considerably longer if you start your challenge between June 16 and Dec 16 of a calendar year. Your flights should take place after, but within 90 days of the official start of the challenge. (However, it doesn't matter if you buy the tickets before starting the challenge. While the challenge lasts for 90 days, I'd allow for unpredictable developments and plan to complete all flights within 80-85 days of the start.)

Finally, even if you have to pay a little more, do make sure you are booked in one of these classes: H, K, M, L, W, V.

Yes it is that easy. The "screwing us over" part will come when they revise the rules on how soon your miles expire, when you find there are no award seats on the flights you want to take, and when they think of new charges to levy on your free tickets. But you are still better off getting the miles and the status for the flying you do. Good luck.

IMH

Not really "stealing" elites from other airlines, but rather attracting (potentially) frequent flyers - including those who don't currently focus on a particular airline or alliance. The approach works, too: my wife and I took our first-ever AA flights in the spring of 2007. A few months later we got GLD and then PLT status, both via challenges. A year down the line, we've requalified for another year's worth of PLT by meeting the normal requirements - just what AA was hoping for.

JDiver

Er, not exactly.

Some airlines offer "status matching" to incite competitors' frequent flyers to move over - I can fax my account info to some other airlines and get my status matched, in hopes I will now fly them. This is generally done ONCE, only.

AA does not offer status matching to most mere mortals but allow one to fly a Challenge - at least there is some demonstration the Challenger will fly some higher fare flights or a larger number of lower fare flights before they extend status.

AA will not allow you to maintain status with a Challenge - next year, you will have to fly 60 segments, or earn 50k EQ points or fly 50k EQ miles on AA and qualifying flights to maintain your Platinum status past Feb 28 2010.

As to whether it will work or not, read this thread. It has worked for a number of years, and at least for the moment continues to work well. And keep watching here for any potential changes.

"Screwing us over?" Some of us feel AA's FFP has done less of this and made award travel easier than most (if not all) its competitors. Yes, there has been "inflation" - and more is coming, so read the threads on new, higher award miles required made on or after Oct 1, 2008, etc.