tada_in

I am planning to take the challenge, and was wondering if the bonus points provided by the Hotel Partners are also considered?
i am planning for a trip (but apparently its in Q class), so would get 0.5 bonus points (abt 4500 pts), but the hotel (hilton) is offering the bonus points for AA (abt 1500). Any pointers?

thanks!

miamigrad

Welcome to FT, tada_in!

Be sure to read the AA Wiki about challenges (and for general understanding of other aspects to the AAdvantage program).

Challenges are based on points, not miles. Your first sentence seems to indicate that you understand that. However, I'm not aware of any hotels that offer bonus points (miles, yes. But, points?)

In any case, the answer will be the same. Only elite qualifying points from FLYING will count toward your challenge. Credit cards, hotel stays, dining ... those will add redeemable miles to your frequent flyer account, but will not help you with your challenge (or with earning status from one year to the next. The exception: once you reach 1 million and 2 million miles in the program you currently receive lifetime gold status and lifetime platinum status, respectively)

Also note: for challenges, only EQP from AA-coded flights will count.

Good luck!

Argen_Tina

I'm currently doing the platinum challenge.
Does this mean I will become platinum as
soon as I fly 6667 miles on a J ticket
(int'l business class)?

6667 miles x 1.5 = 10000.5 points

Is my math correct?

Thanks

miamigrad

Correct. Well, at least as soon as those miles post to your account and your status refreshed anyway!
A successful platinum challenge is 10,000 elite qualifying points during the 3 month period. Since paid first, business, and full fare economy all earn 1.5 EQP/mile, you would complete the challenge in the scenario you've posed above.

Good luck and happy travel!

JDiver

Some plan to pass the threshold on a long segment if possible - because they know they will earn status double bonus (redeemable) miles on that flight (when it posts.)

Surgee

I believe I'm finally putting this in the right thread (my bad, newbie mistake)

So Should I AA PLT/GLD Challenge? I currently have no status, and O EQM this year. Status will be very useful for me over the next 15 months.

I'm going to asia:

All in Q (0.5 EQP/mile flown):

LGA-BOS AA 4464 -- 184 miles --> 92 EQP**
BOS-ORD AA 649 -- 867 miles --> 433 EQP (525 EQP total)
ORD-NRT AA 153 -- 6274 miles --> 3137 EQP (3662 EQP total)
NRT-HAN AA 5843 op by JL -- 2314 miles --> 1157 EQP*** (4819 EQP total)
...
SIN-NRT AA 5837 op by JL -- 3324 miles --> 1662 EQP*** (6481 EQP total --> GOLD)
NRT-JFK AA 168 -- 6745 miles --> 3372 EQP (9853 EQP total)

**Question 1: I have no status. If I'm enrolled in the Challenge do I get the 500 mile min -- that would put me to PLT? (I assume not)
***Question 2: Are these EQP earning, and how if so, what ratio? 0.5? (Thats what it seems from aa.com)

With DBL EQM or NYDBL RDM: about 35K EQM/RDM

Wondering if I should GLD or PLT challenge, knowing I'll have to do another, albeit brief, trip this year if I want to make PLT.

Obviously, I will make GLD on this trip, with or without the challenge. With a GLD challenge, I would make it faster and start to earn the 25% earlier plus EQMs towards upgrades.

With a PLT challenge, I would still need another 150 measly pts. Without, I would need ABOUT 15K EQM--2 MRs. But MRs are also mileage earning and the cost of the challenge would go towards these tickets instead.

Any thoughts or insights I'm not getting?? Are my numbers correct? Its sooooo close to PLT

Please advise for a newbie excited to make some level of AA status for the first time!!!!

Bogeys

I went from DFW to NRT this past summer and that was enough to earn the platinum challenge with one trip. I called AA and ask if this one trip would be enough to qualify for the challenge, she looked it up and said yes it would. I gave her my CC# and didn't look back. So I would call and check because unless you aren't earning miles for part of the trip for some reason, this should qualify you for the platinum challenge.

And a Big THANKS to the FT community for helping a newbie figure all this kind of stuff out! ^

JDiver

If you do sign up for the Platinum Challenge (it looks like you may make Gold on the flights) the worst that can happen is you do not fly again in three months and you stay at Gold, and have a Platinum Challenge opportunity next year.

Actually, no, the worst that can happen is you do not sign up, fly again within three months and miss Platinum / double bonus points / international oneworld lounge access, check-in and security preference / better positioning for upgrades, etc. From a FT perspective, anyway.

I've not even attempted any maths, as I have no diea which fare class, segments, etc.

Surgee

thanks, i significantly edited the post, so please see. appreciate all the help!!

aktchi

Had to revise my post in light of new info in yours. Anyway, it is a no brainer - you would be so close that you should definitely try to make the PLT challenge. Things that can help:

1. Upfare your ticket to "H,K,M,L,W, or V" class. At least upfare enough segment(s) to make the cut! This may be possible without change penalty, just the fare difference, but even with penalty would be worth it. Think of the expense as a painless MR.

2. Do a MR now. There seem to be good transcon possibilities from East Coast, NYC-SFO or BOS-SFO, but even a shorter one might suffice. (You won't have 500 miles minimum, and remember 1/2 point per mile on many cheap fares.)

Needless to say the challenge has to start before your the first flight you want included in the challenge - IOW, don't do a MR without starting the challenge. It can only start on the 1st or 16th of a month.

Good luck.

Argen_Tina

I have already started my platinum challenge and started
flying a few days ago. Not even a signle flight has posted
yet.... My AA# is in my reservation and I also gave it again
at check-in.... even the phone agent could see my AA#....
She said she did see the flights that I already took, but don't
know why they haven't posted yet....

By my calculation, I should already have well over 12,600
points(mostly thanks to the fare basis bonus). Does it
typically take AA that long to post flight miles? When I
fly on my usual airline(AA competitor), the miles sometimes
get posted to my account as soon as a few hours after the
flight.....

miamigrad

IME, it typically takes 3 days from the flight before it is posted to my account.

Surgee

I signed up.

aktchi

Yeah, they are slow, but they always get around to it. So, while I understand the urge to keep checking, don't worry too much you are in good shape.

Surgee

So an update to this situation: I spoke to a CSR and a CSR supervisor when signing up for my PLT challenge and asked about the EQP on the codeshare segments, as well as on the LGA-BOS (could I get 500? ..I said I wouldn't sign up for the challenge without it--which was 100% true--would rather fly an 1-2 MRs for the $200 cost). CSR calculated it and said no, and I was under 10K, I would have to take a short trip. When I asked to speak to the supervisor, the CSR said the supervisor calculated it as over 11K EQP (1.0 full EQP for the codeshare segments). I though she was mistaken, as did the CSR, but the supervisor guaranteed it and there is now a note in my account saying she guaranteed it, saying what EQP i would get per segment, and indicating i would cross the threshold on the final NRT-JFK segment. ....So I said, "ok, if you guarantee it and this will be here after the fact, I'll sign up!" Again emphasizing the true statement that I wouldn't sign up for the challenge if I didn't make PLT on this itinerary.

Does this seem odd? Did she just sell me on it? Am I going to get screwed by the computer? Will they still have the notes after the PNR is complete? Will I have recourse?

I paid to sign up, but it still doesn't seem right to me. Thoughts?