Microwave

All correct, of course. I suppose the difference is a semantic one: upgrading is different than upfaring. If one upgrades, whether it be via eVIP, miles+copay, LFBU, stickers or op up, one is entitled to credit based on the original booking class. If one upfares (even if in the same cabin of travel), one would be entitled to accrue at the level of the new booking class.

tkarrade

I completed a platinum challenge in January and since then I have been doing my best to re qualify for next year. I'm sitting 2,241 miles short of Gold right now, and it's only May, so I see that as a good pace.

My question however is that even though my status is listed as Platinum, I don't seem to be getting any 500 mile upgrades for my flights yet.

YTD Elite Qualifying Points 15,275
YTD Elite Qualifying Miles 22,759
YTD Elite Qualifying Segments 7
Miles Towards Elite Upgrades 14,969
500 Mile Upgrade Account Balance 0

By my research I should have 4 500 mile stickers but I don't have any yet. Is that because I have not fully re-qualified for gold? Is the 'platinum' status I have just a platinum 'lite' version that gives me lounge access and no upgrade stickers?

-TK

britenbsas

You should have received 4 x 500-milers when your MTEU counter reached 10,000. How you reached your elite status (normal method or via a challenge) makes no difference. I'd give AAdvantage customer service a call.

Smackie3000

Hi All.

I took the Platinum challenge year and half ago and was going to do few MRs at the end of last year. Unfortunately my back gave in and I couldn't bear the thought of flying for more than a few hours, nevermind the kind of MRs I had had in mind and needed! My PLT has since expired end of Feb and I'm now back to GOLD (booo).

Anyway, had operation and now sort of up and running...I am wondering if I can do the challenge again, if so when??

I read through the Wiki and it seems you can only do it again at the end of the downgraded year....which means when?? November, December?

Many thanks,
Smackie

miamigrad

End of downgraded year is referring to the membership year (end of February). Now that you're GOLD, you'd be able to check on the platinum challenge again.

AA has been tightening up on the criteria for those that can challenge. While someone may tell you "yes" or "no" as to your eligibility for doing the challenge again, you'd have to call to sign up anyway... why not take that opportunity to ASK AA if you're eligible?

Smackie3000

Ohhhhh...I didn't read it that way at all! I better start looking into my MRs!

Thank you!

lavag

I apologize if this has been answered, I tried looking and searching to no avail.

I think I have a enough US travel coming up this summer to meet the EQP for a platinum challenge:

JFK-SFO-JFK-LAX-SFO-JFK : 10548 miles according to mileage calculator, so I would try to buy the tickets in one of the appropriate fare buckets to go for platinum

My first flight is literally 7/1 and my last flight 9/30. My last flight will be a red eye leaving SFO in the PM and arriving JFK AM of 10/1. I have no flexibility on these dates.

Must I have completed travel by 9/30 or is it enough to have started my flight on that date?

billgrates3

I'm not sure if challenges are 90 days, or 3 months. The itinerary you've listed is 91 days, so you should call the Challenge dept at AAdvantage CS to find out if your itinerary qualifies... they can check you fare codes too to make sure you are getting 100% EQP/mile.

BrewerSEA

Your dates are fine. The last day to complete a challenge is the day before the challenge period 3 months later begins. If you have a 7/1 challenge then you have until (and including) 9/30 to complete it. With regards to the red eye flight, I think you would be fine as change of day flights post in AAdvantage as the day of departure, but why not ask AA when you sign up for the challenge, just to be safe?

Nerfgirl

I think I know how I'm going to play this out, but since everyone here has a lot more experience with this, I may as well ask. This seems like the best place since it may involve a challenge.

I'm trying to decide how I want to obtain a IAH - DUB ticket; it seems like I have a few choices. I'm traveling in August and it looks like right now it'll run me 90k to 120k for an award ticket. The cash cost is roughly $1200 for economy. I've a family member who has offered me 60k or $600 for my birthday towards a ticket. I was approved for the 75k/$1500 Visa and Amex today. Now, I'm considering doing a platinum challenge. It looks like with one extra stop or a class upgrade IAH -DUB can carry the challenge on its own.

I've already purchased a DFW - SLC Q class ticket for June 16th. At the time I didn't know of the challenge and the miles difference in classes. It looks like if I did choose to start the challenge on this date that it would just barely negate the need to add a leg in the IAH - DUB trip (beside the likely one in ORD).

I have at least two more domestic trips I have yet to book. I'll be traveling DFW - MCO in September and DFW - SFO in October. I might be adding a DFW - PHL in November/December, but it's still up in the air.

Just hoping to get some input on how to best to manage all this upcoming travel. I'm relatively new to the miles chase having flown on family EXP status until recently. I'm leaning towards challenge + upgrades if my citi miles clear before August. Should I do I challenge? If so when should I start? Is it better to just try and get award tickets for all of the trips? Thanks ahead of time for all the help. It is very much appreciated.

mreed911

Just picking a random date in August (Aug 15) I see IAH-ORD-DUB for $1094 a/i. I didn't look at award availability, but MileSAAver awards are 20K each way if they're available, so 40K total. That's a redemption rate of 2.7 cpm.. not bad, but can be better and your miles would likely be better with a miles+copay upgrade if you can afford the base fare (the $600 would cover the fees). If, OTOH, the only way you go is either paying half the base fare and using the gift for the other half or using miles, pay the fare and EARN the miles instead of burning them on this one. That's 9197 EQM/RDM (if you don't have any status) earned... almost a MileSAAver one-way.

BTW, for the challenge, it's EQP not EQM. If you're buying the cheapest economy fare, that's .5 EQP/EQM so you would get 4598 EQP - not enough to even make the GLD challenge, much less the PLAT. If you upfared (bought a more expensive fare that gets 1 EQP/EQM) you'd be closer and could easily finish off the PLT challenge with the other 803 EQP you'd need on a cheap 1600-mile trip (IAH-DFW-ORD and back, etc.).

Nerfgirl

Thanks for the help. I hadn't specified between EQP and EQM.

I'm traveling Aug 9th through the 20th. The economy milesaaver is 30k outbound since it's considered peak season (with only one route left) and the only choice on the return is the economy aanytime for another 60k. Paying full fare isn't a problem, just not my first choice if there was a more efficient way to go about it.

gagooners

officially an aa plt. tks all!
and u guys are right. my MIA-JFK only gave 595 eqp.
also, JFK-HKG is only 8067 miles lol.

mikelat

I'd say go with the paid ticket. 90k miles is a lot for coach seats, even in high season. If you can get the ticket for around $1k then thats the better choice. Then you can earn miles and also put in for a upgrade with cash & miles. Be sure to check on what the extra cost would be to upfare to a 1EQP/Mile fare class, it may not be that bad and could allow you to qualify for Plat much easier.

Also, realize that although you can transfer miles, the cost is a really bad exchange. It's really not that much less than just purchasing the miles even though there is a higher limit on it. A friend 'owes' me 40k miles for a ticket I booked for them but instead of them transferring the miles to me I'll just wait and have them book a flight for me from their account when I know the trip I want to take. You could have your family member just directly use the miles from their account for the upgrade request instead of losing $ on the transfer.

Nerfgirl

Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking about purchasing the outbound in business and the return economy super saver. The 1EQP fare class is running about $1,600 and business one way (w/economy return) is about $1,700. If I'm reading how the EQP works correctly it looks like I'd get the same points, but the second way I get business for $100 more.

When you upgrade with cash/miles do you earn points at the original fare class or the upgrade?