Feb 20, 2015, 11:22 am
Last edit by: JDiver
American Offers United 1K Elite AA Executive Platinum Match - Challenge
Program appears suspended or ended o/a 1 Oct 2015 but later reinstated
Program appears suspended or ended o/a 1 Oct 2015 but later reinstated
This thread pertains to Challenges issued primarily to UA 1K Elites to move their business to AA by bestowing temporary Executive Platinum status and establishing a ninety day period during which the enrollee must fly on AA and specific airline partners to retain status beyond the Challenge period.
NOTE: It appears AA has suspended or ended this program o/a 01 Oct 2015.
I sent in my United 1K credentials and got this message back today after waiting 2 weeks for a reply:
Thanks for your response.
We no longer offer a challenge for United 1K members switching to
American. This promotion was an unpublished offer, and we've decided to
suspend enrollment for the time being. I'm sorry to disappoint you. We
hope that you're successful in earning your desired elite status soon.
Regards,
Andrew <redacted>
AAdvantage Customer Service
American Airlines
Thanks for your response.
We no longer offer a challenge for United 1K members switching to
American. This promotion was an unpublished offer, and we've decided to
suspend enrollment for the time being. I'm sorry to disappoint you. We
hope that you're successful in earning your desired elite status soon.
Regards,
Andrew <redacted>
AAdvantage Customer Service
American Airlines
Help Desk: AAdvantage Elite Status Challenge (Gold and Platinum)
For questions regarding AA Elite status, see AAdvantage Elite Status and Elite Status Benefits on aa.com.
Step #1 is to call AAdvantage Customer Service:
U.S. or Canada AAdvantage Customer Service
1-800-882-8880
8:00 a.m. - 7 p.m. (CT) Monday - Friday
1-817-963-7882 (Fax)
From outside the U.S. and Canada you may also call 1-817-786-3796
8:00 a.m. - 7 p.m. (CT) Monday - Friday
1-800-882-8880
8:00 a.m. - 7 p.m. (CT) Monday - Friday
1-817-963-7882 (Fax)
From outside the U.S. and Canada you may also call 1-817-786-3796
8:00 a.m. - 7 p.m. (CT) Monday - Friday
The process:
- Call AAdvantage Customer Service for the requirements
- You send AAdvantage the required documentation of your current UA status
- They reply you are qualified to the match challenge and ask you to confirm that you want to enroll in the challenge, and provide some details on the requirements
- You reply via email saying you wish to do the match
- They send the final email describing also what your AA Executive Platinum benefits will be for the duration of the match period
Code:
November, 2013 email Dear Mr. AAspirant, Thank you for your interest in making American Airlines your first choice for all your travel needs. We are pleased to grant you a special AAdvantage Executive Platinum®** (oneworld® Emerald) membership, valid through February 25, 2014 (or other date). Once your status takes effect, your membership card will be mailed within 3 to 5 weeks to the address on your account. This one-time trial offer will afford you all of the privileges and most of the benefits of this level, including:
- Complimentary 500-Mile Upgrades (see www.aa.com/500mileupgrades)
- 100% mileage bonus on base miles for eligible flights
- Waived AA charges for two checked bags within current size and weight limits
- PriorityAAccessSM privileges at airport check-in, security and boarding gates
Older posts have been archived off. They can be read as follows:
ARCHIVE: AA offers UA elite status match (2012)
(full straight-on Status Match, April 2012)
and
ARCHIVE: AA offers UA Elites a status match "challenge"
(beginning May 2012, the offer becomes a status match challenge)
ARCHIVE: AA offers UA elite status match (2012)
(full straight-on Status Match, April 2012)
and
ARCHIVE: AA offers UA Elites a status match "challenge"
(beginning May 2012, the offer becomes a status match challenge)
AA offers UA elite status match / challenge (sporadically offered)
Feb 12, 2014, 8:57 am
#46
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: AA ex-Plat
Posts: 425
Under the T&C,:
* Travel on eligible airlines includes American Airlines, American
Eagle, the AmericanConnection® carrier, British Airways, Iberia, Japan
Airlines, Qantas, and Finnair, as well as eligible codeshare flights.
Bonus elite-qualifying points do not count toward your qualification for
this offer. You must re-qualify for AAdvantage elite status membership
annually.
I have a BA/AA J trip coming up totaling 16,890 miles, I'll get 1.5X EQP, meaning 25,335 EQP so I should be able to meet the challenge in one trip.
If I'm reading the T&C right though, the bonus 50% EQP doesn't count for the challenge though? So I'll need to fly another 8110 base EQP on top of my already book J trip to successfully complete the challenge?
* Travel on eligible airlines includes American Airlines, American
Eagle, the AmericanConnection® carrier, British Airways, Iberia, Japan
Airlines, Qantas, and Finnair, as well as eligible codeshare flights.
Bonus elite-qualifying points do not count toward your qualification for
this offer. You must re-qualify for AAdvantage elite status membership
annually.
I have a BA/AA J trip coming up totaling 16,890 miles, I'll get 1.5X EQP, meaning 25,335 EQP so I should be able to meet the challenge in one trip.
If I'm reading the T&C right though, the bonus 50% EQP doesn't count for the challenge though? So I'll need to fly another 8110 base EQP on top of my already book J trip to successfully complete the challenge?
The 1.5 EQP earned for J is not bonus EQP, it's regular EQP earnings for J class, so you would meet the terms of the challenge in the one trip if 25k EQP is your challenge amount.
Feb 12, 2014, 9:00 am
#47
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: WAS, LAX
Programs: AS 100K
Posts: 1,330
I believe what you bolded is referring to a Double or Triple EQP promotion (none happening at the moment), which doesn't apply to your situation.
The 1.5 EQP earned for J is not bonus EQP, it's regular EQP earnings for J class, so you would meet the terms of the challenge in the one trip if 25k EQP is your challenge amount.
Feb 12, 2014, 10:56 am
#48
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 21
new to these boards and need some advice from the experts on the AA challenge:
I've got a major trip coming up in April that involves flying from the US to bali through hong kong. Everything is booked through American Airlines in class L operated by Cathay so I get the miles and qualifying points.
1) I've got 3 more weekend trips planned that will fly American. I'll have Gold status no matter what after the next trip, but is it worth it to do the challenge and get Platinum after essentially the first leg here?
2) If I get platinum half way through this trip will I get 100% bonus miles on the return leg? Does it activate fast enough?
3) along those lines, if i got platinum through the challenge on the first half of the trip would my status be recognized in a week so on the return trip I'd have access to the business lounges through Sapphire and possible upgrades in Cathay?
Basically - is it worth to do the Platinum challenge and does it activate fast enough to reap the benefits on the return trip?
I've got a major trip coming up in April that involves flying from the US to bali through hong kong. Everything is booked through American Airlines in class L operated by Cathay so I get the miles and qualifying points.
1) I've got 3 more weekend trips planned that will fly American. I'll have Gold status no matter what after the next trip, but is it worth it to do the challenge and get Platinum after essentially the first leg here?
2) If I get platinum half way through this trip will I get 100% bonus miles on the return leg? Does it activate fast enough?
3) along those lines, if i got platinum through the challenge on the first half of the trip would my status be recognized in a week so on the return trip I'd have access to the business lounges through Sapphire and possible upgrades in Cathay?
Basically - is it worth to do the Platinum challenge and does it activate fast enough to reap the benefits on the return trip?
Feb 12, 2014, 10:57 am
#49
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 21
new to these boards and need some advice from the experts on the AA challenge:
I've got a major trip coming up in April that involves flying from the US to bali through hong kong. Everything is booked through American Airlines in class L operated by Cathay so I get the miles and qualifying points.
1) I've got 3 more weekend trips planned that will fly American. I'll have Gold status no matter what after the next trip, but is it worth it to do the challenge and get Platinum after essentially the first leg here?
2) If I get platinum half way through this trip will I get 100% bonus miles on the return leg? Does it activate fast enough?
3) along those lines, if i got platinum through the challenge on the first half of the trip would my status be recognized in a week so on the return trip I'd have access to the business lounges through Sapphire and possible upgrades in Cathay?
Basically - is it worth to do the Platinum challenge and does it activate fast enough to reap the benefits on the return trip?
I've got a major trip coming up in April that involves flying from the US to bali through hong kong. Everything is booked through American Airlines in class L operated by Cathay so I get the miles and qualifying points.
1) I've got 3 more weekend trips planned that will fly American. I'll have Gold status no matter what after the next trip, but is it worth it to do the challenge and get Platinum after essentially the first leg here?
2) If I get platinum half way through this trip will I get 100% bonus miles on the return leg? Does it activate fast enough?
3) along those lines, if i got platinum through the challenge on the first half of the trip would my status be recognized in a week so on the return trip I'd have access to the business lounges through Sapphire and possible upgrades in Cathay?
Basically - is it worth to do the Platinum challenge and does it activate fast enough to reap the benefits on the return trip?
Feb 12, 2014, 10:25 pm
#50
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Up in the Air
Programs: OW Emerald
Posts: 524
new to these boards and need some advice from the experts on the AA challenge:
I've got a major trip coming up in April that involves flying from the US to bali through hong kong. Everything is booked through American Airlines in class L operated by Cathay so I get the miles and qualifying points.
1) I've got 3 more weekend trips planned that will fly American. I'll have Gold status no matter what after the next trip, but is it worth it to do the challenge and get Platinum after essentially the first leg here?
2) If I get platinum half way through this trip will I get 100% bonus miles on the return leg? Does it activate fast enough?
3) along those lines, if i got platinum through the challenge on the first half of the trip would my status be recognized in a week so on the return trip I'd have access to the business lounges through Sapphire and possible upgrades in Cathay?
Basically - is it worth to do the Platinum challenge and does it activate fast enough to reap the benefits on the return trip?
I've got a major trip coming up in April that involves flying from the US to bali through hong kong. Everything is booked through American Airlines in class L operated by Cathay so I get the miles and qualifying points.
1) I've got 3 more weekend trips planned that will fly American. I'll have Gold status no matter what after the next trip, but is it worth it to do the challenge and get Platinum after essentially the first leg here?
2) If I get platinum half way through this trip will I get 100% bonus miles on the return leg? Does it activate fast enough?
3) along those lines, if i got platinum through the challenge on the first half of the trip would my status be recognized in a week so on the return trip I'd have access to the business lounges through Sapphire and possible upgrades in Cathay?
Basically - is it worth to do the Platinum challenge and does it activate fast enough to reap the benefits on the return trip?
I believe it's $240 to sign up for a Plat challenge. If you'll be flying American a lot for the rest of the year, it makes sense because the bonus 20-30k miles (potentially 75% of your flying from 10k to 49.9k) outweigh the sign up fee before even counting the upgrades/lounge access.
It usually takes 24-48 hours for the AA to reflect your newly qualified/challenged status and if you qualify for a higher tier in between segments and the system doesn't update quickly enough to give you the 100% plat RDM bonus for the immediate next couple segments, AA should be able to manually adjust the higher bonuses for you after the fact.
The HKG Cathay "The Wing" lounge is one of my favorite lounges, especially the noodle bar section.
Feb 12, 2014, 11:14 pm
#51
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: AA EXP; UA 1k; MR Platinum; SPG Gold
Posts: 167
Feb 13, 2014, 2:32 am
#52
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Up in the Air
Programs: OW Emerald
Posts: 524
Feb 13, 2014, 5:59 am
#53
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 21
Thanks for the advice - I have at least 3 more flights this year on American that are over 3 hours, so getting the platinum just to be able to upgrade to main cabin extra and get the 100% bonus on RDM is worth $240. Also good to know that the status kicks in in the middle of my trip. This should mean I'd get 500 mile upgrades if my return trip is at least 10k miles?
If I get the platinum in April through the Challenge, that only lasts through 2014?
If I then have enough miles to qualify for Gold status without the challenge, will I get this then through 2015 and feb 2016?
A lot of questions, I know - I just want to make sure I have my bases covered b/c I know how particular they can be.. Thanks again!
(On a side note.. I'm really glad I booked all my flights as AA ###s and not through the Cathay website...).
Feb 16, 2014, 4:37 pm
#54
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: St. Louis, MO
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, HHonors Diamond, National
Posts: 126
How Much of a Pest Should I Be?
Corporate travel negotiations has us flying on AA again where I am lifetime Gold. Corporate Travel did get us a status match, but as a Diamond on DL for the last few years, I still only got matched to Platinum. I obtained that quickly and easily but also asked (more like begged) for a Challenge or some option for EXP (which I had been for years prior to the previous switch to DL). I was told Customer Service would get back to me and after about 2 weeks I sent a note to Customer Service and got a very nice phone message saying they were swamped but had my request and would get back to me. It has been another couple of weeks and in a week I will be embarking on about two months of non-stop travel and would, of course, like to be EXP during that time. I got very used to Diamond status (and the automatic UGs) and my time as AA Platinum so far this year, while not awful, has had me in the back and zero UGs (I don't yet have any stickers).
I had been hoping that since I had asked early in the year that maybe the Challenge itself would include prior trips but this thread does not hold out hope there. Of course, getting EXP in itself would be fairly rare so I guess I can't be too annoyed with AA (believe me, I have expressed my annoyance with corporate travel who keeps yanking us around). I would like to press the issue but that has, in the past, just gotten me more annoyed and hasn't seemed to have done much. Just wondering if others have suggestions.
I had been hoping that since I had asked early in the year that maybe the Challenge itself would include prior trips but this thread does not hold out hope there. Of course, getting EXP in itself would be fairly rare so I guess I can't be too annoyed with AA (believe me, I have expressed my annoyance with corporate travel who keeps yanking us around). I would like to press the issue but that has, in the past, just gotten me more annoyed and hasn't seemed to have done much. Just wondering if others have suggestions.
Feb 23, 2014, 5:16 pm
#55
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Nashville, TN
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium.;UA 1.5MM; UA Lifetime Gold (whoppee); DL Plat
Posts: 2,124
Have done dome digging around but have NOT every page in this forum. I am going to do the AA ExePlat challenge this year. It sticks in my feeble mind that if I wait until July or August 1, 2014, my status will extend through 2015, ending in early 2016. If I do it now, my status will only extend through early 2015 Correct?
or can you send me to a link in one of the forums?
PS. After 31 years and an elite on CO/UA, it's a sad state of affairs that, close to retirement, I am looking to switch!
or can you send me to a link in one of the forums?
PS. After 31 years and an elite on CO/UA, it's a sad state of affairs that, close to retirement, I am looking to switch!
Last edited by boss315; Feb 24, 2014 at 10:18 am
Feb 24, 2014, 5:26 pm
#56
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEN
Programs: UA Plat
Posts: 754
I'm in love
Came to AA from UA (Gold there, equivalent to Plat on AA) last year via status match because I was just fed up with the elite upgrade chances on UA domestic flights. At t-48 today got sticker upgrades on my first two flights on AA since the match. Yay!
Feb 24, 2014, 5:28 pm
#57
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Benicia CA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K, AA 3.8MM, UA 1.1MM, enjoying the retired life
Posts: 31,849
How would you compare being an AA flyer at DEN to being a UA flyer? You must have a lot less flight options being that DEN is a UA hub. Able to work around that well enough with AA?
Feb 24, 2014, 8:13 pm
#58
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEN
Programs: UA Plat
Posts: 754
Too soon to say. This will be a trial year to see whether the added inconvenience of connections and less schedule flexibility is worth it. I still fly UA/F9/AC when I can't make AA work. Depends alot, too, on whether AA downgrades to RJs or what I hear to be their horrid A319 on the segments I fly. F9 is actually a really good alternative - their Classic Plus fares are fully refundable and changeable, and not all that expensive. They have 36 inch pitch in Stretch seating. Their FF program sucks, though, and their planes are in dire need of some cabin maintenance.
Feb 25, 2014, 2:46 pm
#59
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Tulsa, OK
Programs: AA EXP, UA Silver, SPG Plat, Marriott Plat
Posts: 1,264
Mar 6, 2014, 8:35 am
#60
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, AA Plat, AS MVPG
Posts: 287
Just completed my EXP challenge, started in December 2013, and my 8 SWUs have already been deposited to my account.
I am correct that if/when I qualify for EXP again this year (by earning the full 100K EQP, in my case), I'll get another set of 8 SWUs (expiring 2016)?
I am correct that if/when I qualify for EXP again this year (by earning the full 100K EQP, in my case), I'll get another set of 8 SWUs (expiring 2016)?