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SWU / Rewards for EXP and Beyond [more than 200k EQP/EQM - what next?]

Old Oct 27, 2015, 10:09 am
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SWU / Rewards for EXP and Beyond [more than 200K EQP/EQM]

Executive Platinum AAdvantage members with 150,000 and 200,000 EQ Miles will automatically receive two extra SWU / Systemwide Upgrades (two at 150,000 EQM and at 200,000 EQM thereafter, earned in the same calendar year).

If you think you are eligible and have not received them, call AAdvantage Customer Service:

AAdvantage Customer Service
Have questions about your AAdvantage account or program benefits?
Call us
Within the U.S. or Canada
800-882-8880 or your elite reservation number

Monday - Friday.
8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. CT

817-963-7882 (fax)
Note that re/qualifying in 2016 and onward earns four (4) SWU; two SWU at 150k and 200k EQM. Passing 250,000 EQM generally earns no more SWU, but particularly high value flyers and CK might get additional SWU by requesting them. This is possible, not probable.

Rumor: new elite level(s) and low-fare product details coming
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SWU / Rewards for EXP and Beyond [more than 200k EQP/EQM - what next?]

Old Aug 19, 2015, 10:04 pm
  #136  
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,384
Originally Posted by FullFare
It shouldn't have to be a mystery, with one guy calling in and getting different treatment from another. Or playing favorites.

If that's the way AA wants it, then they've lost me (and others) on this issue.
Give them some time. They are working through the merger. What makes sense for US folks. What makes sense for AA folks. What works between both camps etc.

I would expect more transparency and fairness with moving to a revenue based model for example. Perhaps next year?
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Old Aug 19, 2015, 10:22 pm
  #137  
 
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Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)
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Originally Posted by FullFare
AA could do with more transparency on who can get extra SWU's. It shouldn't have to be a mystery, with one guy calling in and getting different treatment from another. Or playing favorites.
I thought the Elite Rewards program was great, everything published, and clearly providing incentives to keep flying AA. That said, it doesn't bother me that AA assigns a value to their customers and takes that into account when allocating rewards/incentives. This is a fairly common practice across industries. As one example familiar to many here in these forums, if you call your credit card company and say that the annual fee is bothering you, the agent might offer to waive it, or to give you a statement credit if you spend a certain amount in the next month or three, or offer bonus miles/points in exchange for certain spend, or tell you that you can cancel. Which offer you get is determined by your assessed value as a cardholder. This is exactly the same as what AA is doing. I know I'm not a 5-Eagle, and that's fine. I'm also not CK, and that's also fine.

Originally Posted by FullFare
If that's the way AA wants it, then they've lost me (and others) on this issue. UA is consistent: Go over 100K and you get 2 regionals every 25K and 2 SWU's every 50K.
Have you likewise cancelled credit cards because the company gives some cardholders better offers than others?

Originally Posted by FullFare
So every year I quit flying AA after getting my 100K eqp in the first 3 months. The rest go to DL. UA's service is in the toilet so I and the wife are probably going to just stay plat with them as 2k mm flyers.
If you're allocating your "excess" flying to DL because the value proposition works for you, then great. The airlines expect that. If you're doing it out of spite, then I'm not sure that's in your best interests.
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Old Aug 19, 2015, 10:42 pm
  #138  
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Originally Posted by FullFare
Appreciate JonNYC's numerous points on this issue. I have two of my own to add. First, AA could do with more transparency on who can get extra SWU's. It shouldn't have to be a mystery, with one guy calling in and getting different treatment from another. Or playing favorites.

If that's the way AA wants it, then they've lost me (and others) on this issue. UA is consistent: Go over 100K and you get 2 regionals every 25K and 2 SWU's every 50K. I've gotten that for years. Ad infinitum. No guesswork or favoritism that I can see.

As for DL, they simply roll over the extra miles from your achieved threshold towards next years medallion miles. I like that. This year, I'm going to have 175K on DL. I'm already Diamond---and 50K toward Diamond next year. Not bad, and at least predictable.

So every year I quit flying AA after getting my 100K eqp in the first 3 months. The rest go to DL. UA's service is in the toilet so I and the wife are probably going to just stay plat with them as 2k mm flyers.
With the *greatest* of respect, I, too, see a "cut off one's nose to spite their face" factor in your post/approach/attitude about the whole thing as well. I can't really make sense of it, personally speaking. I'm sure you'd qualify for 2 SWUs at every 25K over quite easily, I'd almost bet on it.

THAT SAID-- your cash, your call and much respect to anyone who knows what they want and what works for them and picks that instead of something they don't want that doesn't work for them.
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Old Aug 20, 2015, 8:10 am
  #139  
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: San Jose, CA USA
Posts: 1,787
Originally Posted by JonNYC
With the *greatest* of respect, I, too, see a "cut off one's nose to spite their face" factor in your post/approach/attitude about the whole thing as well. I can't really make sense of it, personally speaking. I'm sure you'd qualify for 2 SWUs at every 25K over quite easily, I'd almost bet on it.

THAT SAID-- your cash, your call and much respect to anyone who knows what they want and what works for them and picks that instead of something they don't want that doesn't work for them.
The last part of your post makes sense. The first part looks like you're struggling to agree with me in the first sentence. The last sentence of the first paragraph makes sense, too. No cutting off of the nose, just pointing out that AA's competitors do something better in the >100K flying sector, and without having one need to call in and meet some unknown, or variable, criteria.

A stimulant to my abandoning UA over DL out of SFO was DL's putting up 7 non-stops a day on the SFO-JFK route. UA is pulling out---going for EWR. AA was once a serious player, but is often down to 4 non-stops a day, with usually a huge gap in departure from 8:30 AM to 3PM. So, once I started flying DL a lot (SFO-JFK is our main route---at least once, twice a month) the miles started piling up.

Even though DL's FF plan sucks by many's standards, the rollover of elite flying miles is a powerful thing that has influenced me. Doubt that would ever get on AA's radar. If you're the flyer---AAdvantage to DL.
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Old Aug 28, 2015, 10:37 pm
  #140  
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Everywhere you wanna be
Programs: AA EP | UA 1K
Posts: 1,657
With this year's EQP promotion i'm on track to earn 32,000 EQP for one r/t flight between DFW-HKG in J. I'll call the EP desk once i pass 125k EQPs to see if i get anything cool.
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Old Sep 2, 2015, 8:06 am
  #141  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Global
Posts: 5,975
Originally Posted by FullFare
... First, AA could do with more transparency on who can get extra SWU's. It shouldn't have to be a mystery, with one guy calling in and getting different treatment from another. Or playing favorites.

...
FWIW - AA does treat everyone the same. (Maybe not at the first level, but, the internal policy is pretty straight forward.)

How you get your EQP/EQM directly affects your ability to get additional SWU's.
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Old Sep 2, 2015, 9:52 am
  #142  
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 3,698
Originally Posted by 110pgl
FWIW - AA does treat everyone the same. (Maybe not at the first level, but, the internal policy is pretty straight forward.)

How you get your EQP/EQM directly affects your ability to get additional SWU's.
Maybe so, but the lack of transparency (and, frankly, the need to call in at all) really gets rid of a lot of the motivation to invest more in AA tickets. I've been at about 90+K EQP since June and have mostly transitioned into some combination of award tickets and other carriers and the occasional ticket on AA where they clearly offer the best value proposition, but at this point would prefer to get some level of status on Delta versus hoping that after I spend a bunch more money on AA that I might hypothetically get some benefit. (And now that I'm paying for more premium cabin tickets, more SWUs isn't actually an awesome incentive--I let a few expire last year and will be hard-pressed to use my remaining 5 this year.)

Elite rewards was nice and kept me flying AA. The double-secret-handshake-if-you're-in-the-club approach to 125K+ fliers is off-putting and annoying. Even if it's irrational for people to stop flying AA because of this, it's still AA's fault for designing a program in a way that annoys people instead of making them happy for continuing to spend money with them.
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Old Sep 2, 2015, 10:11 am
  #143  
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Originally Posted by 110pgl
FWIW - AA does treat everyone the same. (Maybe not at the first level, but, the internal policy is pretty straight forward.)
You are incorrect about that-- member's Helix score determines what they are eligible for.
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Old Sep 2, 2015, 10:50 am
  #144  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Global
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Originally Posted by jordyn
Maybe so, but the lack of transparency (and, frankly, the need to call in at all) really gets rid of a lot of the motivation to invest more in AA tickets. I've been at about 90+K EQP since June and have mostly transitioned into some combination of award tickets and other carriers and the occasional ticket on AA where they clearly offer the best value proposition, but at this point would prefer to get some level of status on Delta versus hoping that after I spend a bunch more money on AA that I might hypothetically get some benefit. (And now that I'm paying for more premium cabin tickets, more SWUs isn't actually an awesome incentive--I let a few expire last year and will be hard-pressed to use my remaining 5 this year.)

Elite rewards was nice and kept me flying AA. The double-secret-handshake-if-you're-in-the-club approach to 125K+ fliers is off-putting and annoying. Even if it's irrational for people to stop flying AA because of this, it's still AA's fault for designing a program in a way that annoys people instead of making them happy for continuing to spend money with them.
I understand the frustration and I agree about the need to call in being a pain. The need to call in will get fixed, but the secrecy about eligibility will remain.
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Old Sep 2, 2015, 11:51 am
  #145  
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Purely personal exchanges that distill down to their essence as "mine is bigger than yours" will be summarily deleted; they are dilatory to the topic, disruptive and contrary to the the Rules.

Thank you.

/Moderator

P.S. There's a fairly decent article about Helix scores here: http://theforwardcabin.boardingarea....anking-system/

Last edited by JDiver; Sep 2, 2015 at 11:57 am
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Old Sep 2, 2015, 8:23 pm
  #146  
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: San Jose, CA USA
Posts: 1,787
Originally Posted by JDiver
There's a fairly decent article about Helix scores here: http://theforwardcabin.boardingarea....anking-system/
Thans for putting us on to the "Helix" system. It totally reinforces previous posters' points (and mine) about lack of transparency. Frankly, if the airline wants to adulate and reward its customers, it can do it equitably and without mystery, which is what we are seeing now. It can simply put it out in the open.

In my opinion, Delta Airlines does that far better and, despite that their frequent flyer program has been stingy and in need of improvement, it is light years ahead in transparency compared to all these shenanigans at AA with concierge key, who may get illusory SWU's, (upon request? upon appeal?) and who is a better helix customer.

FWIW, most of the services comparing DL and AA (pre-flight and in-flight) are fairly equivalent. As for UA, that airline is in the toilet. Their employee morale is palpably poorer, and their reliability for flights is, as most know, worse than most. Their FF program is the best thing they have---until you have to rely on getting on to their flight and having a nice experience on the flight.

Delta's plan to roll over elite qualifying miles (which AA doesn't have, nor does UA) is very powerful to folks like me. I would really like to hear if other posters like it as much as I.

Delta is opening its new (security-side) club at SFO tomorrow. I'm going on it to JFK. A by-product of UA abandoning the route and AA cutting service. Seven years ago I could never imagined I would be taking DL regularly
SFO-JFK, but that is what it is. Wife and I have both made diamond on DL. Thank you AA.

<redacted>

Last edited by Microwave; Sep 3, 2015 at 10:03 am Reason: Edited quote of mod post, and comments about moderation
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Old Sep 2, 2015, 9:48 pm
  #147  
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Everywhere you wanna be
Programs: AA EP | UA 1K
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I'm guessing AA doesn't publish these internal criteria because they are subjective and also because they are meant only to reward high spenders. High spenders will spend regardless, they don't need a magical quota or number to attain for. AA doesn't want to cater to mileage runners, most airlines don't.
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Old Sep 3, 2015, 1:28 am
  #148  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
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Originally Posted by FullFare
Thans for putting us on to the "Helix" system. It totally reinforces previous posters' points (and mine) about lack of transparency. Frankly, if the airline wants to adulate and reward its customers, it can do it equitably and without mystery, which is what we are seeing now. It can simply put it out in the open.

In my opinion, Delta Airlines does that far better and, despite that their frequent flyer program has been stingy and in need of improvement, it is light years ahead in transparency compared to all these shenanigans at AA with concierge key, who may get illusory SWU's, (upon request? upon appeal?) and who is a better helix customer.

FWIW, most of the services comparing DL and AA (pre-flight and in-flight) are fairly equivalent. As for UA, that airline is in the toilet. Their employee morale is palpably poorer, and their reliability for flights is, as most know, worse than most. Their FF program is the best thing they have---until you have to rely on getting on to their flight and having a nice experience on the flight.

Delta's plan to roll over elite qualifying miles (which AA doesn't have, nor does UA) is very powerful to folks like me. I would really like to hear if other posters like it as much as I.

Delta is opening its new (security-side) club at SFO tomorrow. I'm going on it to JFK. A by-product of UA abandoning the route and AA cutting service. Seven years ago I could never imagined I would be taking DL regularly
SFO-JFK, but that is what it is. Wife and I have both made diamond on DL. Thank you AA.
You're a 1k, DM and EXP at the same time (?) - maybe you're just flying _too_ much? Maybe the 0.5% of road warriors like you need another tier on each program (aside from CK,GS,younameit). Apparently this issue is just not as important as you think it might be.

Last edited by Microwave; Sep 3, 2015 at 10:05 am Reason: Edited quote of redacted post
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Old Sep 3, 2015, 6:02 am
  #149  
 
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Originally Posted by jordyn
Maybe so, but the lack of transparency (and, frankly, the need to call in at all) really gets rid of a lot of the motivation to invest more in AA tickets.
Why do people get so upset at the need to call in, and the secrecy? I agree that Elite Rewards, as a published program, was nice, but what AA is doing now (and what they did before Elite Rewards) is very common across industries. One example that is the topic of much discussion here on FT is credit card companies' offering to waive annual fees and/or award extra benefits. This is also secretive and variable. You have to call, and even then which offers you get, if any, depend on how valuable you are to the credit card company. Yet I'm not aware that this secrecy and need to call in gets people so upset they switch their business to another card. (I've made this point before, but I don't think anyone bothers to read back more than a few posts.)

Originally Posted by FullFare
Frankly, if the airline wants to adulate and reward its customers, it can do it equitably and without mystery, which is what we are seeing now. It can simply put it out in the open.
I agree that an open and published program is nicer, but I don't see the big deal with a secret one, either. I expect most companies to secretly rank my value as a customer, and am not surprised nor upset if they act on it.
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Old Sep 3, 2015, 6:54 am
  #150  
 
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I finally received confirmation from aadvantage that only 150,000eqp would trigger extra SWUs. I am glad for this thread as it allows me to make informed plans, instead of hoping for more. So I just switched some J flights to other airlines.

Lets hope for a better promo year 2016 that incentifies us to fly more just my 2 cents
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