Jun 8, 2016, 10:32 am
Last edit by: JDiver
Earning Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQD) on AA and partner airlines
Minimum Spend" requirement for each status tier began 1 Jan 2017
Minimum Spend" requirement for each status tier began 1 Jan 2017
In addition to the required EQM or EQS (same as 2016) to earn status in 2017 and onward one must also earn "Elite Qualifying Dollars" / "EQD" spend credit as follows (during the calendar year):
"Starting January 1, 2017, we’ll add Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs) to our earning requirements. Qualify in 1 of 2 ways:
- Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) + Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs)
- Elite Qualifying Segments (EQSs) + Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs)
EQDs will be awarded based on:
- Ticket price (base fare plus carrier-imposed fees, excluding any government-imposed taxes and fees) on American-marketed flights
- Flights marketed by oneworld® carriers, "Special Fares" such as some AA Vacations flights, Thank You Points purchased fares, etc. earn EQDs based on a percentage of the flight distance and the fare class purchased
With the addition of EQDs, the rule that 4 segments must be traveled on American or American Eagle during the qualifying year to receive elite status has been eliminated.
NOTE: EQD credit varies for "Special Fares" (e.g. "select flights" included in AAVacations packages), and the chart for those changed on 11 Jan 2017. See here.2019 Status qualification tiers and requirements: link
- [*]
- [*]
- [*]
- [*]
aa.com: aa.com is updated to show EQM, EQD and RDM/AW for your convenience when booking and in your account for keeping informed about your accruals.
Another impact of EQD is on upgrade priority within status tiers instead of time of upgrade request (FYI only, not discussion here):
Change to upgrade priority to EQD-based priority
The way your upgrade request is prioritized changed in 2017. You’ll be listed according to the type of upgrade, by your elite status level followed by the number of EQDs earned in the last 12 months. The date of upgrade request will no longer be used except to break ties not resolved by higher priority levels. Applies both upgrade request and airport list if request goes to airport list.
Partners (AS and oneworld): accrual of EQM and EQD as reflected on charts on aa.com.
FAQ
Q. How will AA EQD be calculated?
Yes: Base fare plus carrier imposed fees, e.g. YQ etc. (Status buyup fees will count.)
No: Taxes, government or airport imposed fees, e.g. PSC, APD, TSA, etc. and ancillary fees (see below)
Q. How will flights on other oneworld carriers, AS, and "Special Fares" qualify for EQD?
Partner earning tables are here and special fare table here on aa.com.
Q. Will checked bag fees, seat purchases, LFBU and 500-mile upgrades, buy miles, or other products/service fees count toward earning award miles and EQDs? (AA FAQ)
No, only the base fare paid for your ticket including any carrier-imposed fees will count toward earning award miles and EQDs. Fees for other products or services will not be awarded miles or EQDs, including but not limited to the following: checked (or overweight) baggage fees, Admirals Club® memberships (or passes), Wi-Fi passes, in-flight food and beverage purchases, in-flight entertainment, unaccompanied minor fees, pet travel fees, 500-mile upgrades, mileage upgrade cash co-payments, Mileage Multiplier, BuyMiles, GiftMiles, ShareMiles or other mileage purchases, ticket change fees, ticketing fees, same-day confirmed flight change or standby fees and service charges. (Status buyup fees will count, however.)
Resources:
GLOSSARY:
EQD: Elite Qualifying Dollars (base fare + carrier imposed fees, - government imposed taxes and fees
EQM: Elite Qualifying Miles (accrual depends on fare basis, airline and base miles flown)
EQS: Elite Qualifying Segments (discrete segment marketed as AA)
Platinum Pro: new tier beginning 1/1/17 requiring $9,000 EQD and 75,000 EQM or 90 EQS in one calendar year
Links
Link to FT: JUST THE FACTS: EQD, status tier, other changes announced 6 Jun 2016
Link to AAdvantage Program Updates page on aa.com (including FAQ).
Link to Gary Leff's "View from the Wing" blog article on these changes.
Link to Ben "Lucky" Schlappig's take in "One Mile at a Time" on View From the Boarding Area
GUIDE: Earning EQD / Elite Qualifying Dollars on AA & partner airlines (as of 2019)
Oct 15, 2017, 8:03 am
#451
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 181
Don't go by whether the fare shows on the AA website. Maybe that means something, and maybe not (or maybe not anymore) but the fare rules are the way to know for sure whether you're buying a consolidator fare. Better yet, you can read them before you buy the ticket. Look for the word "wholesale" in the rules...if it's there, it's a bulk ticket.
Oct 15, 2017, 10:16 am
#452
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: DCA/IAD/WAS
Programs: MAR AMB, WOH Explorist, AA EXP, UA 2P
Posts: 2,136
I really have no idea. But in case somebody knows how to make sense of it, here are the details:
The AAV package was ORD-DUB-LHR-PRG-LHR-ORD including 3-night stay (throwaway) at a hostel in Prague that I estimate was $35 of the total: $498.64 all-in. The receipt said the package price was $87.82 with $410.82 in taxes and carrier-imposed fees.
All the short legs (DUB-LHR-PRG-LHR) posted by distance ("fare unavailable") for a total of 389 EQD. The ORD-DUB and LHR-ORD legs posted by fare, 149 and 151 EQD respectively.
So I ended up with 689 EQD for under $500, which is hard to complain about. But if it had all posted by distance it would have been 1152 EQD, which would have been even better. It's not a big deal for me as I'm at 14k EQD for the year with 94k EQM (and still plenty of flying left to do), but I thought it was worth pointing out to the community since plenty of us (well, at least one of us) had internalized that AAV was the one "sure" way to have something post as a special fare.
The AAV package was ORD-DUB-LHR-PRG-LHR-ORD including 3-night stay (throwaway) at a hostel in Prague that I estimate was $35 of the total: $498.64 all-in. The receipt said the package price was $87.82 with $410.82 in taxes and carrier-imposed fees.
All the short legs (DUB-LHR-PRG-LHR) posted by distance ("fare unavailable") for a total of 389 EQD. The ORD-DUB and LHR-ORD legs posted by fare, 149 and 151 EQD respectively.
So I ended up with 689 EQD for under $500, which is hard to complain about. But if it had all posted by distance it would have been 1152 EQD, which would have been even better. It's not a big deal for me as I'm at 14k EQD for the year with 94k EQM (and still plenty of flying left to do), but I thought it was worth pointing out to the community since plenty of us (well, at least one of us) had internalized that AAV was the one "sure" way to have something post as a special fare.
Oct 16, 2017, 11:06 am
#454
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
Oct 16, 2017, 11:10 am
#455
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
Since it seems TYP-purchased trips these days earn distance-based, we'd be very interested to know the details in your case. Please keep us informed on the remaining segments. Was this an international trip?
Oct 16, 2017, 8:58 pm
#456
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 47
If you don't have elite status until after you meet all the challenge requirements, then no, the EQMs from the trip won't count towards your 500-mile upgrades.
BTW, this topic probably belongs in the "Sticker" / 500-mile E-Upgrades & EXP "UDU" Upgrade Protocols / Questions thread or the HELP DESK & FAQ: NEW 2017 Gold and Platinum status Challenge thread. This doesn't have anything to do with EQDs.
Oct 17, 2017, 7:44 pm
#457
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: COU
Programs: AA EXP, Bonvoy Ambassador, Hertz PC
Posts: 499
I don't have a TY-generating card, but my understanding is that the TY portal situation is the same as AMEX and Chase: sometimes they're bulk tickets and sometimes not. My read of the anecdotal evidence suggests it might be a higher percentage of the time at TY, but still...always check the fare rules.
Oct 17, 2017, 7:48 pm
#458
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: COU
Programs: AA EXP, Bonvoy Ambassador, Hertz PC
Posts: 499
Did the segments all show the * when you booked the itinerary? If so, then you can argue they should all be distanced based per the new terms. Also, I believe the terms changed in early June (?) to specifically make this distinction about the *. If you booked prior to that, you have a great argument that they should all post by distance.
Anyway, again, it's not a big deal; I don't need the EQD anyway other than to push me up further in the upgrade list vs other EXP. And I still got more than 1 EQD/$, so I still get to feel clever.
Oct 18, 2017, 7:31 am
#459
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: South Florida
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, Marriott Platinium
Posts: 1,334
When I booked I still thought I knew that all AAV packages earned as special fares. So I wasn't looking for the * when I booked. I sort of assume that the * wasn't there and they aren't doing anything wrong, but the more practical consideration is I don't have any way to find out or to prove it to AA anyway. As for the time of booking, it was just a couple days before I left, so right at the end of August; no help there.
Anyway, again, it's not a big deal; I don't need the EQD anyway other than to push me up further in the upgrade list vs other EXP. And I still got more than 1 EQD/$, so I still get to feel clever.
Anyway, again, it's not a big deal; I don't need the EQD anyway other than to push me up further in the upgrade list vs other EXP. And I still got more than 1 EQD/$, so I still get to feel clever.
Oct 18, 2017, 10:48 am
#460
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: BWI
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 82
Just another data point and something I haven't seen mentioned before, I just booked DCA-LAX-SYD using Ultimate Rewards. The fare rules when I was searching used the magic word "wholesale".
When I view the reservation at AA.com, it doesn't have the fare information under Cost Summary and the Mileage Multiplier offer is based on the actual miles flown:
DCA-LAX-SYD is 19580 miles round trip and the offer is 19590 miles. I feel pretty confident the miles will post based on distance rather than fare, which will be quite nice for the price I paid.
When I view the reservation at AA.com, it doesn't have the fare information under Cost Summary and the Mileage Multiplier offer is based on the actual miles flown:
DCA-LAX-SYD is 19580 miles round trip and the offer is 19590 miles. I feel pretty confident the miles will post based on distance rather than fare, which will be quite nice for the price I paid.
Oct 18, 2017, 1:18 pm
#461
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 181
I think Citi is profiting from the fares though, as I noticed that the published fare was $318 and the "wholesale" fare I booked was $330. I managed to get the $318 fare to actually show up in the TY Portal, but the word "wholesale" was not in the fare rules. When I tried to book it as 2 OW rather than a RT, the sum of the fares was $330, and "wholesale" was in the fare rules. Interestingly though, the fare bases for both legs were exactly the same for the $330 wholesale and the $318 published fare.
Oct 19, 2017, 3:09 pm
#462
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SBA
Programs: UA & AA 1 million miler
Posts: 1,134
I have a screen shot which shows (*) just before I was going to book it online, but I didn't because I had to call AAV to use a transportation voucher.
Anyway I sent email to AAV and 1 month later today I received a phone call from AAV. What a surprise! She said she researched my reservation, and also contacted AAdvantage desk and EXP desk. She understood what happened. At this point they can't do anything, but after the trip I need to call AAV to fix it if mileage is calculated by fare.
I will see how I earn miles then...
Anyway I sent email to AAV and 1 month later today I received a phone call from AAV. What a surprise! She said she researched my reservation, and also contacted AAdvantage desk and EXP desk. She understood what happened. At this point they can't do anything, but after the trip I need to call AAV to fix it if mileage is calculated by fare.
I will see how I earn miles then...
Originally Posted by MrJBoy View Post
I have purchased an AAvacations package.
I had an AA transportation voucher to pay for air portion, so I called AAV.
Before I called them, I double checked the booking codes had (*) asterisks.
I called and paid for hotel portion by credit card and then I got email confirmation.
However, it doesn't show (*) next to the booking code...
I have purchased an AAvacations package.
I had an AA transportation voucher to pay for air portion, so I called AAV.
Before I called them, I double checked the booking codes had (*) asterisks.
I called and paid for hotel portion by credit card and then I got email confirmation.
However, it doesn't show (*) next to the booking code...
Oct 21, 2017, 7:07 am
#463
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 2
[QUOTE=aztimm;28851380]I'd have to say that the easiest thing to maximize EQD (and probably EQM too), for the best price, is to buy premium fares on a oneworld partner, such as JL, CX, BA, etc.
BA had a deal WAS/NYC - ATH about a month ago; biz for about $1500, but unfortunately I thought too long and by the the time I went to book it was mostly gone.
Premium Economy on partners seems to be a good way also. There's a help thread in the Mileage Run Discussion forum if you have specific questions (you post where you are, the EQM/EQD you're short, time you can take, $ you can spend) and people will answer your question:
I have EP this year and next but I think I'm doing it the hard way. When I buy a BA ticket on the BA website, how do I confirm it will be credited to AA?
BA had a deal WAS/NYC - ATH about a month ago; biz for about $1500, but unfortunately I thought too long and by the the time I went to book it was mostly gone.
Premium Economy on partners seems to be a good way also. There's a help thread in the Mileage Run Discussion forum if you have specific questions (you post where you are, the EQM/EQD you're short, time you can take, $ you can spend) and people will answer your question:
I have EP this year and next but I think I'm doing it the hard way. When I buy a BA ticket on the BA website, how do I confirm it will be credited to AA?
Last edited by stevemus; Oct 21, 2017 at 7:09 am Reason: font
Oct 21, 2017, 8:14 am
#464
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,527
Cheers.
Oct 21, 2017, 8:27 am
#465
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Travel Safety/Security & Texas, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: AUS / GRK
Programs: AA, HHonors, Hertz
Posts: 13,484
You have to make sure that your AAdvantage number is in the reservation. Unfortunately, no way to do this on BA.com. You can call BA, or you can pull up the reservation on the Royal Jordanian site (rj.com) using the BA PNR and change it there. If the AAdvantage number is on the reservation, it will credit to AA.
Cheers.
Cheers.
What problems are you having doing this?