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
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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)
May 14, 2017, 10:28 am
#256
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 47
What I am sure about is that all things that are explicitly listed on the Special Fares page - and this would include things like AA Vacations packages, package purchases from Expedia that include anything in addition to the airfare or any of the other card-card-points-based purchases for packages- should be posting by that table and are correctable. I've done this only with AA Vacations packages, but the others should be the same.
I don't think it's safe to say all packages from all companies should post by the special fares tables and are correctable if they don't. I'd love to hear examples from people who have made these types of purchases from these companies (other than AAVaacations).
May 14, 2017, 11:00 am
#257
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
I was not completely clear, and possibly incorrect in the case of non-package purchases (the danger of assumptions 
).
What I am sure about is that all things that are explicitly listed on the Special Fares page - and this would include things like AA Vacations packages, package purchases from Expedia that include anything in addition to the airfare or any of the other card-card-points-based purchases for packages- should be posting by that table and are correctable. I've done this only with AA Vacations packages, but the others should be the same.
The piece from uclachef that I quoted was prefaced with packages and those should work in all cases based on the wording on the Special Fares page.
Now, in reference t airline-only purchases using those various points methods, I thought that these were also considered special fares since they are not paid with cash, so there is no cash fare. But I can't say that I've seen that definitively written, so can't be sure of what is "correct" and "incorrect."
Inasmuch as I could always find some package that priced less than the airfare alone (and often included things I actually wanted), I rarely purchase flight alone anymore, so I can always get it to post by Special Fare, even if I have to call.
Cheers.
).What I am sure about is that all things that are explicitly listed on the Special Fares page - and this would include things like AA Vacations packages, package purchases from Expedia that include anything in addition to the airfare or any of the other card-card-points-based purchases for packages- should be posting by that table and are correctable. I've done this only with AA Vacations packages, but the others should be the same.
The piece from uclachef that I quoted was prefaced with packages and those should work in all cases based on the wording on the Special Fares page.
Now, in reference t airline-only purchases using those various points methods, I thought that these were also considered special fares since they are not paid with cash, so there is no cash fare. But I can't say that I've seen that definitively written, so can't be sure of what is "correct" and "incorrect."
Inasmuch as I could always find some package that priced less than the airfare alone (and often included things I actually wanted), I rarely purchase flight alone anymore, so I can always get it to post by Special Fare, even if I have to call.
Cheers.
AAVacations is explicitly mentioned on the special fares tables and all your experiences have been with AAVacations (and mine too). I think one determining factor is what type of airfare is obtained from AA, no matter whether it's a flight only or a package. If Expedia or any other provider offers a vacation package at a discount, but behind the scene they are getting the flight at full price and the hotel at a discount, there's a possibility that AA will see this as a normal non-bulk, non-tour, non-consolidator flight purchase. In that case, I would expect the flight to post according to the $-based table and I don't see why they would change it.
I don't think it's safe to say all packages from all companies should post by the special fares tables and are correctable if they don't. I'd love to hear examples from people who have made these types of purchases from these companies (other than AAVaacations).
I don't think it's safe to say all packages from all companies should post by the special fares tables and are correctable if they don't. I'd love to hear examples from people who have made these types of purchases from these companies (other than AAVaacations).
May 14, 2017, 11:33 am
#258
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: LAX
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 111
If I wanted it to credit as a special fare, I would not use a Citi card. I don’t think the travel agency would know. I would also try to add at least one codeshare. Some agents will tell you that they can’t do codeshare flights, but some don’t care.
May 14, 2017, 11:59 am
#259
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,526
AAVacations is explicitly mentioned on the special fares tables and all your experiences have been with AAVacations (and mine too). I think one determining factor is what type of airfare is obtained from AA, no matter whether it's a flight only or a package. If Expedia or any other provider offers a vacation package at a discount, but behind the scene they are getting the flight at full price and the hotel at a discount, there's a possibility that AA will see this as a normal non-bulk, non-tour, non-consolidator flight purchase. In that case, I would expect the flight to post according to the $-based table and I don't see why they would change it.
I don't think it's safe to say all packages from all companies should post by the special fares tables and are correctable if they don't. I'd love to hear examples from people who have made these types of purchases from these companies (other than AAVaacations).
I don't think it's safe to say all packages from all companies should post by the special fares tables and are correctable if they don't. I'd love to hear examples from people who have made these types of purchases from these companies (other than AAVaacations).
Originally Posted by AA Special Fares Blurbage
Bulk fares
Cruise fares
Consolidator fares
Discounted or inclusive tour packages
Vacation packages, including American Airlines Vacations® (AAV) packages
Other tickets where the fare isn't disclosed, excluding bookings made through priceline.com or hotwire.com where the carrier isn't disclosed before buying
For this I'm hard-pressed to come up with any interpretation other than all vacation packages, regardless of source. There is no qualifier on this in a reductive sense, only the (superfluous, but informative) mention that AA Vacations packages are also included. Since "Vacation packages" are covered, I don't see how they could deny a vacation package from Expedia, Travelocity, or Joe's Vacation Package Company. Seems unambiguous to me.
Things like flight only using TYP, or similar- more nebulous. One could interpret "Other tickets where the fare isn't disclosed, excluding bookings made through priceline.com or hotwire.com where the carrier isn't disclosed before buying" as covering this since the fare is typically disclosed in the credit card currency and not (explicitly) in dollars. Definitely more nebulous, but I would contend that it would be worth contesting based on this language and seeing what happened.
Cheers.
May 14, 2017, 12:15 pm
#260
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
I recently booked a flight with TYP plus dollars, which is showing up as rate based fare. I booked a 15 segment run which I will credit to BA, so I don’t really care. I had to call many times to find an agent that was able to book my ticket. I was told that I had to use a Citi card to pay. I believe this is why it is showing up as rate based.
If I wanted it to credit as a special fare, I would not use a Citi card. I don’t think the travel agency would know. I would also try to add at least one codeshare. Some agents will tell you that they can’t do codeshare flights, but some don’t care.
If I wanted it to credit as a special fare, I would not use a Citi card. I don’t think the travel agency would know. I would also try to add at least one codeshare. Some agents will tell you that they can’t do codeshare flights, but some don’t care.
But the question brp raised, if I understood correctly, was a different one: What happens when you buy a "vacation package" from someone other than AAVacations?
May 14, 2017, 12:27 pm
#261
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
So here is the blurbage above the Special Fares table in its entirety
Vacation packages, including American Airlines Vacations® (AAV)
For this I'm hard-pressed to come up with any interpretation other than all vacation packages, regardless of source. There is no qualifier on this in a reductive sense, only the (superfluous, but informative) mention that AA Vacations packages are also included. Since "Vacation packages" are covered, I don't see how they could deny a vacation package from Expedia, Travelocity, or Joe's Vacation Package Company. Seems unambiguous to me.
Vacation packages, including American Airlines Vacations® (AAV)
For this I'm hard-pressed to come up with any interpretation other than all vacation packages, regardless of source. There is no qualifier on this in a reductive sense, only the (superfluous, but informative) mention that AA Vacations packages are also included. Since "Vacation packages" are covered, I don't see how they could deny a vacation package from Expedia, Travelocity, or Joe's Vacation Package Company. Seems unambiguous to me.
Things like flight only using TYP, or similar- more nebulous. One could interpret "Other tickets where the fare isn't disclosed, excluding bookings made through priceline.com or hotwire.com where the carrier isn't disclosed before buying" as covering this since the fare is typically disclosed in the credit card currency and not (explicitly) in dollars. Definitely more nebulous, but I would contend that it would be worth contesting based on this language and seeing what happened.
Cheers.
Cheers.
- You get a bulk ticket, and then Special Fares apply
- Citi has to buy the ticket from AA , and then it's fare-based
If the latter happens, I really don't see that you have a viable argument. AA knew the fare, and proceeded accordingly.
May 14, 2017, 12:52 pm
#262
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,526
I just don't think that reports of how things initially post will be informative since we already know that errors happen and are fixable.
...so one of two things happen:
- You get a bulk ticket, and then Special Fares apply
- Citi has to buy the ticket from AA , and then it's fare-based
If the latter happens, I really don't see that you have a viable argument. AA knew the fare, and proceeded accordingly.
- You get a bulk ticket, and then Special Fares apply
- Citi has to buy the ticket from AA , and then it's fare-based
If the latter happens, I really don't see that you have a viable argument. AA knew the fare, and proceeded accordingly.
But, as with all things nebulous, it will come down to the agent(s) and how eloquently one can plead their case.
Cheers.
May 14, 2017, 3:01 pm
#263
Join Date: May 2011
Location: LAX/DCA
Programs: AA GLD
Posts: 126
We know paying with TYPs sometimes gets you Special Fares, sometimes not; it's not clear whether paying with a mix of TYPs and $ has any effect on that. And I really doubt that your choice of which card to use when buying through a Travel Agent makes any difference.
But the question brp raised, if I understood correctly, was a different one: What happens when you buy a "vacation package" from someone other than AAVacations?
But the question brp raised, if I understood correctly, was a different one: What happens when you buy a "vacation package" from someone other than AAVacations?
May 14, 2017, 9:14 pm
#264
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Gatwick, UK
Programs: UA *G, BA Silver
Posts: 1,671
My hunch is that it actually depends whether the ticket actually comes from American - but you only get the 1.6 cents value when getting an 001 ticket. Which means you can pay more TYPs and get Special Fares, or pay significantly fewer TYPs and get fare-based accrual.
But I could be quite wrong - anyone out there had Special Fares when buying a 1.6 cent per TYP fare?
May 14, 2017, 10:02 pm
#265
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,526
Cheers.
May 14, 2017, 10:24 pm
#266
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 47
May 14, 2017, 10:37 pm
#267
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,526
Cheers.
May 15, 2017, 12:13 am
#268
Join Date: May 2011
Location: LAX/DCA
Programs: AA GLD
Posts: 126
Mine was WAS-NRT, and the 2x figure didn't include hotel costs. With them, for both tickets, we are at around 1.3x (that's for six nights in Tokyo).
May 15, 2017, 11:31 am
#269
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
Again, my viewpoint is that it doesn't matter. Based on AA's wording, it should post by distance, otherwise it's just wrong. Then, no matter how it posts, it should be fixable. More relevant, I think, than stories about how it first posts are any stories where it was not fixed (and the ostensible justification) after calling.
I just don't think that reports of how things initially post will be informative since we already know that errors happen and are fixable.
The argument (albeit more tenuous, I agree) would be using their own language about "fare isn't disclosed" since, no matter what Citi may do after-the-fact, the fare is not disclosed (other than in a currency like TYP) at the time of purchase.
But, as with all things nebulous, it will come down to the agent(s) and how eloquently one can plead their case.
Cheers.
I just don't think that reports of how things initially post will be informative since we already know that errors happen and are fixable.
The argument (albeit more tenuous, I agree) would be using their own language about "fare isn't disclosed" since, no matter what Citi may do after-the-fact, the fare is not disclosed (other than in a currency like TYP) at the time of purchase.
But, as with all things nebulous, it will come down to the agent(s) and how eloquently one can plead their case.
Cheers.
May 16, 2017, 1:30 pm
#270
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: DFW
Posts: 1,145
Any issues not using the hotel
I'm looking to book a flight to HKG, I'm interested in using AA Vacations and adding on a hostel that I have no intention of using. The extra $10 it will cost me above the flight is worth the chance to see, as others have stated, that it will post as a special fare. Since I don't plan on checking into the hostel (the room option actually gives me only one choice, female dormitory, and i'm male), do you all cancel the reservation at the hostel later or just no show and don't worry about it? I don't want this to affect my flight. I also plan on using SWU's, and some report it posting as special fares and others say it changes it. And is AA Vacations the best place to purchase? I have chase, AA Vaca and I also have my company travel agency, so didn't know what would be better. Thank you.
