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)
Apr 8, 2018, 6:48 am
#556
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: USA & UK -- AA EXP 3.5MM, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Plat, Avis President's Club
Posts: 6,411
What would be the EQM/EQD and miles earned for this flight, for a AA Gold member?
FLL-MAA
FLL-MAA
Also, how do I find out before such a booking about EQD/EQM and miles earned? Will such information, if it is booked at AA.com, be available before booking?
Apr 8, 2018, 6:52 am
#557
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,605
Yes, when you book on AA.com, one of the screens (where it first shows you the total dollar amount) also shows you the total EQMs and EQDs. Take a screenshot, because it's impossible to get back to that screen after you finalize the booking.Yes, it makes all the difference in the world. A ticket purchased from AA.com has an "AA" flight number and earns according to the American chart ... by fare class. A ticket purchased from BA has a "BA" flight number and earns according to the "Earning AAdvantage Miles on British Airways" chart ... by distance flown. In some cases, the difference is negligible. In other cases, the difference is huge. As a general rule, the cheaper the fare class, the more beneficial it becomes to earn by Distance rather than by Dollars.
Both AA and BA are able to sell tickets where travel can be on the other airline. BA can sell tickets for travel on AA with an AA flight number
What matters is the marketing carrier for the flight , not who sold it
Apr 8, 2018, 11:29 am
#558
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Gatwick, UK
Programs: UA *G, BA Silver
Posts: 1,673
The person did not indicate purchase on the website, but just through AA or BA
Both AA and BA are able to sell tickets where travel can be on the other airline. BA can sell tickets for travel on AA with an AA flight number
What matters is the marketing carrier for the flight , not who sold it
Both AA and BA are able to sell tickets where travel can be on the other airline. BA can sell tickets for travel on AA with an AA flight number
What matters is the marketing carrier for the flight , not who sold it
I haven't checked the numbers, but this looks like one where the BA ticket will earn you 25% fewer EQMs but maybe a few more EQDs.
On the other hand the AA ticket is $750 cheaper, which is quite a saving if the OP is paying for this him or herself.
Apr 8, 2018, 5:47 pm
#559
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 199
Thank you all for the replies.
By the way, when I checked yesterday, the fare was the same on both AA and BA, but after reading SeattleDavid's post above, I checked again, and indeed the BA price is higher!
But, for that FLL-MAA around those dates, the fare is around $3100 for both BA and AA (for example, for a flight starting about 3 hours earlier from FLL, the $3105 fare still shows up for BA). The distance is about 19300 miles roundtrip, with about half the miles flown by BA.
Also, the miles earned for redemption, would be much higher with BA marketed flights in this instance, right?
(I am only AA Gold, so at about 7 miles per $, it is just under 21000 miles [since base fare + YQ/yR is about $2900] with AA marketed ticket, but comes to around 19300 X (1 + 25% cabin bonus + 40% gold bonus), or about 32000 miles with BA marketed ticket. Also, with BA, if distance based EQD, then this flight alone enables me to become AA Gold for 2018 also.) Please correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks again.
By the way, when I checked yesterday, the fare was the same on both AA and BA, but after reading SeattleDavid's post above, I checked again, and indeed the BA price is higher!
But, for that FLL-MAA around those dates, the fare is around $3100 for both BA and AA (for example, for a flight starting about 3 hours earlier from FLL, the $3105 fare still shows up for BA). The distance is about 19300 miles roundtrip, with about half the miles flown by BA.
Also, the miles earned for redemption, would be much higher with BA marketed flights in this instance, right?
(I am only AA Gold, so at about 7 miles per $, it is just under 21000 miles [since base fare + YQ/yR is about $2900] with AA marketed ticket, but comes to around 19300 X (1 + 25% cabin bonus + 40% gold bonus), or about 32000 miles with BA marketed ticket. Also, with BA, if distance based EQD, then this flight alone enables me to become AA Gold for 2018 also.) Please correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks again.
Last edited by raghu; Apr 8, 2018 at 6:38 pm Reason: added more details
Apr 9, 2018, 11:41 pm
#560
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: AA Exec Plat, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 235
Does anyone know whether Upside bookings post as "special fares"? I have unused flight credit on Upside that I want to use strategically to maximize my EQD for the year.
I'm looking at a "D" fare that would net me about $1800 in EQD posting through the standard method, but only $1,237 if it posts as a special fare.
I've already ruled out using American Express Membership Rewards points, since I believe Amex MR tickets post as special fares.
Thanks!
I'm looking at a "D" fare that would net me about $1800 in EQD posting through the standard method, but only $1,237 if it posts as a special fare.
I've already ruled out using American Express Membership Rewards points, since I believe Amex MR tickets post as special fares.
Thanks!
Apr 13, 2018, 4:41 pm
#561
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
Thank you all for the replies.
By the way, when I checked yesterday, the fare was the same on both AA and BA, but after reading SeattleDavid's post above, I checked again, and indeed the BA price is higher!
But, for that FLL-MAA around those dates, the fare is around $3100 for both BA and AA (for example, for a flight starting about 3 hours earlier from FLL, the $3105 fare still shows up for BA). The distance is about 19300 miles roundtrip, with about half the miles flown by BA.
Also, the miles earned for redemption, would be much higher with BA marketed flights in this instance, right?
(I am only AA Gold, so at about 7 miles per $, it is just under 21000 miles [since base fare + YQ/yR is about $2900] with AA marketed ticket, but comes to around 19300 X (1 + 25% cabin bonus + 40% gold bonus), or about 32000 miles with BA marketed ticket. Also, with BA, if distance based EQD, then this flight alone enables me to become AA Gold for 2018 also.) Please correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks again.
By the way, when I checked yesterday, the fare was the same on both AA and BA, but after reading SeattleDavid's post above, I checked again, and indeed the BA price is higher!
But, for that FLL-MAA around those dates, the fare is around $3100 for both BA and AA (for example, for a flight starting about 3 hours earlier from FLL, the $3105 fare still shows up for BA). The distance is about 19300 miles roundtrip, with about half the miles flown by BA.
Also, the miles earned for redemption, would be much higher with BA marketed flights in this instance, right?
(I am only AA Gold, so at about 7 miles per $, it is just under 21000 miles [since base fare + YQ/yR is about $2900] with AA marketed ticket, but comes to around 19300 X (1 + 25% cabin bonus + 40% gold bonus), or about 32000 miles with BA marketed ticket. Also, with BA, if distance based EQD, then this flight alone enables me to become AA Gold for 2018 also.) Please correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks again.
Your calculations appear to be correct, but the actual miles appear to be 18,900 not 19,300 for the PHL routing shown.
EQM would be the same for both at 28,400
EQD and RDM would indeed be higher for BA-marketed: EQD 4700 vs 2900, RDM 31,200 vs 20,300
Apr 19, 2018, 12:34 pm
#562
Join Date: May 2005
Location: FL
Programs: DL/PM SM/AMEX/Plat HH/Gold Marriott/Plat Starwood/Plat
Posts: 140
BA avios vs AA EQM/EQD
Hi, started flying on AA after some time and am confused about AA marketed flights vs BA, so pardon the ignorance. I have booked the below on BA.com and would get Avios if I used BA FF Nbr. I have AA Gold status (2018 promotion) and if I used my AA # how many EQM / EQD will I get? TIA
Fare:
Total Paid / BA fees / Tax
1740.47 / 950 / 143.35
TOTAL Miles: 10510 Avios: 18921
Flight# Route BA Class Miles Avios earned bonus %
BA0216 IAD LHR I 3677 5515.5 150
BA0640 LHR ATH J 1510 3775 250
BA0653 JTR LHR J 1646 4115 250
BA0217 LHR IAD I 3677 5515.5 150
Fare:
Total Paid / BA fees / Tax
1740.47 / 950 / 143.35
TOTAL Miles: 10510 Avios: 18921
Flight# Route BA Class Miles Avios earned bonus %
BA0216 IAD LHR I 3677 5515.5 150
BA0640 LHR ATH J 1510 3775 250
BA0653 JTR LHR J 1646 4115 250
BA0217 LHR IAD I 3677 5515.5 150
Last edited by bamin; Apr 19, 2018 at 12:39 pm
Apr 19, 2018, 12:47 pm
#563
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
Hi, started flying on AA after some time and am confused about AA marketed flights vs BA, so pardon the ignorance. I have booked the below on BA.com and would get Avios if I used BA FF Nbr. I have AA Gold status (2018 promotion) and if I used my AA # how many EQM / EQD will I get? TIA
Fare:
Total Paid / BA fees / Tax
1740.47 / 950 / 143.35
TOTAL Miles: 10510 Avios: 18921
Flight# Route BA Class Miles Avios earned bonus %
BA0216 IAD LHR I 3677 5515.5 150
BA0640 LHR ATH J 1510 3775 250
BA0653 JTR LHR J 1646 4115 250
BA0217 LHR IAD I 3677 5515.5 150
Fare:
Total Paid / BA fees / Tax
1740.47 / 950 / 143.35
TOTAL Miles: 10510 Avios: 18921
Flight# Route BA Class Miles Avios earned bonus %
BA0216 IAD LHR I 3677 5515.5 150
BA0640 LHR ATH J 1510 3775 250
BA0653 JTR LHR J 1646 4115 250
BA0217 LHR IAD I 3677 5515.5 150
Apr 19, 2018, 1:13 pm
#564
Join Date: May 2005
Location: FL
Programs: DL/PM SM/AMEX/Plat HH/Gold Marriott/Plat Starwood/Plat
Posts: 140
What you listed are BA-marketed flights, which earn based on the BA chart. There, I and J earn the same: 1.5x EQM and 25% EQD. So you can simply use the total miles (10,510) to get 15,765 EQM and 2,628 EQD.
May 3, 2018, 7:35 am
#565
Join Date: May 2018
Location: PHX
Programs: HH Diamond - Marriott Titanium- AA EP
Posts: 64
**Newbie** EDMs earned on AA for first Internal flight
Hi all,
I’m pretty new to AAs EQM world and just booked my first International flight on AA. y mistake was after during the booking prior to purchasing the ticket, I didn’t take a screen shot of the earnings portion of EQMs and EQDs so i am hoping you guys can help.
Details of flight booked:
Flight # AA820 Phx to LAX
Flight # AA193 LAX to HKG
Flight # AA 8900 HKG to BKK (operated by Cathay Pacific)
Returning:
Flight # AA 8412 (operated by Japan Airlines)
Flight # AA 170
Flight # AA 899
If I remember correctly, this would flight would earn about 17K in EQMs?
I’m pretty new to AAs EQM world and just booked my first International flight on AA. y mistake was after during the booking prior to purchasing the ticket, I didn’t take a screen shot of the earnings portion of EQMs and EQDs so i am hoping you guys can help.
Details of flight booked:
Flight # AA820 Phx to LAX
Flight # AA193 LAX to HKG
Flight # AA 8900 HKG to BKK (operated by Cathay Pacific)
Returning:
Flight # AA 8412 (operated by Japan Airlines)
Flight # AA 170
Flight # AA 899
If I remember correctly, this would flight would earn about 17K in EQMs?
May 3, 2018, 7:35 am
#566
Join Date: May 2018
Location: PHX
Programs: HH Diamond - Marriott Titanium- AA EP
Posts: 64
**Newbie** EQMs earned on AA for first Internal flight
Hi all,
I’m pretty new to AAs EQM world and just booked my first International flight on AA. y mistake was after during the booking prior to purchasing the ticket, I didn’t take a screen shot of the earnings portion of EQMs and EQDs so i am hoping you guys can help.
Details of flight booked:
Flight # AA820 Phx to LAX
Flight # AA193 LAX to HKG
Flight # AA 8900 HKG to BKK (operated by Cathay Pacific)
Returning:
Flight # AA 8412 (operated by Japan Airlines)
Flight # AA 170
Flight # AA 899
If I remember correctly, this would flight would earn about 17K in EQMs?
I’m pretty new to AAs EQM world and just booked my first International flight on AA. y mistake was after during the booking prior to purchasing the ticket, I didn’t take a screen shot of the earnings portion of EQMs and EQDs so i am hoping you guys can help.
Details of flight booked:
Flight # AA820 Phx to LAX
Flight # AA193 LAX to HKG
Flight # AA 8900 HKG to BKK (operated by Cathay Pacific)
Returning:
Flight # AA 8412 (operated by Japan Airlines)
Flight # AA 170
Flight # AA 899
If I remember correctly, this would flight would earn about 17K in EQMs?
May 3, 2018, 1:31 pm
#567
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,702
you will earn EQMs at 1x mileage between cities -- assuming you are in Y.
Hi all,
I’m pretty new to AAs EQM world and just booked my first International flight on AA. y mistake was after during the booking prior to purchasing the ticket, I didn’t take a screen shot of the earnings portion of EQMs and EQDs so i am hoping you guys can help.
Details of flight booked:
Flight # AA820 Phx to LAX
Flight # AA193 LAX to HKG
Flight # AA 8900 HKG to BKK (operated by Cathay Pacific)
Returning:
Flight # AA 8412 (operated by Japan Airlines)
Flight # AA 170
Flight # AA 899
If I remember correctly, this would flight would earn about 17K in EQMs?
I’m pretty new to AAs EQM world and just booked my first International flight on AA. y mistake was after during the booking prior to purchasing the ticket, I didn’t take a screen shot of the earnings portion of EQMs and EQDs so i am hoping you guys can help.
Details of flight booked:
Flight # AA820 Phx to LAX
Flight # AA193 LAX to HKG
Flight # AA 8900 HKG to BKK (operated by Cathay Pacific)
Returning:
Flight # AA 8412 (operated by Japan Airlines)
Flight # AA 170
Flight # AA 899
If I remember correctly, this would flight would earn about 17K in EQMs?
May 3, 2018, 2:12 pm
#568
Join Date: May 2018
Location: PHX
Programs: HH Diamond - Marriott Titanium- AA EP
Posts: 64
Thank you and my apologies for not providing the booking code. All segments are with the “L” booking code. What would be the total EQMs earned as i’m Reading that i will not earn any EQMs and EQDs for the Cathy pacific flight?
May 3, 2018, 2:16 pm
#569
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: New York
Programs: AA, CX, Hyatt, Marriott
Posts: 1,484
Also if it's booked through 3rd party OTA, it's likely it'll be posted as special fare, so your EQD might be different from how much you paid.
May 12, 2018, 8:47 pm
#570
Join Date: May 2018
Location: PHX
Programs: HH Diamond - Marriott Titanium- AA EP
Posts: 64
Question: Would i still earn my EQMs for this leg on my old "L" booking class? The rep confidently said yes but wanted to ask the experts on this forum.
Flight # AA820 Phx to LAX - "L" booking class
Flight # AA193 LAX to HKG "L" booking class
Flight # AA 8900 HKG to BKK (operated by Cathay Pacific) original "L booking class then used 25k RDM & $350 to upgrade to "C" booking class
Returning:
Flight # AA 8412 (operated by Japan Airlines) "L" booking class
Flight # AA 170 - "L" booking class
Flight # AA 899 -"L" booking class
Thank you!