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)
Dec 1, 2019, 5:59 pm
#721
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,624
If I purchase a First Class ticket on Alaska.com from SAN-SEA for $308, how many EQDs will I earn, if any?
On AlaskaAir.com and AA.com the flight is listed as "operated by SkyWest Airlines as AlaskaSkyWest"
On AA.com it lists an AA flight number for the flight, but it is only possible to buy a Main Cabin seat, not first class.
On AlaskaAir.com and AA.com the flight is listed as "operated by SkyWest Airlines as AlaskaSkyWest"
On AA.com it lists an AA flight number for the flight, but it is only possible to buy a Main Cabin seat, not first class.
If the latter, the earning will be zero
If booked as an AA flight number , should be 308 - 19 (taxes) = 289 EQDs
Dec 1, 2019, 8:37 pm
#722
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Seattle
Programs: AAdvantage Plat+, FoundersCard, Amex Plat, TR Diamond, Marriott Gold, Wyndham Dia, HH Gold, Hertz 5*
Posts: 785
Thanks for the reply - on alaskaair.com it only shows up as an AS flight number, so yeah I assume it would get me zero EQDs. SO ANNOYING
Dec 2, 2019, 2:08 pm
#724
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: DCA
Programs: AA Gold, HH Diamond, UA Silver
Posts: 1,366
Challenging EQD calculation
hi-- I'm trying to sort out the eqd's for an upcoming trip, which is apparently much more complicated than I expected. Prior to our last trip of this year, my wife will be ~$150 short of the EQDs to hit her next status tier. We have a trip booked over the holidays, leaving this calendar year and returning in January. I know the base fare of that trip at the time of purchase ($317), but also know that the eqd's don't always split evenly. To complicate things, we had a schedule change after booking that necessitated a change in the return (calendar year 2020) flights. I tried calling AA to ask if they could tell me how many eqds the two outbound segments would earn, but they said that because of the ticket exchange (when we were rebooked), there is no way to determine what the eqds will be for any of the segments. I found this hard to believe, so I HUCA, but received the same answer. It seems odd to me that AA can't figure out internally how they do this calculation - is there any way I can find out if she'll get her $150 or not? If it was just me, I'd add in an extra trip to be safe, but my wife is very reluctant to make any unnecessary trips, so I'm unlikely to persuade her unless I know for sure we're going to miss the threshold. Given that our last trip leaves at the end of the month, there won't be time to see how many eqds are actually issued and then do a MR after that. Any suggestions for how to figure this out or if there's some department at AA that might be able to help?
Dec 2, 2019, 2:25 pm
#725
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,494
hi-- I'm trying to sort out the eqd's for an upcoming trip, which is apparently much more complicated than I expected. Prior to our last trip of this year, my wife will be ~$150 short of the EQDs to hit her next status tier. We have a trip booked over the holidays, leaving this calendar year and returning in January. I know the base fare of that trip at the time of purchase ($317), but also know that the eqd's don't always split evenly. To complicate things, we had a schedule change after booking that necessitated a change in the return (calendar year 2020) flights. I tried calling AA to ask if they could tell me how many eqds the two outbound segments would earn, but they said that because of the ticket exchange (when we were rebooked), there is no way to determine what the eqds will be for any of the segments. I found this hard to believe, so I HUCA, but received the same answer. It seems odd to me that AA can't figure out internally how they do this calculation - is there any way I can find out if she'll get her $150 or not? If it was just me, I'd add in an extra trip to be safe, but my wife is very reluctant to make any unnecessary trips, so I'm unlikely to persuade her unless I know for sure we're going to miss the threshold. Given that our last trip leaves at the end of the month, there won't be time to see how many eqds are actually issued and then do a MR after that. Any suggestions for how to figure this out or if there's some department at AA that might be able to help?
Also, do you still have your original email confirmation? This should show you the booking codes for your outbound and return flights. If the codes are the same then it will most likely be split pretty evenly, however if not then that may help decipher how many more/less EQD you will earn on the outbound vs. return.
Dec 2, 2019, 3:07 pm
#726
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: DCA
Programs: AA Gold, HH Diamond, UA Silver
Posts: 1,366
About the only thing you can do is HUCA, if the phone agent doesn't know then ask them to contact their rate desk / supervisor / etc. to get the fare breakout between the outbound and return.
Also, do you still have your original email confirmation? This should show you the booking codes for your outbound and return flights. If the codes are the same then it will most likely be split pretty evenly, however if not then that may help decipher how many more/less EQD you will earn on the outbound vs. return.
Also, do you still have your original email confirmation? This should show you the booking codes for your outbound and return flights. If the codes are the same then it will most likely be split pretty evenly, however if not then that may help decipher how many more/less EQD you will earn on the outbound vs. return.
Dec 2, 2019, 4:35 pm
#727
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 7,043
Thanks! The second agent I spoke with did contact their supervisor and I spent quite a bit of time on hold. Supposedly the supervisor was stumped as well. On my original booking, I had fare classes V outbound and G on the return. The rebooked ticket has V on the outbound and L on the return. If that gives you any insight into how they might allocate the eqds, I'd appreciate hearing it.
I mean, the best I can tell you is, that, if you have an ExpertFlyer subscription, you could try to build the same itinerary by searching the same route and constricting the fare class to V on the outbound and L on the return. It's unlikely that you will be able to get an itinerary to price out exactly as yours is, but once you have the full breakdown of the V and L segments, you could try to estimate the % dollar split between the two segments, then apply that percentage split to your itinerary. L is a one category higher fare code than V, so all else equal, more EQDs are likely to be allocated towards the return than the outbound.
Give the fare amounts you are alluding to, this seems like way more effort than I'd probably expend...
Regards
Dec 2, 2019, 4:36 pm
#728
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP MM, HHonors Lifetime Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Ti, UA Silver
Posts: 5,037
Thanks! The second agent I spoke with did contact their supervisor and I spent quite a bit of time on hold. Supposedly the supervisor was stumped as well. On my original booking, I had fare classes V outbound and G on the return. The rebooked ticket has V on the outbound and L on the return. If that gives you any insight into how they might allocate the eqds, I'd appreciate hearing it.
I've no experience doing it but you should be able to call AA and upfare the outbound leg to first class without a change fee:
Upgrading AA Fare Code or Class of Service - Upfare / Upfaring (master thd)
That would bump up her EQDs accordingly.
Dec 2, 2019, 8:51 pm
#729
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Madison, WI
Programs: Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 973
So i'm about 2700 EQD short of EP this year, I already made the EQMs needed. I have a trip booked for later this week in coach, but on the app it tells me I can upgrade to first for about $500 round trip. When I get to the end of the transaction, it has the break down but shows it as an upgrade to first.
Million dollar question, will the upgrade cost to First ($500) + my original fare($285) count towards EQD? I assume that if I had bought first to begin with, it would, but the whole language around upgrades concerns me.
Anyone else already run into this that can confirm they get full EQD credit?
Million dollar question, will the upgrade cost to First ($500) + my original fare($285) count towards EQD? I assume that if I had bought first to begin with, it would, but the whole language around upgrades concerns me.
Anyone else already run into this that can confirm they get full EQD credit?
Dec 3, 2019, 6:47 am
#730
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: DCA
Programs: AA Gold, HH Diamond, UA Silver
Posts: 1,366
Thanks for all of the feedback. The upfaring idea makes sense; I'll give AA a ring to see how much that will run us. One thing I'm curious about - most of the comments above suggest that the breakdown will use the new fare code(s) after the exchange, rather than the original fare code at the time of booking. In a case of a ticket exchange like this, do the new fare codes take precedence for eqd determination (and also for upfaring) or would they instead fall back on the original fare codes (since that reflects what was originally paid for the ticket)? Just wondering for possible future situations.
Dec 3, 2019, 7:42 am
#731
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,494
Thanks for all of the feedback. The upfaring idea makes sense; I'll give AA a ring to see how much that will run us. One thing I'm curious about - most of the comments above suggest that the breakdown will use the new fare code(s) after the exchange, rather than the original fare code at the time of booking. In a case of a ticket exchange like this, do the new fare codes take precedence for eqd determination (and also for upfaring) or would they instead fall back on the original fare codes (since that reflects what was originally paid for the ticket)? Just wondering for possible future situations.
For example, say you book a cheap $200 flight in 'O' class, but get rebooked to Y due to irrops. You will still earn EQD based on the original $200 fare, and if you then decided you wanted to buy up to F, it would be the difference between the $200 you originally paid and whatever the first class fare is now.
For AA marketing flights, the fare code is irrelevant from an EQD perspective, as that is entirely based off what you spend.
Dec 3, 2019, 2:12 pm
#732
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: DCA
Programs: AA Gold, HH Diamond, UA Silver
Posts: 1,366
Thanks-- that's good to know. It seems like I usually have at least 2 trips each year that get rebooked after schedule changes; I've never paid much attention to the fare class changes before. In this case, I guess it should work in my favor with the split, since the fare class on the return at time of booking was lower than the outbound- if they use those values, I'd guess we'd end up with at least half of the ticket value.
Dec 3, 2019, 2:40 pm
#733
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Gatwick, UK
Programs: UA *G, BA Silver
Posts: 1,673
Thanks-- that's good to know. It seems like I usually have at least 2 trips each year that get rebooked after schedule changes; I've never paid much attention to the fare class changes before. In this case, I guess it should work in my favor with the split, since the fare class on the return at time of booking was lower than the outbound- if they use those values, I'd guess we'd end up with at least half of the ticket value.
Dec 4, 2019, 8:13 am
#734
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: DCA
Programs: AA Gold, HH Diamond, UA Silver
Posts: 1,366
no - I got that. I was just thinking that the original fare codes might provide some insight into how the fare likely split between segments (very approximately as you said). Ultimately I'm going with the "we just don't know" takeaway from everyone's comments.
Dec 12, 2019, 2:26 pm
#735
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Worldwide
Posts: 41
Question: How will AA credit my CX mistake fare in first class HKG-JFK via YVR?
Booked in A, so 0.3x distance. But is it:
1) 0.3x8072 (HKG-JFK) = 2421
2) 0.3*(6392+2449) (HKG-YVR-JFK) = 2652
3) 0.3*6392 (HKG-YVR) = 1917 since YVR-JFK is not between Asia & US/Canada according to partner earning table
My issue is that I'm at 12428 EQDs (and 100k+ EQM). Full ticket is DAD-HKG-JFK(via YVR)-HKG(via YVR)-DAD. I am flying it on the 16th and may have to abandon it at JFK (family emergency is brewing).
So, DAD-HKG in J on KA = 570*0.25 = 142 --> 12570 total. Then based on the above calculations, I could just miss it by 9 EQDs if (1), be ok if (2), and miss it by 513 if (3).
Booked in A, so 0.3x distance. But is it:
1) 0.3x8072 (HKG-JFK) = 2421
2) 0.3*(6392+2449) (HKG-YVR-JFK) = 2652
3) 0.3*6392 (HKG-YVR) = 1917 since YVR-JFK is not between Asia & US/Canada according to partner earning table
My issue is that I'm at 12428 EQDs (and 100k+ EQM). Full ticket is DAD-HKG-JFK(via YVR)-HKG(via YVR)-DAD. I am flying it on the 16th and may have to abandon it at JFK (family emergency is brewing).
So, DAD-HKG in J on KA = 570*0.25 = 142 --> 12570 total. Then based on the above calculations, I could just miss it by 9 EQDs if (1), be ok if (2), and miss it by 513 if (3).