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)
Jan 30, 2017, 10:59 am
#121
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
I am going to try the CX PE route in a couple months since it might be my only shot at getting enough PQD's to requalify for EP. Flying PHX-LAX-HKG-BKK and back booked on the CX website. Interesting thing is, due to the PHX-LAX segment on AA, the booking shows up on my upcoming AA flights, along with the dollar amount I paid for the ticket (the CX segments are NOT codeshares).
Question is, since the name of the game for AA these days is to reduce every potential benefit of AAdvantage, why do they not use this value for calculating the PQD for the ticket, as opposed to the 20% of miles flown calculation?
Or... maybe I made a mistake booking an AA segment on this itinerary, and that is what they will do?
Question is, since the name of the game for AA these days is to reduce every potential benefit of AAdvantage, why do they not use this value for calculating the PQD for the ticket, as opposed to the 20% of miles flown calculation?
Or... maybe I made a mistake booking an AA segment on this itinerary, and that is what they will do?
I'm not at all sure that what you've reported is what always happens; we'd have to go back and check (or query) all the previous similar cases.
Besides, it is not always the case that mileage-based instead of fare-based works to the customer's advantage; we've seen reports (in non-mixed cases) where it was not.
Jan 30, 2017, 11:12 am
#122
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PHX
Programs: AA ExPlat, United Gold, IHG Amb Plat, HHonors Diamond(Aspire), Bonvoy LT Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 455
That's exactly what I'm saying. I was surprised to see it actually, but it is exactly the price I paid on the CX website for the ticket that is showing up under 'Your Trip's" on the AA website. Is it strange that CX would share that info with AA?
AA has their own record locater which is no surprise, and the CX segments aren't codeshare flights, so maybe the EQD's will still post at the 20% of miles, but it's pretty obvious that they have the actual dollars spent for the ticket if the wanted to credit at that formula.
Unfortunately, the flight isn't until late May so can't tell you for awhile what the result is.
AA has their own record locater which is no surprise, and the CX segments aren't codeshare flights, so maybe the EQD's will still post at the 20% of miles, but it's pretty obvious that they have the actual dollars spent for the ticket if the wanted to credit at that formula.
Unfortunately, the flight isn't until late May so can't tell you for awhile what the result is.
Jan 30, 2017, 11:23 am
#123
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PHX
Programs: AA ExPlat, United Gold, IHG Amb Plat, HHonors Diamond(Aspire), Bonvoy LT Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 455
That's exactly what I'm saying. I was surprised to see it actually, but it is exactly the price I paid on the CX website for the ticket that is showing up under 'Your Trip's" on the AA website. Is it strange that CX would share that info with AA?
AA has their own record locater which is no surprise, and the CX segments aren't codeshare flights, so maybe the EQD's will still post at the 20% of miles, but it's pretty obvious that they have the actual dollars spent for the ticket if the wanted to credit at that formula.
Unfortunately, the flight isn't until late May so can't tell you for awhile what the result is.
AA has their own record locater which is no surprise, and the CX segments aren't codeshare flights, so maybe the EQD's will still post at the 20% of miles, but it's pretty obvious that they have the actual dollars spent for the ticket if the wanted to credit at that formula.
Unfortunately, the flight isn't until late May so can't tell you for awhile what the result is.
Jan 30, 2017, 11:32 am
#124
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: RDU
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 114
That's exactly what I'm saying. I was surprised to see it actually, but it is exactly the price I paid on the CX website for the ticket that is showing up under 'Your Trip's" on the AA website. Is it strange that CX would share that info with AA?
AA has their own record locater which is no surprise, and the CX segments aren't codeshare flights, so maybe the EQD's will still post at the 20% of miles, but it's pretty obvious that they have the actual dollars spent for the ticket if the wanted to credit at that formula.
Unfortunately, the flight isn't until late May so can't tell you for awhile what the result is.
AA has their own record locater which is no surprise, and the CX segments aren't codeshare flights, so maybe the EQD's will still post at the 20% of miles, but it's pretty obvious that they have the actual dollars spent for the ticket if the wanted to credit at that formula.
Unfortunately, the flight isn't until late May so can't tell you for awhile what the result is.
Jan 30, 2017, 12:11 pm
#125
Join Date: May 2012
Location: HNL
Programs: AA PP 1.8MM, PC Spire, Hertz 5*, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 1,030
I just flew on Finnair, all ticketed Business Class (D) AY, flying on BA and AY Metal. Each segment showed up using the distance formula just as expected ~7 days afterwards. I was worried I would have a problem with my last segment because I had to change flights due to weather (LHR->YYZ on BA metal), but that one came through no problem as well.
Each segment shows up separately on flight activity instead of being 1 itinerary.
I was pleasantly surprised they all showed up as expected. Here is an example of what shows up on my account:
Each segment shows up separately on flight activity instead of being 1 itinerary.
I was pleasantly surprised they all showed up as expected. Here is an example of what shows up on my account:
Jan 30, 2017, 12:43 pm
#127
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
That's exactly what I'm saying. I was surprised to see it actually, but it is exactly the price I paid on the CX website for the ticket that is showing up under 'Your Trip's" on the AA website. Is it strange that CX would share that info with AA?
AA has their own record locater which is no surprise, and the CX segments aren't codeshare flights, so maybe the EQD's will still post at the 20% of miles, but it's pretty obvious that they have the actual dollars spent for the ticket if the wanted to credit at that formula.
Unfortunately, the flight isn't until late May so can't tell you for awhile what the result is.
AA has their own record locater which is no surprise, and the CX segments aren't codeshare flights, so maybe the EQD's will still post at the 20% of miles, but it's pretty obvious that they have the actual dollars spent for the ticket if the wanted to credit at that formula.
Unfortunately, the flight isn't until late May so can't tell you for awhile what the result is.
I had exactly the same thing happen for my trip a couple of weeks ago which I purchased from CX. I was really surprised to see on my AA account that the price I paid was also displaying. I had 2 segments on AA and 2 on CX (not codeshares). For the AA, segments I was credited based on price. However, on the CX segments, I received credit based on distance.
Jan 30, 2017, 3:37 pm
#129
Join Date: May 2007
Location: PHX
Programs: AA EXP, HHonors-Diamond, Marriott-Silver, SPG-Gold
Posts: 391
Upfare cost difference may not count towards EQD
Earlier this month I decided to upfare my ticket from Y to F at the ticket counter.
When the EQDs posted to account it was only for the base fare of the Y ticket. Today when I called AAdvantage Customer Service the first person I spoke to informed me only the original base fare qualified for EQD. She directed me to the Q&A section below on AA.com and compared it to a seat purchase fee.
Do checked bag fees, seat purchases, 500-mile upgrades or other products/service fees count toward earning award miles and EQDs?
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 baggage fees, Admirals Club® memberships, 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.
I pressed on and asked to speak to a supervisor who said she would send it for review. IMHO the above section doesn't make it clear that upfaring won't earn additional EQD. This wasn't a fee, I paid additional $$ to buy a more expensive ticket.
Does anyone else have experience with this?
When the EQDs posted to account it was only for the base fare of the Y ticket. Today when I called AAdvantage Customer Service the first person I spoke to informed me only the original base fare qualified for EQD. She directed me to the Q&A section below on AA.com and compared it to a seat purchase fee.
Do checked bag fees, seat purchases, 500-mile upgrades or other products/service fees count toward earning award miles and EQDs?
No, only the base fare paid for your ticket including any carrier-imposed fees will count toward earning award miles and EQDs. Fees for other products or services will not be awarded miles or EQDs, including but not limited to the following: checked baggage fees, Admirals Club® memberships, Wi-Fi passes, in-flight food and beverage purchases, in-flight entertainment, unaccompanied minor fees, pet travel fees, 500-mile upgrades, mileage upgrade cash co-payments, Mileage Multiplier, BuyMiles, GiftMiles, ShareMiles or other mileage purchases, ticket change fees, ticketing fees, same-day confirmed flight change or standby fees and service charges.
I pressed on and asked to speak to a supervisor who said she would send it for review. IMHO the above section doesn't make it clear that upfaring won't earn additional EQD. This wasn't a fee, I paid additional $$ to buy a more expensive ticket.
Does anyone else have experience with this?
Jan 30, 2017, 4:38 pm
#131
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: NYC
Programs: BA Gold, HH Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,260
This really made me sad....It was a $700 tick and I know LHR taxes are high. I just wish they showed how many miles you would get for each leg! It was 242 miles for a 4486 mi journey. But it just made it clear to me to match status on Alaska and move over.
Jan 30, 2017, 4:48 pm
#132
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,605
This really made me sad....It was a $700 tick and I know LHR taxes are high. I just wish they showed how many miles you would get for each leg! It was 242 miles for a 4486 mi journey. But it just made it clear to me to match status on Alaska and move over.
Attachment 26396
Attachment 26396
Jan 30, 2017, 4:53 pm
#133
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: NYC
Programs: BA Gold, HH Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,260
ll run through the math for my remaining flights this year and figure out my alternatives.
Jan 30, 2017, 5:04 pm
#134
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,605
It was but I never paid any attention to the fare breakdown. The total fare that qualified was ~$300. It was a LHR-NY-BOM ticket. I'm silver with BA and they give their status bonus based on 100% distance (i.e. sapphire get 50% of the distance flown) and it just makes sense to either go with BA or Alaska. I
ll run through the math for my remaining flights this year and figure out my alternatives.
ll run through the math for my remaining flights this year and figure out my alternatives.