I don't think you've got this quite right. If you get your lifetime miles to 800K before 12/1, then you will still need another 200K BIS miles to get to lifetime Gold, not EXP (which is a yearly, not lifetime status tier). You will need another 1,200,000 BIS miles to get lifetime Platinum.

Also, remember that your Citi miles won't post until the close of the billing cycle in which you hit the spending requirement, maybe plus a few days. I would make sure that your billing cycle ends much earlier than Nov 30, just to be sure that your miles will hit your AAdvantage account before 12/1.

Most people who flew/fly AA primarily to collect redeemable AA miles -- just like most people who collected/collect redeemable AA miles from other sources -- probably didn't do so with any anticipation of lifetime elite status. And this announcement won't change a thing for most of them still.

That, in response to this AA change in how lifetime elite status is to be determined, a segment of AA's customers change behavior (in how they deal with AA and/or AA partners) ought not to be considered surprising or even bizarre to anyone who pays attention. That such customers are part of some extremely small segment(s) of AA's customer base/revenue might as well be taken as a given, along with the concept that those on or aware of FT are unlikely to be a perfect representative of AA's customer base.

I have no doubt that devaluation of AA miles earned from flights for use on mileage tickets is something that hits far more AA customers whether the customers pay attention to such devaluations or not. The impact on customers of AA's shifting more toward the lifetime status policies of DL and CO/UA after all these years is nothing in comparison to devaluation of miles earned from flights for booking mileage tickets.

That's been my approach from even before this change was announced. But this change -- along with some others -- is, if anything, just further cause to diversify further away from collecting AA miles, even from some flights. [Crediting an operating carrier's flights to some partner airline program(s) is an approach that continues to work for me; and I'll probably end up using this approach even more than is already the case.]

I've gone so far out of my way for miles, like having a Citibank AAdvantage check card for miles when they don't have a local branch where I live. When Marriott left the program I switched to Hilton. I use the Dining program all the time and the shopping program too. It has become a hobby. It's actually crazy...I know this...

I won't switch my actual flying much, as I still think American is the best in the US, although I will probably no longer fly out of the way routes like ATL-MIA-TPA, and ATL-ORD-PHL, just to stay with American. But my checking account will be closed, my hotel points will now only go for the hotel rewards, and I won't be so focused on miles from dining or shopping.

I know that my spending habits don't fund the AAdvantage program, but if there are enough people like me, it does add up. All these outside companies pay American for the miles.

Well, I must say I'm not surprised by AA's moves, although a bit disappointed in the details. Like many of us here, I wasn't surprised they moved to BIS miles--however given that UA awards LT mid-level for 1MM BIS, while AA seem to give only LT GLD for the same # of miles, I would have thought AA would make it more equitable with UA such as counting elite bonus and class-of-service bonus. Granted AA will count all partner's BIS miles as base miles, but that has to be a pretty small part? Also it would have been nice for them to count miles from all AA affiliated credit card and not from that overly expensive credit card, but not too surprising they didn't do that.

So right now I'm at about 605K and I will get 25K in a couple of weeks for credit card spending bonus, which will bring me up to 630K. I also have 40K S* that I was thinking of moving to AA for another 50K miles, bumping up to 680K miles, leaving me about 320K miles to go. Frankly I can't myself flying that much just to get the lowest level, so I will probably give up on the LT game, unless I win some lottery that let me fly as much as I like ;) .

I will probably continue to prefer AA when flying, although I'm now more likely to check out airlines like Virgin America, JetBlue, etc. Any AA miles I earn will be used to upgrade on AA domestic flights or overseas travel on AA's partners (BA, QF, CX) in premium classes.

It has been a good ride, and like all good thing, it has to come to an end.

I became LTG in march of 2011, I was giving 8 stickers. I have used 3 of them. Can I but 3 stickers and call customer service and swap them for 35k miles, I'm trying to get as close as I can to LTP.

Can I buy 3 stickers, not but, sorry I'm in a mobile device.

Won't solve anything.

For such circumstances, probably a waste of time to call.

maybe AA will introduce something similar to Citi's thankyou program after seeing all those partners stop buying miles. Miles from partners count toward MM with matching BIS miles.

Or sets a limit on how many miles from partners count toward MM each year.

I've got 1.2 million miles lifetime and 400k redeemable miles. I've had citibank cards for over 20 years. I'm unlikely to ditch Citibank, but I'm quite likely to find another Citibank card to replace my AAdvantage cards (personal and business). I've got plenty of redeemable miles on AA, so while I assume I am going to eventually burn through those (my kids are finally getting old enough that I could see booking a trip for 2 adults and 3 kids), moving toward 2MM was the big motivator in piling up more miles. With that motivator gone, my big concern is putting all of my miles in one airline and exposing myself to whatever route cuts, mile value depreciation, etc, that AA might engage in.

If they wanted to give me a secondary motivation to keep piling up AA miles (now that the 2MM mark is sufficiently out of reach as to not be a motivator), they could promise to "grandfather in" current redemption schedules for miles accrued prior to a change in redemption schedules. They've listed separately a couple thousand "miles with no expiration date" on my statements for a decade, so I know their computer system could handle adding a "miles with grandfathered redemption rules" field.

I think AA needs to do something to replace the reduced motivation caused by the change to the MM program. Just my two cents.

Yes, GG, I do agree with you!
 

I am doing much the same as you are with Hubby miles and Hubby upgrades. When the new program starts on 12/01 I hope to be close enough to be able to fly my way to LT Plat in 2 to 3 years.

Right now I am doing a lot of AA eshopping for household items and supplies that won't go bad and that we will use in a reasonable period of time such as pet treats and toilet paper from Drugstore.com Putting everything on my AA branded credit cards etc.

Have also done most of my holiday shopping via AA eshopping.

After 12/1 much of my spending behavior will change to reflect AA's changes to the program. I will swtich my AA credit cards to ones with cash back and will send my eshopping ways that get me more discounts.

I also will be much less likely to insist that my air bookings be on AA and will go for cost savings. I predict a mailing from Citi offering me a better deal on credit cards than on my AA branded credit cards.

I respect your postings and your opinions. Very well done!

Absolutely correct!
 

I may be too small a customer for AA to care.

Individually, we all are.

The near-blind brand loyalty of my parents’ (depression-era/WWII) generation is a thing of the past. I entirely centered my air travel and (Idine/credit card/e-shopping) spending patterns on American because of their non-BIS LT status policy. The AA bean-counters have determined that the thousands of dollars they gleaned in tickets and hundreds of thousands in echo income from Idine/credit card/e-shopping are not worth the down-the-line costs, aggregately, to keeping the MM program as is.

Moving forward, I suspect that everyone will simply factor out the changes (in my case SWUs; for other people lifetime status) and decide accordingly. For me, SWUs were a small incremental additional value and I still factor in free baggage, Plat bonuses, upgrade possibilities, early boarding, award availability, etc. and cost-benefit against schedule, routing and price.

AA actually does know why I fly, and they are no more wed to doing me a good turn than I am to flying them against my self-interest…no surprises there.

Fail for me, called once, agent said no, talked to supervisor, NO.
Called again, spoke to agent, NO.
It is a NO for me, unfortunate.

Yup, you got an agent who wasn't looking, on the day they first got the formal briefing.

Just called and was immediately told not eligible that I have crossed million miles quite a while ago. Agent then went on to push the AA dining program...

How are any of those responses snooty? :confused: Sour grapes, perhaps?

I don't think AA should bend their new rules.. the 8-stickers-for-35k miles is a really nice gesture.. if they offered that to all of their elites across the board, that would be ridiculous.