Falling short of EQMs to qualify for platinum
Sep 4, 2019, 10:57 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Philadelphia, USA
Programs: Marriott Platinum, American Platinum, Singapore KrisFlyer
Posts: 138
Falling short of EQMs to qualify for platinum
Hi there
It looks like I am going to fall short of the 50,000 EQM requirement by approximately 450 miles to qualify for AA Platinum
I could have met this requirement if I hadn't been impacted by weather delays in my recent trip which resulted in an involuntary rerouting of my trip.
I don't have any travel planned for the rest of 2019 and I have already cashed in on the 10,000 EQMs from Barclays credit cards..
Is it worth calling the AA Advantage line to see if they would be willing to make an exception and make me Platinum?
Appreciate any feedback. Thanks so much
It looks like I am going to fall short of the 50,000 EQM requirement by approximately 450 miles to qualify for AA Platinum
I could have met this requirement if I hadn't been impacted by weather delays in my recent trip which resulted in an involuntary rerouting of my trip.
I don't have any travel planned for the rest of 2019 and I have already cashed in on the 10,000 EQMs from Barclays credit cards..
Is it worth calling the AA Advantage line to see if they would be willing to make an exception and make me Platinum?
Appreciate any feedback. Thanks so much
Sep 4, 2019, 11:07 pm
#2
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: HND
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K
Posts: 1,230
Rather than ask for an exception for Plat Status (though you'd likely get it being that close), why wouldn't you call AA and ask them for ORC (Original Routing Credit), which should award you the miles originally planned for before the involuntary rerouting you mentioned?
Sep 4, 2019, 11:16 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Bye Delta
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Plat, Nat'l Exec Elite, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 16,273
Rather than ask for an exception for Plat Status (though you'd likely get it being that close), why wouldn't you call AA and ask them for ORC (Original Routing Credit), which should award you the miles originally planned for before the involuntary rerouting you mentioned?
Sep 4, 2019, 11:30 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Philadelphia, USA
Programs: Marriott Platinum, American Platinum, Singapore KrisFlyer
Posts: 138
Thank you.. I will try this approach and see what transpires. Thanks for the suggestion. Much appreciated!
Sep 5, 2019, 12:19 am
#5
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Hi there
It looks like I am going to fall short of the 50,000 EQM requirement by approximately 450 miles to qualify for AA Platinum
I could have met this requirement if I hadn't been impacted by weather delays in my recent trip which resulted in an involuntary rerouting of my trip.
I don't have any travel planned for the rest of 2019 and I have already cashed in on the 10,000 EQMs from Barclays credit cards..
Is it worth calling the AA Advantage line to see if they would be willing to make an exception and make me Platinum?
Appreciate any feedback. Thanks so much
It looks like I am going to fall short of the 50,000 EQM requirement by approximately 450 miles to qualify for AA Platinum
I could have met this requirement if I hadn't been impacted by weather delays in my recent trip which resulted in an involuntary rerouting of my trip.
I don't have any travel planned for the rest of 2019 and I have already cashed in on the 10,000 EQMs from Barclays credit cards..
Is it worth calling the AA Advantage line to see if they would be willing to make an exception and make me Platinum?
Appreciate any feedback. Thanks so much
Better to request original routing credit because you were involuntarily rerouted, using those exact words, and earn your Platinum status; that’s apt to be much more successful. FAQ: Involuntary Reroute and Original Routing Credit (ORC) (master thd)
Sep 5, 2019, 2:20 am
#6
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Victoria, B.C.
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, AA Gold LT
Posts: 1,940
Also don't hold your breath on the original routing credit - ORC , as I asked twice as an ExPlat 6 or so years ago when AA was a much friendlier airline. Denied both times.
Also in OMAAT thread https://onemileatatime.com/american-ruined-my-trip/
As a blogger he couldn't even get it. Mind you in my opinion I didn't think that he really had a case their.
Also in OMAAT thread https://onemileatatime.com/american-ruined-my-trip/
As a blogger he couldn't even get it. Mind you in my opinion I didn't think that he really had a case their.
Sep 5, 2019, 4:26 am
#7
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MDE
Programs: AA-PLT, HH-GLD, PP
Posts: 1,511
If the ORC request is not successful, then it is likely that it would cost much less to find a cheap round trip to anywhere. One leg will get you 500 EQM, so you could even do a one-way revenue flight and return on miles. I recall that the minimum that AA charges to buy back status to PLT is about $700 no matter how close you are.
Sep 5, 2019, 5:35 am
#9
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
As there will be any number of these threads between now and the end of the year, it pays to summarize the general advice:
1. Very, very unlikely that AA will "waive" any requirement as it sells buy ups (at a significant premium).
2. Check your crediting over the year and make certain that nothing was missed.
3. If rerouted, check that you received proper credit.
4. Find the cheapest day / short trip you can find which gets you to your goal.
5. Take a break you had not planned and actually expand #4 to something beyond a MR.
1. Very, very unlikely that AA will "waive" any requirement as it sells buy ups (at a significant premium).
2. Check your crediting over the year and make certain that nothing was missed.
3. If rerouted, check that you received proper credit.
4. Find the cheapest day / short trip you can find which gets you to your goal.
5. Take a break you had not planned and actually expand #4 to something beyond a MR.
Sep 5, 2019, 12:57 pm
#10
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Also don't hold your breath on the original routing credit - ORC , as I asked twice as an ExPlat 6 or so years ago when AA was a much friendlier airline. Denied both times.
Also in OMAAT thread https://onemileatatime.com/american-ruined-my-trip/
As a blogger he couldn't even get it. Mind you in my opinion I didn't think that he really had a case their.
Also in OMAAT thread https://onemileatatime.com/american-ruined-my-trip/
As a blogger he couldn't even get it. Mind you in my opinion I didn't think that he really had a case their.
Sep 5, 2019, 6:12 pm
#12
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,440
Do not think that all buy ups are as onerous as expressed above. Sometimes they can be a downright bargin.
I fly (unfortunately) a lot of short segments on AA (in the range of 40/year) so making plat is a difficult event. Last year I was short about 9000 miles and $1200.
I use the plat feature for same day change routinely and early boarding.
AA charged me $1200 to buy up at the end of the year. It was a no brainer. I didn't have to time to mileage run 9K miles and I am certain I would not have saved a lot of money if I did have the time (or desire) to do so. I earned far more at work than $1200 during the time I saved by not wasting it on a mileage run.
For me, the buy up made lots of sense, since I am now a plat doing the same puddle jumps with the need for same day change just about every trip I take. (And once in a blue moon they even up-grade me
)
I fly (unfortunately) a lot of short segments on AA (in the range of 40/year) so making plat is a difficult event. Last year I was short about 9000 miles and $1200.
I use the plat feature for same day change routinely and early boarding.
AA charged me $1200 to buy up at the end of the year. It was a no brainer. I didn't have to time to mileage run 9K miles and I am certain I would not have saved a lot of money if I did have the time (or desire) to do so. I earned far more at work than $1200 during the time I saved by not wasting it on a mileage run.
For me, the buy up made lots of sense, since I am now a plat doing the same puddle jumps with the need for same day change just about every trip I take. (And once in a blue moon they even up-grade me
)
Sep 6, 2019, 1:05 am
#13
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,409
Also don't hold your breath on the original routing credit - ORC , as I asked twice as an ExPlat 6 or so years ago when AA was a much friendlier airline. Denied both times.
Also in OMAAT thread https://onemileatatime.com/american-ruined-my-trip/
As a blogger he couldn't even get it. Mind you in my opinion I didn't think that he really had a case their.
Also in OMAAT thread https://onemileatatime.com/american-ruined-my-trip/
As a blogger he couldn't even get it. Mind you in my opinion I didn't think that he really had a case their.
It's different when the entire trip (or portion on a ticket) is cancelled. ORC applies to an *involuntary* rerouting. I've been told too that if you get a refund for the change to your routing, you're not supposed to get ORC, so in particular you cannot get ORC for a trip in vain, but YMMV.
Sep 6, 2019, 7:23 am
#14
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MDE
Programs: AA-PLT, HH-GLD, PP
Posts: 1,511
Do not think that all buy ups are as onerous as expressed above. Sometimes they can be a downright bargin.
I fly (unfortunately) a lot of short segments on AA (in the range of 40/year) so making plat is a difficult event. Last year I was short about 9000 miles and $1200.
I use the plat feature for same day change routinely and early boarding.
AA charged me $1200 to buy up at the end of the year. It was a no brainer. I didn't have to time to mileage run 9K miles and I am certain I would not have saved a lot of money if I did have the time (or desire) to do so. I earned far more at work than $1200 during the time I saved by not wasting it on a mileage run.
For me, the buy up made lots of sense, since I am now a plat doing the same puddle jumps with the need for same day change just about every trip I take. (And once in a blue moon they even up-grade me)
I fly (unfortunately) a lot of short segments on AA (in the range of 40/year) so making plat is a difficult event. Last year I was short about 9000 miles and $1200.
I use the plat feature for same day change routinely and early boarding.
AA charged me $1200 to buy up at the end of the year. It was a no brainer. I didn't have to time to mileage run 9K miles and I am certain I would not have saved a lot of money if I did have the time (or desire) to do so. I earned far more at work than $1200 during the time I saved by not wasting it on a mileage run.
For me, the buy up made lots of sense, since I am now a plat doing the same puddle jumps with the need for same day change just about every trip I take. (And once in a blue moon they even up-grade me
)The pattern of AA offering much better deals to flyers who are pretty far from qualification than to those who are close has been the norm since the formal buy-up program started.
Sep 6, 2019, 8:38 am
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Philadelphia, USA
Programs: Marriott Platinum, American Platinum, Singapore KrisFlyer
Posts: 138
Quick update (happy ending)
Thank you all for your input and suggestions. I called AA Advantage and explained my situation to the agent. It took her a while to understand my question and some time to track my old routing. However in the end, she gave me EQM credit by adding the EWR - ORD sector to my account. She was not able to adjust the remaining leg to LHR but it doesn't matter.
Thanks so much once again!
Thanks so much once again!