Mar 6, 2022, 12:49 pm
Last edit by: Microwave
Please help the community by adding information to this Wiki about the current Loyalty Point Reward program
Loyalty Point Rewards program, formerly Loyalty Choice - 2021 on (consolidated)
Dec 13, 2022, 4:54 pm
#91
Join Date: Apr 2019
Programs: American AAdvantage
Posts: 80
Choice Awards: SWUs vs Admirals Club?
This is sort of a two part question.
1) Thoughts on which seems like the best use of my EP and PL awards? SWUs or AC membership? My awards expire end of this month. I kinda feel like neither is all that important bc my layovers are usually 90 mins or so, and my SWU's expired last year bc I had trouble using them.
2) If I take the SWUs (which appeal to me) what's the best way to find a fun way to use them? I almost don't care where I go I'd go to Europe, Asia, Africa, S America..most likely to want to travel next summer.
I'm literally fishing for ideas...
1) Thoughts on which seems like the best use of my EP and PL awards? SWUs or AC membership? My awards expire end of this month. I kinda feel like neither is all that important bc my layovers are usually 90 mins or so, and my SWU's expired last year bc I had trouble using them.
2) If I take the SWUs (which appeal to me) what's the best way to find a fun way to use them? I almost don't care where I go I'd go to Europe, Asia, Africa, S America..most likely to want to travel next summer.
I'm literally fishing for ideas...
Last edited by LibertyLobbyist; Dec 13, 2022 at 5:05 pm
Dec 13, 2022, 5:26 pm
#92
Join Date: Dec 2022
Posts: 239
If you're EP you're likely traveling enough to take advantage of either unless you spend like crazy on cobranded cards. My thoughts:
SWU - this is easily of greater cash value than the AC membership. The upgrades are quite valuable to me, as I plan my international travel through hubs where a SWU is likely to clear. When flying overseas, I try to connect through hubs that offer a ton of capacity (LAX or DFW to LHR on the 773 with multiple daily departures, for example. There are easily 100-150 J seats daily on these routes, which tends to provide a very good chance of getting upgraded as EP with SWUs. My other favorite use is on the JFK transcon routes, which usually clear for the same reason. I've also gifted the SWUs to family or friends if I can't use them. Even if traveling domestically they'll get free checked bags and lunch on their flight. I've easily gotten $10k in value out of my 5 SWUs in a given year.
Admirals Club Membership - hugely important to me, as I travel for business a ton and fly out of Reno, meaning I'm almost always on a connecting flight. I'll sometimes intentionally plan for longer layovers so I can still make all my meetings when in transit. Missing a day's worth of meetings can greatly affect my productivity for a week or more, so the benefit is huge to me. You can also use the Alaska lounges which are very nice. All that said, the cash value is not very large. An AC membership will cost an EP like yourself $550. I instead get mine through my AAdvantage Citibank Mastercard, which I highly recommend. I believe the annual fee is $450 - very little cash value compared to SWUs.
If you don't think you'll get the value out of the SWUs I'd almost take the miles bonuses since they can be used more flexibly.
SWU - this is easily of greater cash value than the AC membership. The upgrades are quite valuable to me, as I plan my international travel through hubs where a SWU is likely to clear. When flying overseas, I try to connect through hubs that offer a ton of capacity (LAX or DFW to LHR on the 773 with multiple daily departures, for example. There are easily 100-150 J seats daily on these routes, which tends to provide a very good chance of getting upgraded as EP with SWUs. My other favorite use is on the JFK transcon routes, which usually clear for the same reason. I've also gifted the SWUs to family or friends if I can't use them. Even if traveling domestically they'll get free checked bags and lunch on their flight. I've easily gotten $10k in value out of my 5 SWUs in a given year.
Admirals Club Membership - hugely important to me, as I travel for business a ton and fly out of Reno, meaning I'm almost always on a connecting flight. I'll sometimes intentionally plan for longer layovers so I can still make all my meetings when in transit. Missing a day's worth of meetings can greatly affect my productivity for a week or more, so the benefit is huge to me. You can also use the Alaska lounges which are very nice. All that said, the cash value is not very large. An AC membership will cost an EP like yourself $550. I instead get mine through my AAdvantage Citibank Mastercard, which I highly recommend. I believe the annual fee is $450 - very little cash value compared to SWUs.
If you don't think you'll get the value out of the SWUs I'd almost take the miles bonuses since they can be used more flexibly.
Dec 13, 2022, 5:37 pm
#93
Join Date: Apr 2019
Programs: American AAdvantage
Posts: 80
If you're EP you're likely traveling enough to take advantage of either unless you spend like crazy on cobranded cards. My thoughts:
SWU - this is easily of greater cash value than the AC membership. The upgrades are quite valuable to me, as I plan my international travel through hubs where a SWU is likely to clear. When flying overseas, I try to connect through hubs that offer a ton of capacity (LAX or DFW to LHR on the 773 with multiple daily departures, for example. There are easily 100-150 J seats daily on these routes, which tends to provide a very good chance of getting upgraded as EP with SWUs. My other favorite use is on the JFK transcon routes, which usually clear for the same reason. I've also gifted the SWUs to family or friends if I can't use them. Even if traveling domestically they'll get free checked bags and lunch on their flight. I've easily gotten $10k in value out of my 5 SWUs in a given year.
Admirals Club Membership - hugely important to me, as I travel for business a ton and fly out of Reno, meaning I'm almost always on a connecting flight. I'll sometimes intentionally plan for longer layovers so I can still make all my meetings when in transit. Missing a day's worth of meetings can greatly affect my productivity for a week or more, so the benefit is huge to me. You can also use the Alaska lounges which are very nice. All that said, the cash value is not very large. An AC membership will cost an EP like yourself $550. I instead get mine through my AAdvantage Citibank Mastercard, which I highly recommend. I believe the annual fee is $450 - very little cash value compared to SWUs.
If you don't think you'll get the value out of the SWUs I'd almost take the miles bonuses since they can be used more flexibly.
SWU - this is easily of greater cash value than the AC membership. The upgrades are quite valuable to me, as I plan my international travel through hubs where a SWU is likely to clear. When flying overseas, I try to connect through hubs that offer a ton of capacity (LAX or DFW to LHR on the 773 with multiple daily departures, for example. There are easily 100-150 J seats daily on these routes, which tends to provide a very good chance of getting upgraded as EP with SWUs. My other favorite use is on the JFK transcon routes, which usually clear for the same reason. I've also gifted the SWUs to family or friends if I can't use them. Even if traveling domestically they'll get free checked bags and lunch on their flight. I've easily gotten $10k in value out of my 5 SWUs in a given year.
Admirals Club Membership - hugely important to me, as I travel for business a ton and fly out of Reno, meaning I'm almost always on a connecting flight. I'll sometimes intentionally plan for longer layovers so I can still make all my meetings when in transit. Missing a day's worth of meetings can greatly affect my productivity for a week or more, so the benefit is huge to me. You can also use the Alaska lounges which are very nice. All that said, the cash value is not very large. An AC membership will cost an EP like yourself $550. I instead get mine through my AAdvantage Citibank Mastercard, which I highly recommend. I believe the annual fee is $450 - very little cash value compared to SWUs.
If you don't think you'll get the value out of the SWUs I'd almost take the miles bonuses since they can be used more flexibly.
Dec 13, 2022, 5:47 pm
#94
Join Date: Apr 2019
Programs: American AAdvantage
Posts: 80
If you're EP you're likely traveling enough to take advantage of either unless you spend like crazy on cobranded cards. My thoughts:
SWU - this is easily of greater cash value than the AC membership. The upgrades are quite valuable to me, as I plan my international travel through hubs where a SWU is likely to clear. When flying overseas, I try to connect through hubs that offer a ton of capacity (LAX or DFW to LHR on the 773 with multiple daily departures, for example. There are easily 100-150 J seats daily on these routes, which tends to provide a very good chance of getting upgraded as EP with SWUs. My other favorite use is on the JFK transcon routes, which usually clear for the same reason. I've also gifted the SWUs to family or friends if I can't use them. Even if traveling domestically they'll get free checked bags and lunch on their flight. I've easily gotten $10k in value out of my 5 SWUs in a given year.
Admirals Club Membership - hugely important to me, as I travel for business a ton and fly out of Reno, meaning I'm almost always on a connecting flight. I'll sometimes intentionally plan for longer layovers so I can still make all my meetings when in transit. Missing a day's worth of meetings can greatly affect my productivity for a week or more, so the benefit is huge to me. You can also use the Alaska lounges which are very nice. All that said, the cash value is not very large. An AC membership will cost an EP like yourself $550. I instead get mine through my AAdvantage Citibank Mastercard, which I highly recommend. I believe the annual fee is $450 - very little cash value compared to SWUs.
If you don't think you'll get the value out of the SWUs I'd almost take the miles bonuses since they can be used more flexibly.
SWU - this is easily of greater cash value than the AC membership. The upgrades are quite valuable to me, as I plan my international travel through hubs where a SWU is likely to clear. When flying overseas, I try to connect through hubs that offer a ton of capacity (LAX or DFW to LHR on the 773 with multiple daily departures, for example. There are easily 100-150 J seats daily on these routes, which tends to provide a very good chance of getting upgraded as EP with SWUs. My other favorite use is on the JFK transcon routes, which usually clear for the same reason. I've also gifted the SWUs to family or friends if I can't use them. Even if traveling domestically they'll get free checked bags and lunch on their flight. I've easily gotten $10k in value out of my 5 SWUs in a given year.
Admirals Club Membership - hugely important to me, as I travel for business a ton and fly out of Reno, meaning I'm almost always on a connecting flight. I'll sometimes intentionally plan for longer layovers so I can still make all my meetings when in transit. Missing a day's worth of meetings can greatly affect my productivity for a week or more, so the benefit is huge to me. You can also use the Alaska lounges which are very nice. All that said, the cash value is not very large. An AC membership will cost an EP like yourself $550. I instead get mine through my AAdvantage Citibank Mastercard, which I highly recommend. I believe the annual fee is $450 - very little cash value compared to SWUs.
If you don't think you'll get the value out of the SWUs I'd almost take the miles bonuses since they can be used more flexibly.
Dec 13, 2022, 7:06 pm
#96
Join Date: Dec 2022
Posts: 239
This is great information! The AC membership could be nice but again lots of short layovers for me averaging 90 mins or so. I fly almost exclusively domestic flights for business. I need to just plan something for next summer which is my slow season, and a good time to travel recreationally. Thanks again !
Dec 13, 2022, 7:35 pm
#97
Join Date: Apr 2019
Programs: American AAdvantage
Posts: 80
An excellent point. I think I have enough rewards to get some SWUs and 5 or 6 passes to the lounges which I might actually use
Dec 13, 2022, 8:53 pm
#98
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: AA EXP; 1W Emerald; HHonors Diamond; Marriott Gold; UA dirt
Posts: 7,816
Yup can confirm it flipped on in about 5 minutes.
Dec 14, 2022, 5:36 am
#99
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: AA EXP; 1W Emerald; HHonors Diamond; Marriott Gold; UA dirt
Posts: 7,816
I would find this to be a tough choice. Ive never had access to SWUs (I will this year when I finally make EP). Last year I took the dollar credit. I don;t do that much international flying and I hear too many nightmare stories of people not being able to use their SWUs.
Dec 14, 2022, 5:47 am
#100
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: ORD/LHR
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K, 1MM, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,293
This happens whenever your status changes, what they do is remove your FF# and then add it back in to update the reservation with the new status.
Dec 14, 2022, 7:07 am
#101
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: CMH, CLE, CAK
Programs: AA, Hertz, Hyatt, Hilton
Posts: 206
This is great information! The AC membership could be nice but again lots of short layovers for me averaging 90 mins or so. I fly almost exclusively domestic flights for business. I need to just plan something for next summer which is my slow season, and a good time to travel recreationally. Thanks again !
But, as mentioned upthread, not sure it's worth a choice award when you can just get the card (and, add your family as authorized users, so they can hit the lounge, too. This is hugely important for me, with two kids travelling to/from college by themselves these days.)
Dec 14, 2022, 8:18 am
#102
Join Date: Dec 2022
Posts: 239
I would find this to be a tough choice. Ive never had access to SWUs (I will this year when I finally make EP). Last year I took the dollar credit. I don;t do that much international flying and I hear too many nightmare stories of people not being able to use their SWUs.
Dec 14, 2022, 11:09 am
#104
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: AA EXP; 1W Emerald; HHonors Diamond; Marriott Gold; UA dirt
Posts: 7,816
Dec 15, 2022, 5:54 am
#105
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Usually in SAN or Central Europe.
Programs: AA:EXP/1MM. Accor/Radisson:Silver; HH:Gold; ICH:Plt Amb.
Posts: 22,307
New Loyalty Point Rewards program (formerly Loyalty Choice; effective March 2023)
Hey everybody,
I was just on AA's website, and it looks like the Loyalty Choice program is changing on March 1st. Did anyone else see this, because I can't find a thread about it here?
A lot more levels (up to 5 million LPs), new choices, and no longer a 75K earnings cap on tickets. The only downside is that the current Level 1 and Level 2 choices are now at 175K and 250K LPs, respectively. But you can get 2 SWUs (instead of 1) at the 175K level. Also, when you pass the 100K mark, you earn a 30% bonus on certain partners, like eShopping and AAdvantage Dining.
I was just on AA's website, and it looks like the Loyalty Choice program is changing on March 1st. Did anyone else see this, because I can't find a thread about it here?
A lot more levels (up to 5 million LPs), new choices, and no longer a 75K earnings cap on tickets. The only downside is that the current Level 1 and Level 2 choices are now at 175K and 250K LPs, respectively. But you can get 2 SWUs (instead of 1) at the 175K level. Also, when you pass the 100K mark, you earn a 30% bonus on certain partners, like eShopping and AAdvantage Dining.
Last edited by Fanjet; Dec 15, 2022 at 10:13 pm