Dave Noble

You can have a credit card but cannot collect miles

NM

True, but there is plenty of opportunity for confirmed upgrades on AA flights transatlantic. I would prefer an upgrade AA flight over a non-upgraded BA flight any day.

NM

No in my experience .

DownUnderFlyer

Thanks! This is very strict.

Aisle Seat H

Ehhhhxcellent! (To be read with a Mr Burns voice! )

Very good point. And I can do a Plat. Challenge still can't I to at least earn that very quickly on the way there? (Though will have to get to EXP the hard way still).

Thanks, and seems to be very true from all I have heard from you and others too, but have been looking at BAEC over the last few hours and I have to say there seems to be few redeeming features (see what I did there? ) to it unless you are a Gold!

And it looks with my travel pattern that - while I often make WP comfortably and would have a very good stab at EXP - that with much of my travel being in Y that I would struggle many years to make Gold (even with the recent changes). And in years to come if my travel drops off - which I hope will happen in time - then it would be even harder.

Combined with the lack of miles value and taxes/fines issue on BA, it looks like its AA all the way for me.

Thanks again everyone for all the advise and contributions - all great info., and most appreciated ^

Kiwi Flyer

I thought you were trying for Malev under their promo?

Dave Noble

In which case, might be time to get a MBNA AMEX to earn miles with

drron

Both mrsdrron and myself were with Aadvantage.With the GFC we have cut down from 2 DONE4s each year to 1 plus a Circle Asia.So i haven't been able to retain EXP.We both missed Flounging so mrsdrron switched to QFF and 1 DONE is enough for her to remain WP.
Now even though no flights at all credited to AA in 2009 she still got the easy landing card of Gold from her previous AA plat status.
So QFF-easier to reach top status.
AA-easier and cheaper Aawards and upgrades.
No experience of BA.

Aisle Seat H

Ha ha! No, as I explained on the OW Forum I happen to be about to be flying Malev soon and if you do so before the end of June they status match you, and while having 2 Emerald cards would normally be little use to me their Plat. card comes with a free Gold card for a family member: this is what interests me. If I can use my WP to get my Mum (who is a tad fragile but has to fly quite a bit on her own in Y in coming months) a year of lounge access etc etc that would be fab. This has nothing to do with my longterm FF strategy KF !!!

Thanks drron - that reinforces the maths I have been doing on the subject too.

But my thought when I started this Thread, and that has been reinforced by the advise here, is that - while I will miss the Flounge etc if I can't keep Emerald status - I would rather be in the Business lounge but flying in J or F, than in the Flounge and flying in Y.

Being an AA FF I would, with my travel patterns, clearly be far more likely to achieve this (due to afforability of premium class miles redemption, Up vouchers and good OpUp chances when on AA metal, etc, etc) than flying as a BAEC (for reasons already discussed) or QF FF.
.

martin33

2-3 years from now the picture should be quite different.

yes, e.g., don't change to AA in August.

it would certainly seem to make little sense to be a Silver on BA vs Platinum on AA. BA Gold is another story.

redeeming for freebie tickets is cheaper in general on AA. redeeming for upgrades, especially longhaul, seems cheap and more straightforward on BA (unless you are EXP on AA and have SWU's to spend on AA upgrading).

Like QF, BA are very strict about the 4-flight rule; AA are not (at present or historically; no one can say 2-3 years from now). The climb to BA Gold is more arduous than most, since you reset to zero on achieving Silver.

Aisle Seat H

Remind me again how this works please? Doing a Plat. challenge at different times in the year - before or after the middle of June if memory serves - also makes a difference doesn't it?

martin33

there are two considerations-- first, cost vs benefits short-term; second, are you planning on going for EXP?

The first is straightforward, relatively. Try to start early in Jan, or latter June/early July (all start dates are the 1st or 16th of a month). The former costs less ($150 for PLT challenge), but the status lasts to the following February only (through Feb 2011 for challenges begun 2010). The latter costs more ($200, or is it 250 now?) but the status lasts longer, to February of the year after (Feb 2012 for challenges begun 6/16-12/16 2010). Both expiries are fixed, so starting later in the given window is less ideal.

The second consideration can be important because EXP qualification must be done over a calendar year only. Reaching PLT through challenge does not mean you are halfway to EXP; you are only as far as your miles/points total actually stands. Thus, a July challenge is likely to create "dead time" between the end of the challenge and the next January 1st. A January or December challenge, however, leaves all or most of the calendar year in which to shoot for EXP. If you're not going for EXP, then it's irrelevant.

Challenges are reckoned in EQP (fare-based/distance-based points) only, and *only* on AA-coded segments (codeshares allowed). PLT requires 10,000 points in 90 days. One AA transatlantic round-trip at a B or higher fare makes the grade, but it would take 3 round-trips in deep discount coach (well, 3 to the East coast or 2 to the West coast).

Dave Noble

All challenges start on 1st or 16th of the month

If you start in Jan,feb,mar,apr,may or on 1st june, then the status, when attained will last until the upcoming february and you will need to get the full 50k by the end of december to renew

If you start the challenge on 16th June or later , then it will last for the rest of current year plus the following year

e.g.

start on 1 June 2010 - status will last till 28 Feb 2011 unless 50k attained by 31 December 2010

start on 16 June 2010 - status will last till 29 Feb 2012 - 50k needed to be earned between 1jan and 31dec 2011 to renew

This is only an issue if you think that you will not earn enough to renew of course

Dave

Aisle Seat H

Thanks martin33 and Dave, that's helped a lot.

Still not quite got my head around EPMs, EQPs, etc yet - you earn the same amount of EQPs on a B fare in economy as on a full-fare F?!? - but I'll read more and sure I'll work it out!

number_6

Part of the commercial reality in the US, where many companies prohibit premium travel now ... so AA has introduced B fares that are higher than F fares on some routes and used the high FF plan payoff as a way to bribe people to buy these high fares that are otherwise unjustified (and of course EXP get free upgrade to F, so effectively buying B fare is same as buying an F fare, just gets billed and expensed as economy travel. AA knows how to game the system Never forget that FF plan is AA's most profitable product.