nibixi

Hello,

By the end of the year I will have accumulated 24 737 AQM and we'll over 3000$ of AQD. I will only be missing 263 miles to obtain my status with Air Canada Altitude. Is there a way to buy the remaining few miles or do I have to book a round-trip to Toronto from Montreal to make sure I get my frequent flyer status for next year?

I do travel a lot for work so I would gladly enjoy the benefits from having a FF status.

I'm sorry if this has been answered before, I couldn't find an answer to my question despite the research.

Thank you!

canopus27

Welcome to Flyertalk!

There's no way to be sure that you'll be gifted 25K status. If you're over the AQD requirement then there's a chance that AC will gift it to you ... but that's a far thing from a certainty. If you care about having status (and many of us here do) then the only way to guarantee things is to have met the stated requirements.

flights.google.ca is a good tool to explore a range of flights to a range of locations ... but whether your cheapest option is a roundtrip to Montreal, or London, or somewhere else - if you want guaranteed status, then you need to plan a flight.

karachi

i'd go for YYZ to YOW or YUL .. whatever gets you over the hump at the cheapest price.

yyznomad

flyquiet

Welcome to FT. There is no assured way to "buy" the remaining miles other than on a ticket that you actually fly (i.e., not earned on a flight you buy but don't take). There is a thread here on AC sending members offers to "buy up" a level but if you do not currently have status, AC is unlikely to think you would be interested in taking such an offer, and there is no way to make an offer happen, i.e., there are people who would have taken such an offer and did not get one. In addition, the offer is not likely to be cheaper than a cheap hop. Once you have status, you have more options to obtain miles other than flying them, such as bonus AQM for PY and J, and AQM for flight pass purchase, and minimum AQM for short flights, etc. Please bear in mind that P25K status benefits are modest, but if the price of that one last flight is accessible to you, any status better than no status.

quantumofforce

Fly to Montréal for new years, then fly back in January. Is a one way hop enough? If not do a one way hop to somewhere else for New Years Eve.

flyquiet

Or do the full-on FT way, and fly somewhere 10,263 miles round trip and go for E35K

nibixi

Exactly, and since you get 25% additional AQM when flying with 25K status (to my understanding), getting a status next year will be even easier.

I think I wouldn't mind doing that, except I have no time to! I either have to fly between tomorrow and the 21st of November, or between December 26th and 31st!! It's a real bummer, I flew to Seoul this summer in premium economy, but I only bought my upgrade after purchasing the ticket so I was credited my original booking fare... sad as I would have gotten 35k most likely!

Thanks for the answer guys, I'll look into flying somewhere for cheap!

canadiancow

No, that bonus is for redeemable miles, not qualifying miles.

nibixi

Ah, then! Good to know. Maybe it would be more benifical for me to get the American Express AeroplanPlus Platinum card then! For 500$ it gives you Maple Leaf lounge access and Priority Pass membership... about the same price as a flight anywhere out of Montréal for this week of between Christmas and new years!

As I can't post link since my account is still under 5 posts, here's the link to the card I'm talking about: americanexpress.com/ca/en/charge-cards/aeroplan-platinum-card/

YEG_SE4Life

To answer your question, the only way to purchase AQM is to buy an unlimited FP. That is not cheap though.

Now, I just have to ask this, with all due respect. Am I the only one who thinks that, if you truly flew a lot for work, this wouldn't even be an issue? Or do you not get AQM when you fly for work?

nibixi

I do not always fly Star Alliance unfortunately, and even when I do, the booking classes don't always make you earn AQM! This year alone I've done 7 round trips to Europe and one to Asia, plus flights within Europe. Still under 25 000k

SteadyAT

I have many colleagues who travel for work, and their company policy is the lowest fare. It used to be "Tango" @ 50% AQM, but now there's even basic. These colleagues typically fly within Canada and some Transborders. It takes A LOT to reach any significant status flying this way.

YEG_SE4Life

Okay, it was a bad joke, and it backfired. Do you get AQS for basic? TBH, I have no experience with that fare.

jc94