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The Air Canada Early Status Recognition Thread

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The Air Canada Early Status Recognition Thread

Old Jun 5, 2006, 2:51 pm
  #1  
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Join Date: Sep 2005
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Programs: AC E75K *G
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The Air Canada Early Status Recognition Thread

IMPORTANT: This first post is now out of date in its details and does not reflect the AC frequent flier "Altitude" rebranding. It remains roughly accurate in spirit, although now there are two new levels at 50k and 75k.


Early Status Recognition with Air Canada

What is early status recognition?
If you are not currently AC Elite and reach 35000 status miles (or 50 status segments) in a calendar year before October 15, you will get AC Elite status for the current benefit year (lasting up to the end of the next February). Of course, you will have also earned AC Elite status for the subsequent benefit year as well, just like anyone else who reaches the required threshold.

If you are not currently AC Super Elite and reach 100000 status miles (or 95 status segments) in a calendar year before October 15, you will get AC Super Elite status for the current benefit year (lasting up to the end of the next February). Of course, you will have also earned AC Super Elite status for the subsequent benefit year as well, just like anyone else who reaches the required threshold.

Early Status Recognition seems to begin with the start of the new benefit year, i.e. on March 1. So if you cross 35k/50 segments before March 1 you will not be recognized until March 1. (And you cross 100k/95 segments before March 1 you are flying far too much!)

The published deadline is October 15. That means: the flight that takes you over a threshold needs to depart on or before October 15. There are anecdotal stories about the possibility of a later, internal, unpublished deadline that Aeroplan uses, but October 15 is the official date. Neither Air Canada nor Aeroplan is going to tell you in advance about a later unpublished deadline. We on Flyertalk cannot possibly know for sure one way or another. The only 100% guaranteed way to get early recognition is to meet the deadline. The choice to reroute a current booking for more miles, or even to book a true mileage run just to meet the deadline, is entirely up to you.

Yes, you can go from nothing to Elite to Super Elite all in one year.

The is no early recognition for Presitge.

This information is sort of available at the Aeroplan website (at the bottom under YOUR ACCOUNT, click Top-Tier Benefits, select Learn more in the Privileges section, click on either Elite or Prestige, and click on the Early Recognition link at the bottom), but the details get a little lost in the marketing.

In particular, you do not need to be Prestige to get early Elite recognition.


When will my status be recognized?
It will be recognized soon after your threshold miles post to your account. The Aeroplan website may recognize your new status before you receive any email or letter about it.

Do I get to select a benefit package?
Yes.

If you qualify for Elite from no prior status, you should receive the 20k status miles threshold upgrade eCerts independently of the benefit package you select. Keep this in mind when you select which upgrade certificates you want in your package.

Your selections will be applied immediately. So, if you were to qualify in October, you will receive eCerts that expire at the end of the next February. The good news is that in January you will get to choose your package all over again and you will get eCerts good for the whole year.

Note that if you are already Prestige/Elite and chose to receive the 25%/50% miles bonus, and you move up to Elite/Super Elite during the year, you will not continue to receive the 25%/50% miles bonus for the rest of the year. If you choose the miles bonus for your new level you will receive that bonus instead. If you don't choose the miles bonus, you won't get any.

If you were already Prestige or Elite and you chose bonus status miles, an odd thing happens if you cross the threshold to the next status level. The bonus status miles you chose (and which may have helped put you over top to reach the next level) are removed from your account. You maintain your new status if this miles debit brings you back under the threshold.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=607153

If you go from nothing to Basic to Elite to Super Elite in one year you will get to choose a package after making Elite, another after making Super Elite, and a new Super Elite package in the subsequent January.


When will I get my (Super) Elite card and eCerts and what if I need status benefits before then?
You will get the card in the mail in due course. It will take up to a few weeks. Simply do not count on being able to use eCerts until you actually have them in your account.

By default the status you had when you booked a flight will be the status that appears on your boarding pass for that flight. So, your new status will appear on the boarding pass for all new bookings.

You can get your updated status on boarding passes for flights booked before you had that status. You should call AC and get them to delete your AP number from your booking and then re-enter it, or you can do this online yourself.

You can also print out emails and Aeroplan website pages indicating your new status. Together with your updated boarding pass you should be able to get elite benefits. It's possible that you will run into trouble with some agents, especially when trying to get Star Alliance Gold benefits with non-AC agents.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=563733
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=563376

Early Status "Lite"

In past experience if you cross the status mile threshold after the early recognition deadline, even for Prestige, you will not receive the full early status benefits (like card and eCerts), but you will be recognized with your new status on the Aeroplan website, on your boarding passes (see above), and in dealings with AP/AC on the phone and via the website. You might very well get into AC lounges with your boarding pass and a printout from the website, but not necessarily. And you are quite unlikely to get Star Alliance Gold benefits without your Elite card in hand.

Last edited by zorn; Jun 24, 2013 at 8:47 am Reason: Do the rules apply to me? Do they? Do they?
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Old Jun 5, 2006, 2:55 pm
  #2  
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So I have two questions I'd like answered.

How are the thresholds calculated for someone going from no status to AC*E?

Do you receive 2 SWU for getting to 45000 that year (as though you had been E all along), or do you start working towards the 2 SWU after 15000 new miles since becoming AC*E?

Also, if one selects the bonus status miles, will they count for the current qualifying year or the next year?
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Old Jun 5, 2006, 3:01 pm
  #3  
 
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One thing that occurred to me when I was thinking about this last night is that early qualifiers have the ability to earn more certificates than someone who pre-qualified.

Consider:

Start with Zero
Earn Elite (get Elite package)
Earn SE (get SE package)

vs.

Get SE package

Perhaps a threshold bonus at 135,000 should be the equivalent # of certs to what one might get with earning Elite...
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Old Jun 5, 2006, 3:20 pm
  #4  
 
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Originally Posted by zorn
If you are not currently AC Super Elite and reach 100000 status miles in a calendar year before the end of October, you will get AC Elite status good until the end of February two calender years after.
Did you mean "you will get Super Elite status"? If you are currently Elite, you get Super Elite status immediately. Otherwise, if you have no status and it is as you say, then I would think you get Elite until the following February, then Super Elite kicks in until the February after that.

Last edited by laidback71; Jun 5, 2006 at 3:27 pm
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Old Jun 5, 2006, 4:01 pm
  #5  
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Originally Posted by zorn
So I have two questions I'd like answered.

How are the thresholds calculated for someone going from no status to AC*E?

Do you receive 2 SWU for getting to 45000 that year (as though you had been E all along), or do you start working towards the 2 SWU after 15000 new miles since becoming AC*E?

Also, if one selects the bonus status miles, will they count for the current qualifying year or the next year?
If you get Elite, you will start earning certs when you reach the next threshold (45K). There is only one set of counters - 15K, 30K, 45K and so on.

If you select bonus status miles, it counts for the current benefit year.
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Old Jun 5, 2006, 4:44 pm
  #6  
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Originally Posted by Andrew Yiu
If you get Elite, you will start earning certs when you reach the next threshold (45K). There is only one set of counters - 15K, 30K, 45K and so on.

If you select bonus status miles, it counts for the current benefit year.
So simple, erudite, and beyond dispute. As they say, it is not rocket science
 
Old Jun 5, 2006, 6:56 pm
  #7  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
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A month past the threshold - where are the certs?

How long should it take to get the 15k / 30k etc. SWU certs? I passed the last threshold a month ago....
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Old Jun 5, 2006, 7:42 pm
  #8  
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Originally Posted by okazon69
How long should it take to get the 15k / 30k etc. SWU certs? I passed the last threshold a month ago....
I find it usually takes about 6 weeks.
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Old Jun 6, 2006, 4:34 am
  #9  
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Originally Posted by zorn
There seems to be a number of people interested in how early status recognition with AC works. I'll be one of them this year.
I just wanted to say thanks ^ for starting this thread. Great idea. Maybe someone should start some sort of "Everything Else FAQ" where the first post, similar to the current stickies, can address big time questions like the ones you've introduced.
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Old Jun 6, 2006, 6:42 am
  #10  
 
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Great Thread ^ I remember how many questions I had about instant recognition when I started my new job. Four years ago. Thankfully I found this site shortly thereafter and all questions were answered as well as a lot of insight into the FF game.
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Old Jun 16, 2006, 7:05 am
  #11  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
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Originally Posted by stinger
Great Thread ^ I remember how many questions I had about instant recognition when I started my new job. Four years ago. Thankfully I found this site shortly thereafter and all questions were answered as well as a lot of insight into the FF game.
I just got my E package the other day. It took approximately 2 weeks to receive the Elite card in the mail.
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Old Sep 30, 2006, 8:15 am
  #12  
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Bump.

Seems like it is high season for early status recognition.
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Old Sep 30, 2006, 1:12 pm
  #13  
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Wow I planned things well this year... I will have 35,065 AP miles ^
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Old Sep 30, 2006, 7:14 pm
  #14  
 
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Originally Posted by zorn
If you are not currently AC Elite and reach 35000 status miles in a calendar year before the end of October, you will get AC Elite status good until the end of February two calender years after.
I thought the cut-off date was around mid-November...have they changed the date or am I mistaken?

ml
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Old Sep 30, 2006, 7:55 pm
  #15  
 
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The cut off date was around mid-November for previous yearh however, for this year it is Oct 31st.
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