AA's 2022 Elite program vs UA's: Loyalty Points -- might UA follow?
Oct 26, 2021, 4:39 pm
#1
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Join Date: Feb 2010
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AA's 2022 Elite program vs UA's: Loyalty Points -- might UA follow?
We’re thrilled to introduce updates to the AAdvantage® program that will make it simpler for you to earn status.
Starting in 2022, instead of Elite Qualifying Miles, Elite Qualifying Dollars and Elite Qualifying Segments, you’ll only have one status metric: Loyalty Points.
How it works
Details here.
Starting in 2022, instead of Elite Qualifying Miles, Elite Qualifying Dollars and Elite Qualifying Segments, you’ll only have one status metric: Loyalty Points.
How it works
- Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every eligible AAdvantage® mile earned*
- Enjoy more ways to earn Loyalty Points: Travel on qualifying airlines, use an AAdvantage® credit card for purchases, dine and spend with our partners
- Elite bonuses earned from flying will also count toward Loyalty Points
- Status valid through January 31, 2022 has been extended to March 31, 2022
- January and February 2022 activity will count toward earning both 2022 and 2023 status
- In the future, you’ll qualify for status from March through February, with status valid through March 31 of the following year
- AAdvantage Gold®: 30,000 Loyalty Points
- AAdvantage Platinum®: 75,000 Loyalty Points
- AAdvantage Platinum Pro®: 125,000 Loyalty Points
- AAdvantage Executive Platinum®: 200,000 Loyalty Points
Details here.
Oct 26, 2021, 5:05 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
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UA doesn't need to follow. UA can simply revert its PQP requirements back to the normal level - e.g. 24K PQP for 1K
Oct 26, 2021, 5:05 pm
#4
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The credit card spend I guess is why they hiked the raw $$ so much, though I question the sanity of someone spending $200k to obtain top AA status. And yes, I hope UA avoids offering up status merely for credit card spend.
Without substantial return of business travel and OPM spend, this seems folly on AA's part.
Oct 26, 2021, 5:06 pm
#5
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Oct 26, 2021, 5:59 pm
#7
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Washington, DC
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Yeah - very interesting that it's a lot easier to re-earn status than to get it in the first place, given the multiplier.
But if you can do it all on CC spend seems like a lot of people could churn at least to platinum (UA gold equiv.) if not much higher.
But if you can do it all on CC spend seems like a lot of people could churn at least to platinum (UA gold equiv.) if not much higher.
Oct 26, 2021, 6:04 pm
#8
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This is simplier in the same way the PQP change was simpler -- simpler to encourage higher spends. Personally I find it more complex than UA system, but maybe it is what you are used to. AA has also moved completely to the spend metric
Also great news for Citi -- the credit card folks take their influence up another notch
Interesting message we take your money anyway, certainty diminishes the flying aspect. Sort of counter to frequent flyer concept
The easy to requal versus to improve your status is interesting. But many will complaint about this (and others will take it)
Personally prefer the UA approach but this puts the final nail in the idea of airlines returning to the mileage-based status.
Also great news for Citi -- the credit card folks take their influence up another notch
Interesting message we take your money anyway, certainty diminishes the flying aspect. Sort of counter to frequent flyer concept
The easy to requal versus to improve your status is interesting. But many will complaint about this (and others will take it)
Personally prefer the UA approach but this puts the final nail in the idea of airlines returning to the mileage-based status.
Oct 26, 2021, 7:10 pm
#9
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,021
"Churning" generally means signing up for new credit cards for the initial sign-up bonuses and those miles don't count as AA Loyalty Points. You have to be a pretty dedicated MS'er or a high spender to get to $75K in CC spend. And if you are earning most of your points from CC spend instead of flying, you aren't really consuming much in the way of benefits from your status. A lot of the heavy MS types seem to use their points for J awards. The additional benefits from having status are pretty minimal if you are flying on J tix, so I doubt that AA really cares that much.
Oct 26, 2021, 7:13 pm
#10
Join Date: May 2021
Location: LAX
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Posts: 70
At least with UA, PQP is the same across the board. Seems a bit wonky that a no-status purchase of a J ticket will barely clear to gold, but an EXP could almost reach Plat.
AA is making it painful to just naturally qualify to higher tiers, without also going for CCs if you dont have status.. Also without branded spend these seem like exceedingly hopeful thresholds, 6k in flights just to hit their lowest status level.
AA is making it painful to just naturally qualify to higher tiers, without also going for CCs if you dont have status.. Also without branded spend these seem like exceedingly hopeful thresholds, 6k in flights just to hit their lowest status level.
Oct 26, 2021, 7:15 pm
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,021
At least with UA, PQP is the same across the board. Seems a bit wonky that a no-status purchase of a J ticket will barely clear to gold, but an EXP could almost reach Plat.
AA is making it painful to just naturally qualify to higher tiers, without also going for CCs if you dont have status.. Also without branded spend these seem like exceedingly hopeful thresholds, 6k in flights just to hit their lowest status level.
AA is making it painful to just naturally qualify to higher tiers, without also going for CCs if you dont have status.. Also without branded spend these seem like exceedingly hopeful thresholds, 6k in flights just to hit their lowest status level.
Oct 26, 2021, 7:15 pm
#13
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 689
As always, UA's version for 2022 will be highly anticipated!
Oct 26, 2021, 7:41 pm
#14
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC (Primarily EWR)
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It’s an interesting concept for sure. Given that I go out of my way to earn extra miles (paying rent on CC, ordering via MP Shopping, MP Dining when I can), it’s an intriguing concept, but it feels like it is an easy way to massively reduce the number of casual travelers with status and weight it even more towards people who travel on OPM, e.g. you could make EXP by being one and spending roughly $20k (before taxes - so you are spending more).
It feels a bit too clever by half, but arguably it makes for an easier path to get status if you are a travel nerd who is fully immersed in the reward point/CC ecosystem.
It feels a bit too clever by half, but arguably it makes for an easier path to get status if you are a travel nerd who is fully immersed in the reward point/CC ecosystem.
Oct 26, 2021, 7:43 pm
#15
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