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Targeted AA Elite Status Offer – Less EQM + EQD
This is a targeted offer and a great way to jump status without having to earn all the normal levels of EQM+EQD. I challenged for AA Platinum status back in 2015 and it paid off big time during 2016. Once you register you have until May 26th to fulfill the requirements for each status. It’s worth noting that you won’t have the status while you are “challenging.” If you currently hold no status with AA, typically fly a competitor, or are scheduled to fly on partners of AA this could be a great way to earn status for the entire year and make qualifying for next year much more comfortable. Check to see if you’re Targeted for this AA Elite Status Offer – Less EQM + EQD.
Here’s the offer and You can check here if you are targeted:
In all honesty, I think the two levels of status to fast track would be Platinum or Executive Platinum. Golds get shoved around too much by higher ranking status levels for upgrades, etc and if you can make Platinum( one world sapphire) you gain access to Business Class lounges when flying internationally, even in coach. Additionally you should be able to status match to other mid-tier competitors like Alaska if you don’t re-qualify for 2018-2019.
Exec Plat is being offered for roughly 1/3 of all the requirements. If you’re scheduled to take a few business trips in premium cabins you could pick up 35k EQM and $4k EQD without much problem. Those SWUs will have you riding in Lie-Flat in no time
Here’s how American compares the different levels of status:
A Base member earns 5x the fare
- Gold 7x
- Platinum 8x
- Platinum Pro 9x
- Executive Plat 11x
Terms and Conditions:
- Only flights on AA, American Eagle, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, and Qantas qualify
- Must Register and complete requirement by May 26, 2017
Remember that partner flights that aren’t on AA ticket stock earn EQD based off mileage. You can check that number here.
Here’s British Airways for reference:
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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