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Timing is everything. And the timing really worked to my favor on this trifecta of elite status. Here’s the skinny. In August, I was targeted for an American Airlines Platinum Pro Challenge because I have Hyatt Globalist. I ended up hitting the requirements for Platinum Pro on the very last day of the challenge, and then completed two status matches that are currently running: Air Canada Aeroplan and ITA Airways. Voila… I now have One World Emerald Status, soon to be Star Alliance Gold, and who knows what I’ll land with ITA Airways, but that may end up a part of SkyTeam?
How I ended up with Hyatt Globalist in just 9 nights.
I had Hyatt Globalist because of a confluence of incredible offers and promos. Hyatt ran a double elite night promo at the end of last year/beginning of this year, lowered the threshold for Globalist to 30, and the Hyatt credit card was offering 10 elite nights instead of the normal 5 – also remember you get 2 elite nights when you spend $5k on the card
- That meant I started with 10 elite nights
- The min spend was meant I hit the $5k in 2022 – 2 elite nights
- If I stayed just 9 nights I’d be credited with 18 nights.
American and Hyatt have a partnership – my Hyatt Globalist got me a American Airline Platinum Pro challenge
Funny enough, I gave up on American status a few years ago, but when Hyatt and AA partnered I was targeted for comped Gold status. That was extended because of Covid, and lo and behold, I get targeted again! This time… for Platinum Pro status. I really hemmed and hawed as to whether it would be worthwhile, but I had quite a bit of travel during the challenge period and after AA announced they were going full revenue next year, I pulled the trigger.
Having as high an elite status starting with the newly designed American Aadvantage program will help retain any status, and since I don’t tend to spend loads on airfare, any little bit helps.
Then a couple of months ago, Air Canada announced a status match for USA cardholders.
On 11/11/21 my challenge was due to end. I needed $616 EQDs and decided that I’d surprised my family with an unannounced weekend trip. I’d get to spend some QT as well as earn 2 elite statuses.
Funny enough… I had to search and search to find a flight pricey enough to hit the spend threshold. The one time I’ve ever faced this problem.
This means I’ll get to visit first class lounges when flying internationally all of next year and into 2023. I anticipate flying quite a bit internationally and will definitely make use of those lounges
Turning my AA Platinum Pro into Aeroplan 50k = Star Alliance Gold Status
This process was super simple, I needed to screen cap my status and upload my ID. It’s all processed online and quite swift. You can do it here. I’m for confirmation but I don’t think there will be any issue.
- You need to fly 2 segments before 1/15/21 in order to keep status until 12/31/22.
That means I’ll be able to visit United lounges when flying domestically in the US! Pretty awesome.
Matching again to ITA Airways
ITA is a brand new airline out of Italy that is speculated to join SkyTeam…we shall see. I matched to them as well.
It’ll be interesting to see which tier I match to with ITA.
Overall
I hit the Platinum portion of the challenge without much effort, but ultimately the confluence of status match opportunities that lead me to spending more than I would have just to hit Platinum Pro status.
In the end…I spent $700 on a one way ticket to hit AA Plat Pro and soon to be 2 other statuses.
Would you have done it?
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
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
- Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
- 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, 2024
- $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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