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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:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a great starter card that earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based.
Welcome Offer
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
80k offer in branch currently – I think this should be online soon
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
Super solid welcome offer.
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.
- 3x on dining
- including eligible delivery services for takeout
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards – Chase Travel Portal
- $50 Annual Credit on hotel stays purchased via Ultimate Rewards/Chase Travel
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 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 Portal and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including primary rental car insurance, purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 13 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in the Chase Travel center for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Primary rental car coverage is my favorite
There is currently an 80k offer after $4k spend in 3 months available in branch, and up to 90k after $6k spend in 6 months. I suspect some version of this will be online soon if you don’t want the hassle of going into a branch.
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 60k is a very, very good offer. 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.
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