Dave Noble
Senior Member
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2005
- Posts
- 6,419
Since there seem to be a number of questions about the AA Lack-of-challenges and lots of people seem to want to become AA CT status ( AA Candy Thief aka AKA AA Platinum ) I thought that this might be of use to some people
What are the AA Challenges
AA provides fast track methods to achieve status to Gold ( OW Ruby ) and Platinum ( OW Sapphire ). A challenge can be completed by attaining 5000 qpoints for Gold or 10000 points for Platinum within 3 months. Earning rates are given further down
How do I Join the AA AAdvantage scheme
go to www.aa.com and you can sign up for free online
How do I sign up for the challenge
Phone AAdvantage Customer Service in the US on +1 817 799 2500 ( from Australia , replace the + with 0011 )
How do I earn qpoints
qpoints can only be earned by flying on One World Airlines and Alaska Airlines. Do be aware that qpoints are not the same as frequent flyer mileage that can be used for redeeming awards
Note Lan Argentina and Lan Dominica are not part of One World
When travelling in First Class, Business Class or BA World Traveller Plus 1.5 points is earned per mile flown.
Note no points earned on BA between UK and USA
For other discount fares please refer to this table
Where points are earned, there is a min point earning of 500
American Airlines
qpoints per - Fare Bases
flown mile
1.5 - Y B
1.0 - H K L M V W
0.5 - G N O* Q** S
( O class only eligable on US domestic Flights , Q is invalid on transatlantic flights )
Aer Lingus
Within Ireland
1.0 - Y H
Ireland to US
1.0 - Y H K
Ireland - UK excluding LHR
1.0 - Y B H
Ireland - Europe or LHR
1.0 - Y B H K
British Airways Excluding flights between UK and USA
1.5 - Y B
1.0 - H
0.25 - K L M N O R
0.125 - G Q S V
Cathay Pacific
1.5 - Y B
1.0 - H
Finnair
1.5 - Y B
1.0 - A H K M V
0,5 - G L N S Q O T W
Iberia
1.5 - R Y
0.3 - B H K M Q V
0.15 - G L N O S
Lan Excluding flights to or from Cuba
1.5 - B Y
1.0 - H K L M N V
0.5 - G N O Q S
Qantas Airways
1.5 - B Y
1.0 - H K W
0.5 - M V L R
0.25 - G O S
How do I know what class my ticket is booked in
The simplest is to phone the airline which you are travelling with and confirm. If you know the fare basis for your ticket, then the booking class will normally be the 1st character of the fare basis. For Qantas flights you may be able to find the booking class by going to http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/do/dyn/yourBooking and retrieving the booking information. This site is a bit hit or miss on whether a flight details will show the booking class
When travelling domestically on Qantas,
cheap red-e-deals book in the eligable class of O whilst the higher priced ones book in the ineligable class N
Super Savers book in S M V L or R
Flexi Savers book in K or W
Fully Flexible book in B or Y
How do I know what the distance of my trip will be
go to http://gc.kls2.com/ and put in the from and to points in ( e.g. for Sydney to Los Angeles enter either SYD-LAX or, if you do not know the airport codes, Sydney-Los Angeles.
I now know about qpoints but what redeemable miles will I earn
go to www.aa.com , then from menu on left select Aadvantage -> Partners & Mileage Programs -> Airlines and then click down into the appropriate airline
How long will my status last
Challenges can be timed to start on the 1st or 16th of a month and 3 months are allowed to complete the challenge
Start on 1st/16th of Jan/Feb/Mar/Apr/May or 1st June, then status will last until end of february the next year ( e.g. start on 1st June 2006 and status will last until end of february 2007 )
Start on or after 16th June, status will last till end of february 2 years time ( e.g start on 16th June 2006 and status will last until end of february 2008 )
What are the benefits of status
Please look at www.aa.com where the handbooks can be downloaded and check out www.oneworldalliance.com
How can I make sure that I get my points without unnecessary difficulty
Easy Method
--------------
1st of all, make sure that you put no frequent flyer number in the booking
When you have booked the flight, get the 6 character AMADEUS locator
Go to www.ba.com and select "Manage my booking" and then "Retrieve booking" from the list on the left. (It doesn't matter if is a Qantas flight , the BA MMB will do whats needed).
Put the reference number and name into the fields and retrieve the booking
On the right hand side list there will be a link to "Add frequent flyer number" . Select this
Select American Airlines from the drop down menu and fill in your AA Frequent Flyer number in the box
If you go to www.checkmytrip.com and check the booking, it should appear correctly ( as detailed further down )
NOTE: The link to Add the FF number will ONLY be available if no FF number has ever been put in the booking; if an FF number has been put in the booking this method cannot be used and the method below should be used.
This is the idea method since it does not reply on an agent knowing how to add AA FF numbers
Hard method
---------------
Make sure that you ONLY put the AA number into your booking. When booking a flight on QF or BA, you can check that it is in correctly. go to www.checkmytrip.com and look up your reservation using the booking reference number
When you get the details you should see something similar to
Traveler: MR MY NAME
Frequent Flyer: Qantas Airways - AAxx_xx_
when travelling on QF or
Traveler: MR MY NAME
Frequent Flyer: British Airways - AAxx_xx_
If you have an itinery with multiple carriers, there should be an entry for each airline flown
Do make sure that NO OTHER FF NUMBER appears in the booking
If you see an entry of format
Traveler: MR MY NAME
Frequent Flyer: American Airlines - AAxx_xx_
then phone QF/BA back and get them to remove the number and re-enter it properly
How can I check how I am doing
Log into your account at aa.com and go to view your miles. You will see in the mileage summary column a field where it says
YTD Elite Qualifying Points: n
When this crosses the 5000/10000 threshold, within a day you will see an additional entry in the Personal Information field saying
Status: PLATINUM
or
Status: GOLD
as appropriate
Note: If you embark on a challenge near the end of the year and be continuing into January, you will need to keep track yourself as the field is the Year To Date points and will reset to zero in january
I have completed the challenge - what now
In approximately 2 weeks time you will receive a new membership card and a benefit book from AA. Use the card when necessary to show your entitlement to the associated benefits ( e.g. lounge access )
But I am flying again before the card will arrive and so I want to get my benefits now?
Phone the local AA office ( check the aa site to find the local phone number ) and they can fax you a letter confirming your status which will hopefully deal with the short term issues
How do I ensure that I keep status
You will need to meet the normal requalifying requirements as detailed on aa.com. If starting challenge between Jan 1 and Jun, you will need to meet the requirements by the end of current year, otherwise after completing the challenge, you can rest till the new year starts in January
If I fail to meet platinum status requalification requirements, will my status be entirely dropped to nothing at renewal time
No. You will be dropped back down to gold
What are the AA Challenges
AA provides fast track methods to achieve status to Gold ( OW Ruby ) and Platinum ( OW Sapphire ). A challenge can be completed by attaining 5000 qpoints for Gold or 10000 points for Platinum within 3 months. Earning rates are given further down
How do I Join the AA AAdvantage scheme
go to www.aa.com and you can sign up for free online
How do I sign up for the challenge
Phone AAdvantage Customer Service in the US on +1 817 799 2500 ( from Australia , replace the + with 0011 )
How do I earn qpoints
qpoints can only be earned by flying on One World Airlines and Alaska Airlines. Do be aware that qpoints are not the same as frequent flyer mileage that can be used for redeeming awards
Note Lan Argentina and Lan Dominica are not part of One World
When travelling in First Class, Business Class or BA World Traveller Plus 1.5 points is earned per mile flown.
Note no points earned on BA between UK and USA
For other discount fares please refer to this table
Where points are earned, there is a min point earning of 500
American Airlines
qpoints per - Fare Bases
flown mile
1.5 - Y B
1.0 - H K L M V W
0.5 - G N O* Q** S
( O class only eligable on US domestic Flights , Q is invalid on transatlantic flights )
Aer Lingus
Within Ireland
1.0 - Y H
Ireland to US
1.0 - Y H K
Ireland - UK excluding LHR
1.0 - Y B H
Ireland - Europe or LHR
1.0 - Y B H K
British Airways Excluding flights between UK and USA
1.5 - Y B
1.0 - H
0.25 - K L M N O R
0.125 - G Q S V
Cathay Pacific
1.5 - Y B
1.0 - H
Finnair
1.5 - Y B
1.0 - A H K M V
0,5 - G L N S Q O T W
Iberia
1.5 - R Y
0.3 - B H K M Q V
0.15 - G L N O S
Lan Excluding flights to or from Cuba
1.5 - B Y
1.0 - H K L M N V
0.5 - G N O Q S
Qantas Airways
1.5 - B Y
1.0 - H K W
0.5 - M V L R
0.25 - G O S
How do I know what class my ticket is booked in
The simplest is to phone the airline which you are travelling with and confirm. If you know the fare basis for your ticket, then the booking class will normally be the 1st character of the fare basis. For Qantas flights you may be able to find the booking class by going to http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/do/dyn/yourBooking and retrieving the booking information. This site is a bit hit or miss on whether a flight details will show the booking class
When travelling domestically on Qantas,
cheap red-e-deals book in the eligable class of O whilst the higher priced ones book in the ineligable class N
Super Savers book in S M V L or R
Flexi Savers book in K or W
Fully Flexible book in B or Y
How do I know what the distance of my trip will be
go to http://gc.kls2.com/ and put in the from and to points in ( e.g. for Sydney to Los Angeles enter either SYD-LAX or, if you do not know the airport codes, Sydney-Los Angeles.
I now know about qpoints but what redeemable miles will I earn
go to www.aa.com , then from menu on left select Aadvantage -> Partners & Mileage Programs -> Airlines and then click down into the appropriate airline
How long will my status last
Challenges can be timed to start on the 1st or 16th of a month and 3 months are allowed to complete the challenge
Start on 1st/16th of Jan/Feb/Mar/Apr/May or 1st June, then status will last until end of february the next year ( e.g. start on 1st June 2006 and status will last until end of february 2007 )
Start on or after 16th June, status will last till end of february 2 years time ( e.g start on 16th June 2006 and status will last until end of february 2008 )
What are the benefits of status
Please look at www.aa.com where the handbooks can be downloaded and check out www.oneworldalliance.com
How can I make sure that I get my points without unnecessary difficulty
Easy Method
--------------
1st of all, make sure that you put no frequent flyer number in the booking
When you have booked the flight, get the 6 character AMADEUS locator
Go to www.ba.com and select "Manage my booking" and then "Retrieve booking" from the list on the left. (It doesn't matter if is a Qantas flight , the BA MMB will do whats needed).
Put the reference number and name into the fields and retrieve the booking
On the right hand side list there will be a link to "Add frequent flyer number" . Select this
Select American Airlines from the drop down menu and fill in your AA Frequent Flyer number in the box
If you go to www.checkmytrip.com and check the booking, it should appear correctly ( as detailed further down )
NOTE: The link to Add the FF number will ONLY be available if no FF number has ever been put in the booking; if an FF number has been put in the booking this method cannot be used and the method below should be used.
This is the idea method since it does not reply on an agent knowing how to add AA FF numbers
Hard method
---------------
Make sure that you ONLY put the AA number into your booking. When booking a flight on QF or BA, you can check that it is in correctly. go to www.checkmytrip.com and look up your reservation using the booking reference number
When you get the details you should see something similar to
Traveler: MR MY NAME
Frequent Flyer: Qantas Airways - AAxx_xx_
when travelling on QF or
Traveler: MR MY NAME
Frequent Flyer: British Airways - AAxx_xx_
If you have an itinery with multiple carriers, there should be an entry for each airline flown
Do make sure that NO OTHER FF NUMBER appears in the booking
If you see an entry of format
Traveler: MR MY NAME
Frequent Flyer: American Airlines - AAxx_xx_
then phone QF/BA back and get them to remove the number and re-enter it properly
How can I check how I am doing
Log into your account at aa.com and go to view your miles. You will see in the mileage summary column a field where it says
YTD Elite Qualifying Points: n
When this crosses the 5000/10000 threshold, within a day you will see an additional entry in the Personal Information field saying
Status: PLATINUM
or
Status: GOLD
as appropriate
Note: If you embark on a challenge near the end of the year and be continuing into January, you will need to keep track yourself as the field is the Year To Date points and will reset to zero in january
I have completed the challenge - what now
In approximately 2 weeks time you will receive a new membership card and a benefit book from AA. Use the card when necessary to show your entitlement to the associated benefits ( e.g. lounge access )
But I am flying again before the card will arrive and so I want to get my benefits now?
Phone the local AA office ( check the aa site to find the local phone number ) and they can fax you a letter confirming your status which will hopefully deal with the short term issues
How do I ensure that I keep status
You will need to meet the normal requalifying requirements as detailed on aa.com. If starting challenge between Jan 1 and Jun, you will need to meet the requirements by the end of current year, otherwise after completing the challenge, you can rest till the new year starts in January
If I fail to meet platinum status requalification requirements, will my status be entirely dropped to nothing at renewal time
No. You will be dropped back down to gold