AAdvantage Membership Period

[futaris]

According to Membership Period on aa.com:

AAdvantage Membership Period Your elite qualifying activity (points, miles and segments) from January 1 to December 31 is used to determine your AAdvantage membership level.

The membership year, which is the period in which your elite benefits are available, runs from March 1 through the last day of February of the following year. Since you begin receiving elite benefits immediately upon qualification, the beginning of your membership year is the day you qualify for your elite level. On March 1, every elite member's year starts over and the mileage counters that are used to determine the number of 500-mile upgrades earned by AAdvantage Gold and AAdvantage Platinum members for every 10,000 qualifying miles flown are set to zero.

Whenever you meet the standard requirements for each elite level, you will retain that status through the end of the calendar year in which you qualified plus the next membership year. For example, if you earn 25,000 elite-qualifying points or miles on July 31, 2008 your AAdvantage Gold membership will continue through February 28, 2010.

Does that mean if you qualify for Gold, Plat or EXP in Jan 2008, it will last till Feb 28, 2010?

Is this the same if you do it through a Gold/Plat Challenge?

 

[simongr]

Yes and no.

yes your membership will good through Feb 2010.

It is not quite the same with the challenge - if the challenge is done before 15 June (or July - cant remember now) then you are only good through 28 Feb 2009, if after 15 June (or July) it will be good through 28 Feb 2010

 

[serfty]

According to Membership Period on aa.com:


Does that mean if you qualify for Gold, Plat or EXP in Jan 2008, it will last till Feb 28, 2010? YES

Is this the same if you do it through a Gold/Plat Challenge?NO

See here:

• http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...ntage/aa-platinum-challenge-mileage-8595.html

...
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 )

 

[futaris]

Thanks for clearing that up. I wasn't aware that the normal qualifying method meant you'll have it for approx 25-26mths, if you qualify in Jan. Another aadvantage of crediting to AA over QF.

Incidentally, is anyone here going in the "Quickest to EXP in 2008" contest?

 

[simongr]

Not sure that is fair on QF. If you qualify on QF in the first month of your membership year then you will be that level of status until the end of the second year - so 23-24 months. Also if you start your membership on say 3 Sep 08 and qualify by Sep 20 08 you will be statused until 30 Sep 10...

Also the advantage that QF has here is that the requal level is lower than the qualification - unlike AA...

 

[futaris]

Now if there was just a way to get 10000 EQP / EQM on AA codeshares cheaply (for the Plat Challenge).

$855 for 2 years QANTAS Club membership via APESMA
or
BNE-SYD-HNL for USD 1375 (on AA codeshares / QF metal) ???

I could do the Plat challenge soonish and get AA Plat until Feb 09, and still have the EQM/EQP count towards (normal) requalification for Feb 10.

 

[simongr]

There is a lot more to going to AA than QP membership - wouldnt the corporate rate we have at AFF be cheaper?

 

[futaris]

The Corporate Rate at AFF is pretty much the same price ($800/2yrs + admin cost), plus I'd have to join as a Gold Member.

I'm already an APESMA member, and that's tax deductible...

The best thing is QP/Admirals Club membership, and then the 100% bonus on miles.

NB, I'm already at 15,457 EQP / 11,870 EQM / 4 EQS.

 

[simongr]

So to offset the additional cost of the platinum challenge remembering that you get the bonus miles on your qualifying flight you would need to fly at least xx_ miles to "offset" that cost as below:

Assuming your $1375 gets you the return flight booked on AA.com on the AA codeshares.

On the flight alone you earn 16,650 AA miles. Valuing miles at either 4c/mile or 1c/mile you need to fly the following to offset the additional $500 you are paying by being in AAdvantage:

1c/mile - 16,675 (looks like its another tip to HNL for you)

At 4c/mile the trip to HNL pays for itself...

 

[futaris]

USD0.03/mile by my calculations, plus the aadvantage of whatever bonus miles I would earn in the next 1-2yrs. Question is whether it is worth doing now, or waiting till July in case I don't (re)qualify for Platinum the normal way this year.

See my BA97 calendar. Too many holiday flights on Jetstar over the next few months...

 

[simongr]

See my BA97 calendar. Too many holiday flights on Jetstar over the next few months...

Well that's your first mistake

Although the concept of flying away on holiday does appeal - I should really try it some time...

 

[futaris]

The majority of the flights were under AU$20, so it doesn't really matter, especially if I can get QP access.
That being said, not 100% sure about getting access to a QP if you're only a Oneworld Sapphire:

Qantas Club members travelling with Jetstar are welcome in any Qantas Club or QantasLink lounge. Simply show your boarding slip and Qantas Club card, or Platinum or Gold Qantas Frequent Flyer card, at the lounge reception. You may also invite one guest who need not be travelling. If you are travelling without luggage you can check in for your Jetstar flight in most Qantas Club lounges. When you fly Jetstar, you won't be able to access partner, associated or oneworld airline lounges.

 

[simongr]

I think if you want lounge access on JQ flights you are going to have to be a QP member

 

[Dave Noble]

I think if you want lounge access on JQ flights you are going to have to be a QP member

QPs allow access for Sapphire members departing on JQ

Dave

 

[futaris]

I think that's the case, but not officially. Depends on the lounge agent, I guess.