American Changes Elite Status Match/Challenge Program
American is making more changes to its elite status program. This time, it's the elite status match challenge options that are being altered.
The changes — which were first reported on Flyertalk and confirmed to TPG by an AA agent — are for both Gold and Platinum level challenges. Effective immediately, in addition to the usual Elite Qualifying Miles requirement, you will now need to also meet an Elite Qualifying Dollars metric. However, you will also have the option to qualify via Elite Qualifying Segments instead of miles.
Here are the new requirements for Gold and Platinum challenges:
| Gold | Platinum | |
|---|---|---|
Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM) | 7,000 | 12,500 |
Elite Qualifying Segments (EQS) | 8 | 16 |
Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQD) | $1,000 | $2,000 |
Note that in this chart, the EQM and EQS requirements are either/or — you do not have to reach both of them. On the other hand, the EQDs are required in either case.
But fortunately the news is not all bad. In the past AA did not give you status during the 90-day challenge period, but now if you're challenging for Platinum status, you will have the option to pay an additional fee to have either Gold or Platinum status immediately.
The standard cost of the Platinum status challenge remains unchanged at $200, but if you want Gold status immediately, you can pay an additional $200 for a total of $400. If you want Platinum status immediately, it will cost an extra $300 for a total of $500.
This means you could effectively purchase three months worth of Gold or Platinum status, but that's not likely to make sense for most folks. However, if you have a significant number of flights coming up on AA, it could be a good way to make those trips a bit more comfortable.
There have been a lot of changes to the American elite program for 2017, so before you make any decision to challenge for status, make sure to read "Everything You Need to Know About American's 2017 Elite Status Spend Requirements."
Having to meet a spend requirement for a status challenge is far from ideal — and not required by either Delta or United for their own challenge programs — but at least it's slightly mitigated with the new option to get status up front.
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
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| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
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Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month