I Have No Elite Qualifying Miles… And I’m Kind Of Excited About It

By: Ben Schlappig

Published: January 2, 2017

44 comments

It’s the beginning of the year, which is a sad time for those of us who earn elite status with airlines and hotels. For most programs, your status qualification resets at the beginning of the year. So while on Saturday we had a sense of accomplishment for the miles and nights we put in, we woke up on Sunday to find that most of our accounts looked like this:

american-status

For those of us on the status hamster wheel, status resetting is bittersweet. It marks the end of one journey, but at the same time it also means we get to start all over in planning new adventures. In past years I would have probably already had a lot of travel planned on American at this point so I could work on requalifying for status, though this year I’m feeling a bit different.

In a backwards way, I almost feel a sense of freedom in not having any elite qualifying miles with American. I feel like I actually have the opportunity to make an informed decision about which program I want to be loyal to, rather than the usual approach I take, where I say “well, I’ve already started requalifying, so I might as well finish it off.”

For the first time in years, I’m starting the year and seriously asking myself if I should even bother requalifying for status.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post with six reasons not to be loyal to an airline in 2017, and I’m increasingly finding that those points even resonate with my own travels.

Perhaps even crazier than not going for status, I’m thinking of possibly going for status with Delta. You can earn Delta status primarily through credit card spend, and given that they run a solid operation domestically otherwise, they might just be the best option. When you combine some domestic travel with some spend on Delta’s co-branded credit card, you can earn Platinum or Diamond status fairly easily.

So I’m not sure what exactly my point is, other than to say that my overall feeling with status resetting this year is different than it has been in past years, to the point that I almost feel some relief. Anyone else have a similar feeling?

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Jason Brandt Lewis Gold

January 3, 2017, 10:57 am

Here is my problem with that: I opted for cheap tickets and no status at the end of the year when taking my family to Hawai'i. I thought that -- well, since I already have Gold on Virgin America and status matched to MVP Gold on Alaska -- I might as well save a little money and book on Hawaiian. I had to book *something* on Hawaiian anyway, as we were going to be going inter-island from Maui to Kauai, so . . . and besides, I could get 50% mileage credit on JetBlue, which would be just enough to put me over the top for two MINT tickets SFO-JFK later in 2017. So what could go wrong? Well, the trans-Pac flights were HORRIBLE! Who flies 24-year old 767s with no IFE or power outlets on 5+ hour flights? That would be Hawaiian. Who flies with inedible food on 5+ hour flights? That would be Hawaiian. Who flies with a cabin so cold that it makes buying a blanket almost a necessity? That would be Hawaiian. (You should have seen the looks we received, getting of the plane wearing leather jackets, sweatshirts, etc., etc.) As for the inter-island flights, the best that can be said for them is that they were blissfully short -- 45 minutes. Time enough for take-off, passing out pre-packaged 4-ounce cups of water or juice, and landing. But who flies Boeing 717s??? AND we still haven't received any credit -- either on JetBlue or Hawaiian -- for our flights. Should have flown Virgin . . .

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JC Guest

January 2, 2017, 11:36 pm

I went from AA EXP to lifetime AA GLD now and mid-tier (typically GLD) on DL. And indeed, it's very liberating. I rarely fly at the front of the cabin domestically anymore, but the ability to book decent seats, book awards on both airlines close-in (using the huge pot of miles I built up in both programs), and avoid most fees on BOTH airlines has been incredibly liberating. Plus the rollover miles on DL means no last-second mileage runs.

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ATC Dan Guest

January 2, 2017, 11:21 pm

I'm also torn, being based in DFW, my options are typically nonstop on a carrier with dozens of extra aircraft on standby, or a connection that is often not any less expensive, and is flown by a subcontractor without the local resources in case of mechanical, etc. I've maintained PLT on AA the past two years, on my own dime for mostly domestic leisure travel, and it has saved me twice with SDFC when my original flight showed a delay hours ahead of boarding. I do value the two checked bags and the MCE seating most of all, as well as an occasional upgrade and the priority boarding. At least for this year I see myself sticking with AA, until they devalue the program and status even more.

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stacey Guest

January 2, 2017, 10:49 pm

i flew 150K miles last year, but the closest i got to status was 34K with SQ ... i either buy cheap economy flights that give 10/50% miles or use miles for J/F award tickets. i thought i was foolish, but i guess not!

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JD Member

January 2, 2017, 9:51 pm

I gave up the status game years ago and began concentrating on earning miles and points to cover my travel costs. Today I haven't paid for a ticket in years and still keep accumulating miles point and more miles and points. I rarely ever fly coach so for me there is no point to play the status game. I fly when I want on whatever carrier I want.

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