Questions and Answers

Hello – what is the best strategy for using AA SWU if I need $12K EQD to re-qualify in 2018? Do I use SWU first so I get the value from them? Or do I book the more expensive business class tickets first so I spend 12K before using the SWU but run the risk of having unused SWU? I live in South America but travel back to the states often via AA for personal and business travel as well as between South America and Germany on business usually on Iberia or LATAM.

Thank you for your help!
Justin

Im not sure there is a right or easy answer to your question. Have you planned your travel for this year at all? If you know you have travel that you need to book, figure out how many EQDs that would get you first, then plan other flights to make up the difference. Also, if youre flying Iberia & LATAM, EQDs are given based on a percentage of the distance of the flight, assuming you did not buy your ticket on AA. Not all flights are have space for SWUs either.

Plan your travel, check flights and see where you can apply SWUs and then decide where you want to use SWUs and where you want to buy tickets.

Justin, is your question more regarding the fact that American’s upgrade priority has now changed to include a revenue requirement?

If so, then make sure you are aware that dollars spent are still tracked when you take the flight, not when you purchase. For instance, if you are on a cheap $500 flight to Asia trying to use a SWU, but you have a $5,000 paid business class flight a month later, American won’t see that $5,000 as something you’ve spent until you actually take the flight. Your upgrade priority is based on dollars spent on flights already flown. Does that make sense?