American Airlines And Hyatt Introduce Elite Status Challenges

Last year American Airlines and Hyatt announced a new partnership offering bonus points and elite status challenges.

  • American elites earn 1 AAdvantage mile per dollar spent with Hyatt (that’s a 20% bonus on top of base points offered)
  • Hyatt elites earn 1 Hyatt point per dollar spent on American flights (that’s a 20% bonus on top of base points offered)
  • American Airlines ConciergeKey members receive World of Hyatt Globalist status and ‘some-to-many’ Hyatt Globalists were given American’s Executive Platinum status.
  • Each program offered status challenges to elites from the other program

Since I earn American’s Executive Platinum status, I’ve enjoyed picking up extra Hyatt points for travel I’m doing anyway. And since I earn Hyatt’s Globalist status I’ve enjoyed picking up extra American miles for stays I’m making anyway.

The partnership is alive and well. I’ve already seen reports from some American Airlines Concierge Key members of seeing their Globalist status extended through February 2022. And both Hyatt and American are back with elite status challenges for 2020.

Hyatt Explorist Elites And Above Can Fast Track American Airlines Status

Register for the challenge by September 30, 2020 and complete activity within 3 months to earn AAdvantage elite status through January 2022. American Airlines and American Eagle (marketed and operated) flights only will count towards the challenge.

  • Explorists will have three months after registering to earn AAdvantage Gold status through January 2022 with $1000 Elite Qualifying Dollars and either 7000 Elite Qualifying Miles or 8 Elite Qualifying Segments.

  • Globalists will have three months after registering to earn AAdvantage Gold, Platinum, or Platinum Pro status through January of 2022.

    • Gold: $1,000 Elite Qualifying Dollars and either 7,000 Elite Qualifying Miles or 8 Elite Qualifying Segments.
    • Platinum: $2,000 Elite Qualifying Dollars and either 12,500 Elite Qualifying Miles or 16 Elite Qualifying Segments.
    • Platinum Pro: $3,000 Elite Qualifying Dollars and either 20,000 Elite Qualifying Miles or 24 Elite Qualifying Segments.

American Airlines Platinums And Above Can Fast Track Hyatt Status

Register for the challenge by October 2, 2020 and complete qualifying World of Hyatt activity (eligible paid nights and award nights) within 90 days to earn status through February 28, 2022:

  • AAdvantage Platinum and Platinum Pro members will have 90 days to earn Explorist status with 10 nights.
  • Executive Platinums will have 90 days to earn:
    • Explorist status with 10 nights
    • Globalist status with 20 nights

The Best Way To Expedite Status In Either Program

You need to have linked American and Hyatt accounts to participate. You should then time registering for the status challenge offer based on when you have upcoming travel plans that will be sufficient to complete the challenge.

Hyatt generally doesn’t offer status matches or challenges outside of their sales channels. This partnership with American is the best way to get Hyatt status quickly. American has more established paths to expedite status. They offer targeted status, sometimes with 500 mile upgrade certificates, seemingly all the time. They also have challenges you can register for (for a fee) and are at times willing to match top tiers in other programs. Nonetheless this is a published offer easy to take advantage of.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. Any word on whether challenging from EXP to Globalist will result in Globalist “lite”?

  2. @Michael If by “Globalist Lite” you mean that the status will not come with suite night awards and free night certificates then yes, that’s exactly what you can expect.

    Per Hyatt, they see Milestone awards as something completely separate to elite status so anyone challenging to status can expect not to earn any of the milestone awards unless they earn the usual number of elite night credits needed.

  3. I have EXP from it being extended to me as a Globalist last year. I will earn Globalist again on my own, but looking to do AA challenge to earn Platinum Pro through January 2022 (otherwise I will fall down to a lowly Gold for 2021). But when I click on the Hyatt link to register, it takes me to an AA site where the only option is to fast track to Globalist. Maybe because I am already EXP, I am not eligible?

  4. I must be dumb as I can’t find a link to register for this challenge. Is there one embedded in the post and I’m just not seeing it?

  5. Are you still eligible if you did an AA challenge last year (via Hyatt)??

    DL has a 3-year waiting period between challenges, and WN is a year….

  6. Jef, I tried looking there and everywhere else on the site, plus on hyatt’s but didn’t see any mention of the offer. My accounts have been linked for over a month so that’s not the issue.

    If anyone has a suggestion I’d appreciate it.

  7. I’m a Hyatt Globalist and & an AA E.P. till 2021. Every year I qualify for both, the hard way… by flying and staying with both of these… No fast tracks. Just logged into AA to extend the Globalist ’till 2022 with fewer nights than the normal 60.. After going thru the prompts, I got a message: “At this time you don’t meet the qualifications…” I guess that since I’m already a Globalist, they won’t offer it. Guess they just want to offer it to those that don’t currently have the Globalist (till 2021). Too bad…

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