elite status

Tag Archives for elite status.

It’s Time For Airlines To Award Elite Status Based On Non-Flight Activity

by Gary Leff

scrooge mcduck diving into coins
Dec 22 2020

The margin on things other than airline tickets is generally much higher than that of air transportation. Selling miles is a high margin business. Selling preferred seats is too. A customer with a co-brand credit card who uses it on the airline’s shopping portal and buys upgrades is a high margin customer, and a customer worth fighting over – and treating well.

This is being recognized by airline frequent flyer programs around the world and it’s time this recognition come to the U.S. too.

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JetBlue Elite Status Comes With Companion Pass At The Start Of 2021

by Gary Leff

jetblue plane
Dec 16 2020

JetBlue was on a cost-cutting trajectory going into the pandemic. They haven’t eliminated change fees the way other U.S. airlines have on non-Basic Economy fares. But they’re having to turn to their loyalty program to drive bookings.

And they’ve announced several changes that make it easier to earn elite status, and more valuable to do so. They’re introducing lower qualification thresholds, several months of a companion pass, and new bonuses.

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Alaska Airlines Changes How Elite Status Will Be Earned In 2021

by Gary Leff

alaska airlines plane
Dec 10 2020

Alaska Airlines has changed how elite status will be earned in 2021. Alaska used to require more miles flown if you include miles on partner airlines than if you’re using miles flown exclusively on Alaska. That’s gone.

Starting in 2021, Alaska and partner flights will count the same towards elite status, and the lower “Alaska-only” status requirements apply. But they’ll require a minimum number of Alaska flights for status – to keep low yielding American Airlines flyers from just dumping their American segments into Alaska.

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Will 2021 Reduced Elite Qualification Rules Make Status Too Easy, Benefits Hard To Get?

by Gary Leff

economy seats
Dec 01 2020

Whether 2021 status requirements are set too high or too low really isn’t clear yet, because we don’t know what travel is going to look like even as it starts to come back once the pandemic begins to get under control. And not all benefits are scarce, so that more elites mean fewer benefits for those who earn it ‘the hard and usual way’.

If it turns out there are too many elites, how a program handles that is still entirely within their control. But we’re going to have to wait to see how the 2021 travel year develops, and how programs continue to respond. Laying out elite qualifying criteria is the start of this, not the finish.

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Got A Mastercard? Fly 2 Roundtrips In 90 Days For American Airlines Status Up To Platinum

by Gary Leff

economy seats
Nov 20 2020

American Airlines is offering the easiest Gold status I’ve ever seen from a public offer, and a path to Platinum with just two flights as well. Just sign up for Mastercard Travel. Details of the promotion are available under ‘latest offers’ but there’s no registration required. And you don’t even need to be a current elite frequent flyer with another airline.

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United Airlines Offers 4 Ways Elite Status Will Be Easier To Earn In 2021

by Gary Leff

airline seat with teddy bear
Nov 12 2020

Following American AAdvantage announcing reduced qualification levels for elite status earned in 2021 last month, United MileagePlus is out with its 2021 elite qualification rules and they’re layering on four different boosts towards status along with making it easier to earn confirmed upgrades for those continuing to fly beyond the 1K level.

Taken together lower status requirements, a hard start for current elites towards status, along with bonus qualifying spend for status in the first quarter, and a relaxed restriction on using credit card-earned elite qualifying spend towards top status United has laid out ways that status will be easier to earn than ever this year.

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American Airlines Rolls Out Offers To Buy Higher Elite Status For Cash

by Gary Leff

Nov 05 2020

Every year, for many years – perhaps two decades – American Airlines offers the opportunity to buy status to members who haven’t quite requalified, and in recent years has offered an opportunity to buy up to the next level as well.

The offer is back this year, at around the same time, but just feels different. Didn’t requalifying for status based on your flying this year? Your status is being extended anyway. So the only relevant question is whether you want to buy up to a higher level.

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