How to earn last-minute airline elite status — and whether or not it’s worth it

1 month ago 23

We're nearing the finish line for people to earn airline elite status. As the calendar rockets toward Dec. 31 (the cutoff with most programs for this year's elite-eligible activity), the options narrow for travelers trying to decide if they will make it to the next elite tier.

Just about all the emails we get from our readers about this subject involve similar questions: How can I earn the final necessary miles, flights or dollars toward status? How can I earn status without flying more this year? And — perhaps most importantly — is airline elite status even worth it?

Here's some advice for common end-of-year status dilemmas with a few of the main U.S. airlines.

How to earn last-minute elite status with American Airlines

Here are the criteria for earning American Airlines status during the current qualification period (March 1, 2024, through Feb. 28, 2025) with its Loyalty Points system:

Gold: 40,000 Loyalty Points
Platinum: 75,000 Loyalty Points
Platinum Pro: 125,000 Loyalty Points
Executive Platinum: 200,000 Loyalty Points

American's elite qualification period runs from March 1 through Feb. 28 of the following year (or Feb. 29 during a leap year). If you achieve elite status during the qualification period, your status will be valid through the following March 31. So, if you earn AAdvantage status by Feb. 28, 2025, you'll keep status through March 31, 2026.

Under the AAdvantage program, you need Loyalty Points to earn elite status with American Airlines.

You might have heard that 1 American mile earned equals 1 Loyalty Point earned, but unfortunately, it's not that simple. Instead, you only earn Loyalty Points when you earn base American Airlines miles. Bonus American Airlines miles won't get you Loyalty Points.

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So, be careful to understand whether you're earning base miles or bonus miles when looking for ways to earn Loyalty Points.

Last-minute strategies to earn or retain American elite status

You can earn status with American through the end of February. You can earn Loyalty Points when you fly American and most of its partners.

However, there are also many ways to earn Loyalty Points besides flying. Here are a few of them:

Spend on American Airlines credit cards and earn 1 Loyalty Point per dollar spent (regardless of bonus categories).
Click through the AAdvantage shopping portal before making purchases online.
Enroll in SimplyMiles offers before you shop with select merchants.

Loyalty Points must be posted to your account by the end of February to count toward your current qualification period. Compared to other major airlines, with qualification periods that end Dec. 31, you have some extra time to earn or requalify.

Loyalty Points are typically posted to your account based on the flight or transaction date. However, Loyalty Points from credit card spending are based on the date the activity hits your AAdvantage account — which usually happens on (or shortly after) your statement closing date. As a result, it's important to complete your spending before your February statement closes.

How to earn last-minute elite status with Delta Air Lines

These are the criteria to earn Delta Medallion elite status during the current qualification period, which runs from Jan. 1, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2024:

Silver Medallion: 5,000 Medallion Qualification Dollars
Gold Medallion: 10,000 MQDs
Platinum Medallion: 15,000 MQDs
Diamond Medallion: 28,000 MQDs

If you earn the required MQDs for your desired status tier by Dec. 31, 2024, you'll keep your status through Jan. 31, 2026.

Last-minute strategies to earn or retain Delta elite status

If you're looking to top off your MQDs by Dec. 31, here are some options:

Spend on a Delta cobranded credit card: You can earn bonus MQDs on everyday spending with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, which will accrue 1 MQD for every $10 spent. The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles Platinum® Business American Express Card will accrue 1 MQD for every $20 spent. There is no limit to how many MQDs you can earn from spending on the cards, which is handy if you need to top up your MQDs before the end of the year.
Book a flight: You can earn on flights whether you redeem Delta miles for a Delta-operated flight or spend cash to fly on Delta or one of its partners.

However, remember that the MQDs must be posted to your account this year to count for elite status qualification for the 2025 status year. So, especially if you're looking to earn MQMs by spending on your Delta card, make sure your spending is on a statement that will be issued before the end of the year.

How to earn last-minute elite status with United Airlines

Each United elite level has two pathways to status: achieving status through a combination of Premier qualifying flights and a certain number of Premier qualifying points, or earning status by meeting a specific PQP threshold.

Here are the current requirements for earning United elite status during the current qualification year, which runs from Jan. 1, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2024.

Status tierPQPs and PQFsOnly PQPs

Premier Silver	4,000 PQPs and 12 PQFs	5,000 PQPs
Premier Gold	8,000 PQPs and 24 PQFs	10,000 PQPs
Premier Platinum	12,000 PQPs and 36 PQFs	15,000 PQPs
Premier 1K	18,000 PQPs and 54 PQFs	24,000 PQPs

Once you earn United elite status, you'll keep your status for the remainder of the current year in which it was earned, the following year and through Jan. 31 of the following year. So, if you qualify for elite status with United in November 2024, you'll keep your status through Jan. 31, 2026.

Last-minute strategies to earn United PQFs

If you need additional United PQFs, you must squeeze in more flights before the calendar turns to Jan. 1, 2025.

Luckily, distance doesn't matter for PQFs. When earning PQFs, you can take the shortest flights you can find. However, to earn PQFs, your flight cannot be an award flight, can't be booked in United basic economy and must be credited to United MileagePlus. You won't earn PQFs or PQPs when flying on select MileagePlus partner airlines, so double-check eligibility if you aren't flying on United or a Star Alliance partner.

Remember that a PQF is a takeoff and touchdown, so an eligible round trip with a connection each way would count as four PQFs. If you have a few nonstop flights remaining on your schedule in 2024, you could change them to connecting flights to increase your PQF count. Consider a same-day change or rebooking your ticket if the cash fare is the same.

Last-minute strategies to earn United PQPs

You can still earn PQPs for this qualification year with eligible United spending. Keep in mind that PQPs from flights don't post until you fly. So, if you earn more PQPs from flying, the flight(s) have to happen this year.

Here are some ideas for earning more PQPs before the end of the year:

Book a paid United or United Express flight: Flights operated by United and United Express typically earn 1 PQP per dollar spent on base airfare and carrier-imposed surcharges (excluding taxes).
Book an eligible paid partner flight: Most flights operated by a Star Alliance partner airline earn PQPs based on the fare class, flight distance and airline.
Buy Economy Plus or preferred seats: You can earn PQPs when you buy Economy Plus subscriptions and one-time seat reservations (excluding taxes and fees).

United usually credits PQPs from flights and ancillary purchases (like Economy Plus or paid upgrades) to your account two days after your flight. Meanwhile, the PQPs will usually be credited to your account two days after you purchase or renew an Economy Plus subscription.

You can also earn PQPs when you spend on select cobranded United credit cards. You can earn 25 PQPs for every $500 spent on purchases with select cards, although different cards have different earning caps per calendar year. However, ensure you'll reach the spending threshold with enough time for the PQPs to post to your United account by the end of the year.

Earning elite status with a status match

If your elite status expires in 2024 and it is unlikely you will requalify, even using the above strategies, you might consider applying for a status match with another airline.

A status match typically allows you to obtain a similar or lower-tier status with a new airline based on your current standing with a competitor's loyalty program. But why would airlines offer such a generous opportunity?

When a traveler has demonstrated strong loyalty to one airline and its rewards program, this can make them an appealing target for a competing airline. The traveler might be open to switching their loyalty if they're dissatisfied with their current program or their circumstances have shifted — such as relocating from an American Airlines hub to an airport where United is the more dominant carrier.

Be aware that matches are usually limited to once in a lifetime, so choose the most suitable time to apply.

Earning elite status with the right credit card

Although no credit card currently available to new applicants provides automatic elite status with any of the major U.S. airlines listed in this guide, many allow cardholders to earn credits toward boosting their status.

These card options might help you reach your elite status goals:

The information for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select and AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Is it worth trying for last-minute elite status?

If you're short a couple of flight segments or a few hundred dollars, it may be worth the investment to close the gap toward elite status and get a year of benefits.

However, if you still need hundreds — or thousands — of dollars in incremental costs to close the gap, the equation quickly shifts to potentially not being worth it. Factor in the time additional flights will take if you need to fly, and be very honest with yourself about how much the elite status perks will benefit you.

If you will spend more than a few hours or a few hundred dollars at this point in the year chasing airline status, really gut-check yourself on the true value you'll get.

Bottom line

Airline elite status can still be worth it, but time is running out for you to close the gap to status this year. Depending on your exact situation, you may need to spend some money, book and take some additional flights, or do both in the quest to have the perks you want next year.

As a last resort, if a status match doesn't suit you, remember that sometimes airlines offer a way to buy your status back after the year has ended. It is also free to ask an airline for a one-time bump if you came close but missed earning status. Neither of those methods is guaranteed to work, but they are worth considering if all other pathways to status don't work out.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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