A few weeks ago American Airlines sent me an email letting me know that I would NOT qualify for AAdvantage Platinum status for 2017. At first I quickly passed up the opportunity to purchase AAdvantage Gold Status for $499.00, but the offer just became a little more interesting.
If you do not frequently check other websites such as ThePointsGuy, Onemileatatime, Rene’s Points, etc. you may have missed the current Transatlantic fare war. Several airlines are offering transatlantic flights from several US origins to various cities in Europe. Fares as low as $400 can be found for many dates from now through Q1 2017. I would be able to take one of these flights and re-qualify for American Airlines AAdvantage Gold Status for just a few hundred dollars, but it seems it may be more cost effective to simply purchase my 2017 status.
As I started searching for the best flight to re-qualify, I briefly remember the email I received a few weeks ago about purchasing elite status for roughly the same price. After clicking the link I was directed to a personalized offer to purchase 2017 AAdvantage Gold Status for just $399.00. Since the email, American has discounted the offer by a full $100 (20%)! I had flow a few thousand more miles since the original email, but nothing significant enough to earn a $100 discount. Now I think the offer is a no-brainer.
Personally, I have never seem much point in purchasing status since if you did not qualify this year you obviously did not fly enough for it to matter, but in my personal situation I did fly enough. Unfortunately I had to take several United and Delta flights which landed me just short of AAdvantage Gold Status. I am not sure when the offer expires, but it seems as though I will be paying for my status in 2017.
Have you ever paid for status? Do you think a year of AAdvantage Gold status is worth $399? I also still do not know if American Airlines is going to be my Airline of choice for 2017 which makes the decision even more difficult!
Note: The offer also featured American AAdvantage Platinum Status for $1,299 which is definitely not worth the cost unless you knew you would be flying at least 50,000 miles next year with American.
