​​Why Booking a British Airways Ticket earned me more points than with American

This year I have been on the quest for American Airline’s status. While I wouldn’t go out of my way to fly American, I was happy to fly one of their flights to earn miles, and in this case elite credit with them.

On a recent flight the cost to upgrade from basic economy to main cabin was 50% of the ticket price. There is no way I would be willing to buy half of another ticket for minor travel benefits. Unfortunately, due to the changes American Airlines made to basic economy and earning elite status this year, if I bought the basic economy ticket, I would be unable to earn any EQDs, EQSs, or EQMs on my flight.

I remembered that American Airlines has a different earning rate for pattern airlines. I looked into buying the flight on a different airline’s codeshare and fortunately I was able to purchase a British Airway’s ticket to fly on American’s metal at no further cost to me. I would still earn American miles and elite qualifying miles, dollars and segments thanks to the partner warning chart.

Further, the partner earning was based on distance rather than price paid. As a long flight at a lower price, this meant that I earned many elite qualifiers while not breaking the bank. Rather than no elite credits from American thanks to their new policy, I was able to earn extra EQDs, EQSs, or EQMs because I booked through a partner, putting me on my way to earn American status later this year.