As it stands, I will miss qualifying for Gold Elite status on American Airlines by $12! To buy the status would cost me $455.

Is there any other option? Is there something else I can buy that would go toward that dollar amount?

FYI, I'm in Nashville through the end of the year and I'm not sure I can fly anywhere inexpensively on short notice.

Thanks for your help!

AFAIK you need to buy a ticket and fly somewhere. Otherwise it involves getting one of the AA credit cards and spending a LOT of $$$.

If you think the benefits will be worth it to you - either pay the $455, or find the cheapest RT fare to anywhere and do a mileage run.

I was $133 short of Platinum so last week I flew SMF > DFW in the morning, had lunch in the Admirals Club and flew home the same afternoon for a lot less $$$ than buying up to status.

Thanks, Janis. The cheapest one-day RT I can find is $202 (to Charlotte). It would require more than an hour-and-a-half drive each way to the Nashville airport. Three hours of driving, airport parking, and a long day of flying is probably not worth saving $253 over buying the status ($455 minus $202).

GRRRRR....

I agree -- if you have 3 hours car time plus the flights etc. SMF is 20 minutes from my home so it was a piece of cake.

And now my more impressionable friends think I'm a 'jet setter' because I flew to Dallas for lunch

I would think buying something thru their shopping portal would work?

https://www.aadvantageeshopping.com/

AFAIK Not to earn EQD's Miles, yes, but not the required dollars to make elite status. Per the website -- only money spent on fares and on the cc qualify.

https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...ite-status.jsp

>><blue>EQDs are awarded based on ticket price (includes base fare plus carrier-imposed fees, but excludes government-imposed taxes and fees) on American Airlines-marketed flights.

Flights marketed by oneworld® carriers and Alaska Airlines will earn EQDs based on a percentage of the flight distance and the fare class purchased.^

More ways to earn EQDs

AAdvantage® Aviator® Red, Aviator® Blue and Aviator® Business MasterCard® accounts can earn up to $3,000 EQDs by spending $25,000 on qualifying net purchases during the calendar year.

AAdvantage® Aviator® Silver MasterCard® accounts can earn up to $6,000 EQDs by spending $50,000 on qualifying net purchases each calendar year. They’ll earn $3,000 EQDs after spending $25,000 on qualifying purchases and another $3,000 EQDs after $50,000 on qualifying purchases.</blue><<

No other options are listed. But maybe call AA and ask them to be sure.

I will call on Tuesday, after the holiday to be sure there are no other options. But there aren't any listed.

I wish I could buy a ticket--and not fly. But I assume that won't fly ;-).

I can hardly believe this, but I just hung up with AA and they granted me the Elite status! No additional charge.

I think I'm in shock!

Congrats! And good on AA for doing it.

Wow - that is terrific

Maybe I could have skipped my mileage run . . . But then I couldn't brag about flying off for lunch O

I guess the moral of the story is that it never hurts to ask.

<Maybe I could have skipped my mileage run . . . But then I couldn't brag about flying off for lunch>

HA!

I will call tomorrow. We are losing Platinum status to go to no status! They offered us a chance to buy it but $640.each is too high. Hope we are as lucky as you.

HappyTrvlr: I think it will depend on how close you are. I was only $12 short. But as I said, "It never hurts to ask." They might offer a reduced rate. Good luck! Let us know what happens.