Is American Airlines Next in Line To Introduce Elite Qualifying Dollars?

As you may know, United Airlines started following Delta’s footsteps by introducing Premier Qualifying Dollars (PQD’s). It is very similar to the Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQD’s) that Delta introduced earlier in the year. The only difference is that United’s top tier elite (1K status) is excluded in the $25,000 co-branded credit card waiver requirement.

According to mileageplusupdates.com, (Big H/T to MommyPoints)

New Premier Qualification Requirements

Starting in January 2014, Premier qualification requirements will include a minimum annual spending level. We will track qualifying spending with Premier qualifying dollars (PQD): dollars spent on most United tickets, including partner flights and Economy Plus purchases. The changes do not affect Premier qualifying miles (PQM) or Premier qualifying segments (PQS).

These changes apply to 2014 qualifying activity for status through 2015 and do not affect your 2013 qualifying activity for 2014 status.

A minimum of 4 paid segments on United, United Express or Copa Airlines is needed for any Premier level.

For 2014, the PQD requirement for Premier Silver, Premier Gold and Premier Platinum qualification will be waived for members who spend at least $25,000 in Net Purchases using a MileagePlus Chase co-branded credit card issued in the U.S. There is no PQD waiver for Premier 1K qualification.

Just as with Premier qualifying miles (PQM) and Premier qualifying segments (PQS), we will credit the account of the member who travels, not the member who purchases the ticket.

The following spending counts toward the PQD requirement:

Base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges
Flights flown by United, United Express, or Copa Airlines
Flights operated by a Star Alliance or a MileagePlus partner airline and issued on a United ticket (ticket number starting with 016)
Economy Plus purchases

Frequently Asked Questions about the 2014 Mileage Plus Program Update

Recently, Delta and United Airlines increased their domestic flight change fee and cancellation fee from $150 to $250. American Airlines was the last major domestic carrier to follow suit. Could this be a pattern here? Is American Airlines waiting to see how this all plays out before introducing Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQD’s)? I most certainly hope not, but it is inevitable.