Air Canada Altitude Now Requiring Qualifying Dollars
It was only a matter of time before we saw this happen. It is now Air Canada’s turn to introduce minimum spending requirement to qualify for elite airline status. The changes will come into effect as of January 1, 2016, for elite qualifying status in 2017.
Air Canada is introducing “Altitude Qualifying Dollars” (AQD) that needs to be combined with Altitude Qualifying Miles (AQM) or Altitude Qualifying Segments (AQS) to determine Altitude elite status. The AQM or AQS requirements remain the same. The AQD replaces the Minimum Air Canada Flight Requirement. Below is a table of the requirements to qualify for each tier:
| ELITE STATUS | AQM | AQS | AQD |
| Prestige 25K | 25,000 | 25 | $ 3,000 |
| Elite 35K | 35,000 | 35 | $ 4,000 |
| Elite 50K | 50,000 | 50 | $ 6,000 |
| Elite 75K | 75,000 | 75 | $ 9,000 |
| Super Elite 100K | 100,000 | 95 | $ 20,000 |
Essentially, the new qualification rule, to earn AQD, requires a minimum annual spending on flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Express and Air Canada Rouge. This includes codeshare flights marketed by another airline and operated by Air Canada. Codeshare flights must be marketed by Air Canada and operated by Star Allianc partner airlines ticketed on Air Canada ticket stock (ticket numbers beginning with “014”). However, flights marketed by Air Canada but operated by airlines that are not Star Alliance partners and codeshare flights marketed and operated by other airlines do not count towards AQD.
Exceptions
The good news is that you will also earn AQDs for eligible Flight Pass purchases and eUpgrade Add-ons based on the monetary value of the purchase.
Unfortunately, you cannot earn AQDs with certain promotional tickets, Flight Passes, opaque fares, group, consolidated or bulk fares as well as all-inclusive vacation packages (flights and hotel) purchased through Air Canada Vacations or other websites offering vacation packages. Also, baggage service charges, Maple Leaf Club membership, Last-Minute Paid Upgrades and Air Canada Café do not count for AQDs.
Exceptions to the Exceptions
There is are some exceptions though, for eligible limited-credit Flight Pass purchases, you will be credited based on the value of each individual flight segment for the base fare and the carrier-imposed surcharges. For eligible Unlimited Flight Passes, your AQD will be credited upon payment of your monthly installment. For eligible Corporate Flight Passes where there is more than one traveller, the AQD value will be credited to the person who travels, not to the purchaser.
Conclusion
Personally, I’m not too bothered by these changes. I know that it will be more difficult to qualify for status. The airlines are essentially rewarding those who spend the most on them, which actually makes sense to me.
The hope is that with less people qualifying for elite status, it makes it that much more “prestigious” when you do qualify!
Forget about status. Just focus on earning redeemable miles for a J ticket.
how can you say you’re not bothered by this? qualifying is harder, benefits are disappearing, and consumes have even fewer options. or does your employer pay for your last minute flex mon-thu yyzyycyyz tickets?
Depends from which perspective we look at it. For sure these changes are frustrating to some because it will be more difficult to qualify. But it there are pros to having less people being able to qualify so that there is less dilution.
Well from the perspective of someone who uses air for work domestically inc USA this is a joke. I collect through segments and don’t do Mile runs. So a natural collection to get my status. Someone can fly to Europe under 10 time or china for way less and easily qualify for 100K. That is a con as they rarely use the service. I among many others fly a lot but because our flights are short distances we get the shaft. people who step on a plane more than 75 times a year should be rewarded as they are as a “repeat of a customer” you can get. Sure I get each flight has different costs just make the classes earn more segments just like miles. Right now every flight from tango to first earns the same amount. Anyway it is what it is I don’t think I will be using them next year.
How do we guarantee a 014 ticket stock?
Does it have to be booked directly through Air Canada?
Can you use Expedia/Expedia for TD or other 3rd party reservations?
Codeshare flights marketed by Air Canada and operated by Star Alliance partner airlines can also have 014 numbered tickets. Third parties are usually case by case depending on how you book your ticket.
Just looking at my Altitude page…. I have travelled 5,913 miles, yet my AQD is 2% of 100k. Is this a joke? I will need to travel in access of 200,000 miles to hit 100k status?
That sounds brutal. They really don’t want to make it easy to qualify for elite status.
As an update on the impossibility of this new qualifying scheme. I hit 75,000 miles this week. First week of May. Dubai, Tokyo, Singapore, Brussels…I know my travel through December. I will comfortably hit 100,000 miles. However, I have zero chance at $20,000. I fly business to Asia, have a China trip left, still have Miami, Las Vegas and Paris to go, and I might make $15,000. The new regime is ridiculous. I would never make segments, so the new rules have screwed me. I don’t care about their motives, I’m loyal, I pay for business, but with my annual travel schedule I know I will never make Super Elite again. I have zero problem thinning out the Ottawa to Toronto set that qualifies every year with return flights twice a week all year, but telling an international traveler with frequent AC flights to Asia he will never make it, is plain dumb business.
A recent Ottawa Montreal flight counted as $10 AQD….think about it.
Yes. They definitely don’t want to make it easy for us. Mostly the result of a good economy. So not much incentive to entice customers. Thanks for sharing your story!
Yes this AQD thing is rough. Looking at my travel schedule for the rest of the year I’ll finish 2016 at roughly 130,000 miles but only $16,000 AQD. I travel to Asia monthly with air canada and star alliance.
45k miles, 71 segments, and only $11k qualifying dollars. But when an Edmonton to Calgary segment is only $21.67 and a Montreal to Toronto $44.20, you can see how they’ve stacked the deck against us. With my schedule projected out until the end of the year, and my flights booked, I’ll be ending with 95 segments and just over $15k qualifying dollars. Looks like I’ll be stuck at 75k thanks to these new rules. . . And as a vocal supporter of Air Canada, I’m really starting to wonder “why?” They are “rouging” all the routes I fly or want to fly recreationally, which is really the only time I get to enjoy my status. The rest of the time it’s just the grind.
I am also a big supporter fo air canada. But the fact is I won’t be able to hit 100K because of AQD. 75k has little to no advantage over 50k. So the way I see it is WestJet offered a status match again this year so I am going to now split my business between both and get advantages of both their gold and Air Canada 50K. The first day of WestJet’s promotion for status match I was told they received 1200 applicants. I beleive several others have the same I dea as me.
Thanks for sharing you experience Ryan!
Thanks for sharing you thoughts Craig!
AC has made it impossible to qualify for 100K SE. AQD requirement of 20000 is way above compared to other international airlines like United( 12000 AQD). Only benefit of 100SE is to get free upgrade sometimes by using eupgrades. Now since there is no much difference in 50K and 75K, Everyone is trying to restrict to achieve for 50K only with AC. You can switch over to other airline for getting another 50K gold status. International USA airlines offer discount like half of AQD for canadien residents.
Yes, Altitude definitely has some room for improvement!
i flew codeshare with United roughly 30 segments out of 50 segments in 2016. Most short haul to US destinations. I usually acheived 50K. I made 25K this year. I also haven’t flown Air Canada once since December either and recoil in disgust every time they send me an email.Where is Star Alliance in all this? I still spent well over $6,000 last year……for 25K? I am the definition of a FREQUENT FLYER.
I have since dropped Air Canada as my only source of travel. i am a 75k to 100 k and they don’t deserve my Business.
You are always entitled to give your business to whoever you think deserves it.
All I hope for is ample competition so that we have choices.
Don’t be shy to give your business to whoever you think deserves it!