Loyalty Register glossary
Elite qualifying miles
Elite qualifying miles (EQMs) count miles flown, adjusted by fare class, toward an airline's elite tiers. They decide status and cannot be redeemed.
Elite qualifying miles (EQMs) are a status counter used by airline programs. They count the miles a member flies, usually adjusted by fare class, toward the threshold for each elite tier. They are separate from redeemable miles: a member might earn 5,000 redeemable miles and 2,500 elite qualifying miles on the same trip, and only the redeemable miles can be spent. EQMs normally reset at the end of each qualification year.
Updated · By Loyalty Register Editorial TeamRelated terms
How are elite qualifying miles earned?
Mostly by flying paid tickets. A typical chart credits a share of the distance flown based on the fare class: full distance for most economy fares, a bonus for higher fares and premium cabins, and less or nothing for the cheapest fares. Some programs also set a minimum credit per flight, so short hops earn more than their distance. Award tickets usually earn no qualifying miles, and status bonuses on redeemable miles usually do not count either.
Many programs now let non-flight activity count. Alaska Airlines’ Atmos Rewards, which calls its counter status points, credits 1 status point per $1 spent with partners such as Lyft and vacation packages, and 1 status point for every 3 base points on other eligible everyday purchases.
How do EQMs differ from redeemable miles and status points?
Redeemable miles are a balance the member can spend, so they create a liability: the program owes a reward. Qualifying miles are a score that decides the member’s tier. They carry no liability of their own, but the status they unlock carries real costs in upgrades, lounge access and free checked bags.
“Status points” is the newer, broader name. Where EQMs measure distance only, status points can mix distance, spend and segments. Atmos Rewards, for example, lets members choose whether flights earn by distance traveled, price paid or segments flown. Programs that count only spend use elite qualifying dollars instead.
How do design choices change who reaches status?
A hypothetical program sets its second tier at 50,000 EQMs and credits 50% of distance on discount fares. A member flying only discount fares needs 100,000 miles of travel to qualify. Cut that credit to 25% and the same member needs 200,000 miles, though nothing about their travel changed. Letting co-brand card spend earn qualifying credit has the opposite effect: more members qualify, and the tier’s benefits are shared among more people.
What should a program weigh?
- Whether status should reward distance, spend, frequency or a combination.
- Which routes, fares and partner flights earn qualifying miles, and whether there is a minimum per flight.
- Whether non-flight activity, such as card spend, should count, and how much.
- How changes will be announced, since a new credit rate changes the effort needed to keep a tier.