American Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world, and its AAdvantage loyalty program is popular with many travelers. While AAdvantage has seen some changes over the last few years — including the removal of published award charts — you can still get a ton of value from the program, especially if you can utilize its sweet spots.
In 2022, American completely overhauled how flyers qualify for AAdvantage elite status. Rather than being based solely on flying, you now earn Loyalty Points across various activities in the AAdvantage program — including spending on American Airlines cobranded credit cards, shopping through online shopping portals, and dining.
Here’s everything you need to know about the American AAdvantage loyalty program.
American Airlines partners
American Airlines is part of the Oneworld alliance; therefore, you can earn and redeem miles with a handful of international partners. American elite members often get benefits, such as lounge access and an extra baggage allowance, when flying with partner airlines:
– Alaska Airlines
– British Airways
– Cathay Pacific
– Fiji Airways (Oneworld Connect member)
– Finnair
– Iberia
– Japan Airlines
– Malaysia Airlines
– Qantas
– Qatar Airways
– Royal Air Maroc
– Royal Jordanian Airlines
– SriLankan Airlines
The airline also partners with a handful of airlines outside of Oneworld, including:
– Aer Lingus
– Air Tahiti Nui
– Cape Air
– China Southern Airlines
– Etihad Airways
– Gol Airlines
– Hawaiian Airlines
– IndiGo
– JetBlue
– JetSmart
– Silver Airways
However, each partner has its own criteria on how you can earn or redeem miles with American, so be sure to review the specific partner page for full details.
American Airlines elite status
American AAdvantage has four public levels of elite status — Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Executive Platinum — plus an invite-only level called Concierge Key.
AAdvantage members earn Loyalty Points when they fly on American or spend with a cobranded credit card or with select AAdvantage partners. In general, 1 base mile earned is equal to one Loyalty Point. So, if you earn 500 base miles on an American Airlines flight, you earn 500 Loyalty Points. Likewise, spending $1,000 on a cobranded credit card would earn 1,000 Loyalty Points.
Here’s the number of Loyalty Points you must earn during the current qualification period — March 1, 2023, to Feb. 29, 2024 — for each elite status tier:
– Gold: 40,000 Loyalty Points
– Platinum: 75,000 Loyalty Points
– Platinum Pro: 125,000 Loyalty Points
– Executive Platinum: 200,000 Loyalty Points
As an AAdvantage Gold member, you’ll get a 40% mileage bonus, complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats at check-in (when available), and one free checked bag on itineraries marketed and operated by American Airlines.
Meanwhile, Platinum members get a 60% mileage bonus, complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats at booking (when available), and two free checked bags on itineraries marketed and operated by American Airlines.
Platinum Pro members get an 80% mileage bonus, complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats at booking (when available), and three free checked bags on itineraries marketed and operated by American Airlines.
Finally, Executive Platinum members get a 120% mileage bonus, complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats at booking (when available), and three free checked bags on itineraries marketed and operated by American Airlines.
All AAdvantage elite members have access to complimentary upgrades on American-marketed and -operated flights within the U.S. (including Hawaii) and between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Central America for themselves and one companion. Complimentary upgrades on award flights are available to elite members, though it is not a guarantee that you will secure an upgrade on your flight.
AAdvantage elite members get Oneworld status, which provides perks when flying on other Oneworld airlines. Specifically, AAdvantage Gold members get Oneworld Ruby, Platinum members get Oneworld Sapphire, and Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum members get Oneworld Emerald status.
Even if you don’t have elite status with American, there are some notable perks to being an AAdvantage member. American AAdvantage announced the following exclusive benefits for AAdvantage members in 2024 (including entry-level members with no elite status):
– The ability to voluntarily cancel basic economy tickets for a partial travel trip credit for a $99 fee
– Complimentary 24-hour ticket holds
– The ability to purchase single-use Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge entry
– The ability to take an earlier flight on the same day at no extra cost
Also new in 2024 is the ability to redeem Loyalty Points Rewards for additional Loyalty Points to help members reach their elite status goals.
You can choose:
– 1,000 bonus Loyalty Points (after earning 15,000 Loyalty Points)
– 5,000 bonus Loyalty Points (after earning 175,000 Loyalty Points)
– 15,000 bonus Loyalty Points (after earning 250,000 Loyalty Points)
Coming later in 2024 is the ability to earn redeemable miles and additional Loyalty Points on premium-cabin upgrades paid with cash.
How to earn AAdvantage miles
There are many ways to earn AAdvantage miles. Below is a summary of the top ways.
Fly on American Airlines
When you fly on an American-marketed flight, you’ll usually earn miles according to your ticket’s base price — without taxes and fees. The miles you earn also vary based on your AAdvantage elite status. The higher your status, the more miles you will earn.
Here’s how many miles each status tier earns per dollar spent:
– Member (no status): 5 miles
– Gold: 7 miles
– Platinum: 8 miles
– Platinum Pro: 9 miles
– Executive Platinum: 11 miles
Fly on partner airlines
You can also earn AAdvantage miles on flights marketed by American’s partners. For most partners, you’ll earn miles and Loyalty Points based on flight distance. However, the exact earning rate depends on the fare class of your ticket.
Get and use American Airlines credit cards
One of the easiest ways to earn American AAdvantage miles is through American Airlines credit cards. These cards offer sign-up bonuses and bonus category earnings that can quickly boost your miles balance.
Remember that the sign-up bonuses and bonus category earnings won’t get you Loyalty Points toward AAdvantage elite status. You’ll only earn 1 Loyalty Point per dollar spent on American Airlines cards.
Other ways to earn miles
In addition to flying and using credit cards, there are other ways to earn AAdvantage miles. These include:
– Shopping through the AAdvantage eShopping mall
– Booking hotels through the AAdvantage hotel portal
– Renting cars through Avis and Budget
– Dining at participating restaurants through the AAdvantage Dining program
– Transferring points from hotel loyalty programs
Conclusion
The American AAdvantage loyalty program offers plenty of opportunities to earn and redeem miles for travel on American Airlines and its partner airlines. With a range of elite status benefits and a variety of ways to earn miles, it’s a program worth considering for frequent flyers. Whether you’re a casual traveler or a frequent jet-setter, the AAdvantage program has something to offer.