American Airlines AAdvantage Status Guide: Elite Levels, Benefits, How To Earn and Requirements
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Written by
Joseph Hostetler
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Edited by
Emily Gadd, CCC™
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Reviewed by
Jasmin Baron, CCC™
Among the best airline loyalty programs is American Airlines’ AAdvantage. Earning AAdvantage elite status is straightforward — and the perks you’ll get with each tier are compelling.
Here’s what you need to know about American Airlines elite status.
What Is American Airlines’ Loyalty Program?
The American Airlines loyalty program, AAdvantage, is free to join. After you enroll, you’ll be assigned a unique member number. Attach it to your American Airlines flights to benefit from your status during your travels.
How Does the American Airlines Loyalty Program Work?
American Airlines measures your elite status with a currency called Loyalty Points. You earn them from flights, the American Airlines online shopping portal and even spending with some of the best travel credit cards.
Depending on the number of Loyalty Points you earn in a year, you’ll unlock varying American Airlines levels — of which there are four (we’ll talk about those in a minute).
American Airlines’ loyalty year begins on March 1 and ends Feb. 28 the following year.
American Airlines Status Levels and Tiers
AAdvantage Gold
Requirements:
- 40,000 Loyalty Points
Key benefits:
- Oneworld Ruby elite status
- Free upgrades (24 hours before departure) when available
- Free first checked bag
- Earn 40% more miles and Loyalty Points on eligible flights
- Priority check-in, security and boarding
Read more: Is American Airlines AAdvantage Gold Status Worth It?
AAdvantage Platinum
Requirements:
- 75,000 Loyalty Points
Key benefits:
- Oneworld Sapphire elite status
- Free upgrades (48 hours before departure) when available
- Earn 60% more miles and Loyalty Points on eligible flights
- Two free checked bags and Priority handling
- Complimentary Preferred Seats and Main Cabin Extra seats at booking
AAdvantage Platinum Pro
Requirements:
- 125,000 Loyalty Points
Key benefits:
- Oneworld Emerald elite status
- Free upgrades (72 hours before departure) when available
- Earn 80% more miles and Loyalty Points on eligible flights
- Three free checked bags and Priority handling
- Complimentary Preferred Seats and Main Cabin Extra seats at booking
AAdvantage Executive Platinum
Requirements:
- 200,000 Loyalty Points
Key benefits:
- Oneworld Emerald elite status
- Free upgrades (100 hours before departure) when available
- Earn 120% more miles and Loyalty Points on eligible flights
- 3 free checked bags and Priority handling
- Complimentary Preferred Seats and Main Cabin Extra seats at booking
How To Earn Miles (and Loyalty Points) With American Airlines
Fly with American Airlines
American Airlines awards Loyalty Points according to the price of a ticket marketed by AA. You’ll earn 5 base miles for every dollar spent on your fare (excluding taxes and fees). If you already have AAdvantage elite status, you’ll earn an increased number of miles — and therefore an increased number of Loyalty Points.
You can also earn Loyalty Points when flying a partner airline, but the way you earn is slightly different. The earnings are based on your flight distance and fare class (instead of the amount of money you spend).
Use American Airlines Credit Cards
Technically, you can achieve American Airlines elite status without ever planting your soles on an airplane. That’s because the best American Airlines credit cards earn 1 Loyalty Point per dollar spent.
Citi, our advertising partner, issues several AA credit cards, including:
- American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard®
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
- Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®
It’s worth explicitly mentioning that you will not earn Loyalty Points based on the amount of miles you earn from spending. For example, you may earn 2 miles per dollar on dining, but you’ll still only earn 1 Loyalty Point per dollar.
Some AA credit cards also offer bonus Loyalty Points after reaching a specified annual threshold. For example, the Citi AA Executive card offers 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points after reaching 50,000 Loyalty Points in a status qualification year — and another 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points after reaching 90,000 Loyalty Points.
Shopping and Dining
American Airlines offers both an online shopping portal and a dining program to help you quickly accrue Loyalty Points (and redeemable miles).
The AAdvantage eShopping network comprises more than 1,200 stores, some of which earn 10 or more Loyalty Points per dollar. And its AAdvantage Dining program offers up to 5 Loyalty Points per dollar when you use your linked credit card at eligible restaurants.
American Airlines also offers a program called SimplyMiles that provides personalized opportunities to earn more points with select merchants.
Book American Airlines Travel Partners
American Airlines operates its own online travel agency, which allows you to book hotels, rental cars, cruises and experiences. Here’s what you can earn:
- Hotels: Book your stay through AAdvantage Hotels to earn up to 5x Loyalty Points (depending on your status, credit card and other factors). You can also book directly with the hotel and elect to earn miles, entering your AA number when you book (or at check-in).
- Rental cars: Earn at least 2 Loyalty Points per dollar for car rentals with Avis, Budget and more.
- Cruises: Earn 1 Loyalty Point per dollar.
- Experiences: You can purchase Ticketmaster event tickets through American Airlines to earn an additional 1 Loyalty Point for each dollar spent.
How To Redeem Loyalty Points with American Airlines
Loyalty Points are more than just a necessity to achieve American Airlines elite status. As you earn them, you’ll unlock a variety of benefits by reaching specific thresholds.
You’ll earn benefits at 15,000, 60,000, 100,000, 175,000, 250,000, 400,000, 550,000, 750,000, 1,000,000, 3,000,000 and 5,000,000 Loyalty Points. Depending on the level, you can expect rewards like:
- Priority boarding
- Bonus Loyalty Points
- Avis elite status
- World of Hyatt elite status
- Systemwide upgrades
- World of Hyatt Free Night Awards
- Bonus miles
- Trip credits
- Admirals Club membership
- Bang & Olufsen product
- Flagship Lounge single-visit passes
- Flagship First Dining passes
- Award redemption rebates
Some of these perks can be wildly lucrative, amounting to many hundreds (even thousands) of dollars in value. I’ve used systemwide upgrades to bump my family from low-cost economy fares to expensive lie-flat business-class seats on long-haul flights.
Is American Airlines Status Worth It?
If you frequently find yourself aboard an AA-operated flight, American Airlines elite status is likely worth it for you. Benefits like complimentary upgrades, bonus rewards on paid fares, and priority boarding are a treat for infrequent flyers — but for business travelers and road warriors, these perks are a game changer.
In short, those who will routinely use American Airlines status benefits will find AAdvantage elite status worth pursuing.
The information related to the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® and Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® was collected by CardCritics™ and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardCritics™ does not receive a commission for this product.
Frequently Asked Questions About American Airlines Status
How do you become an elite American Airlines member?
To become an American Airlines elite member, you’ll need to earn at least 40,000 Loyalty Points in an elite status year (March 1 to Feb. 28). You can earn Loyalty Points through flying, spending on the best airline credit cards and more.
How hard is it to get AA Platinum status?
Earning American Airlines elite status is an uncomplicated — though not particularly effortless — process. But the ability to earn unlimited Loyalty Points through credit card spending alone makes it possible to achieve the top American Airlines tier without having to actually travel all the time.
Does American Airlines elite status improve upgrade chances?
American Airlines elite status dramatically improves your upgrade chances. You’re officially eligible for free upgrades at or before check-in (depending on your status level), and you may also receive systemwide upgrades for many flights.
