What to Know About the American Airlines AAdvantage Program — Including How to Earn Elite Status and Redeem Miles
Discover everything you need to know about American's frequent flier program.
Courtesy of American Airlines
American Airlines' loyalty program, known as AAdvantage, gives travelers numerous opportunities to earn and redeem miles for various travel benefits and experiences. It also provides frequent fliers the chance to earn elite status. The program has four elite status levels — Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Executive Platinum — each with its own privileges, including mileage bonuses, complimentary seat selection, and free checked bags.
A few years ago, the airline overhauled the AAdvantage program, emphasizing Loyalty Points earned through various activities, including flying, credit card spending, and online shopping — a perk for travelers who don’t fly often but still want the benefits that come along with status. “This is the easiest status to earn for those who aren't road warriors,” Gary Leff, a travel expert from View from the Wing, tells Travel + Leisure.
As one of the world's largest airlines — and one that has extensive partnerships with Oneworld Alliance airlines, as well as standalone partners — American AAdvantage members can earn and redeem miles just about anywhere on the planet.
Here’s everything you need to know about AAdvantage so you can rack up miles and earn elite status.
Courtesy of American Airlines
How to Sign Up
To sign up for the American Airlines AAdvantage program, visit the enrollment page on the American Airlines website. Fill out the form with your details, including your name, contact information, and date of birth, and then create a unique username and password for your account. Once you review and accept the program's terms and conditions and submit your enrollment, you’ll receive a confirmation email with your AAdvantage account number, which you'll need to add to any flight reservation to earn miles.
How to Earn Miles
Flights
When you fly on American Airlines, you earn miles based on the base price of your ticket (excluding taxes and fees). The number of miles earned varies depending on your AAdvantage elite status:
No status: five miles per dollar spent
Gold: seven miles per dollar spent
Platinum: eight miles per dollar spent
Platinum Pro: nine miles per dollar spent
Executive Platinum: 11 miles per dollar spent
As with many other loyalty programs, you can also earn miles on flights marketed by American partner airlines. The miles earned are typically based on flight distance and fare class.
Credit Cards
American Airlines offers several co-branded credit cards, such as the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard and Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard. These cards allow you to earn miles for eligible purchases, with bonus miles often offered for specific spending categories like American Airlines purchases, car rentals, and hotels.
Other Ways to Earn
Transferring Points: You can transfer Bilt points to your AAdvantage account at a 1:1 ratio. American Airlines is the only airline that has a 1:1 transfer with Bilt.
Shopping Portal: Use the AAdvantage shopping portal to earn extra miles when purchasing with select online merchants.
SimplyMiles: Link your credit or debit cards to participate in American's SimplyMiles program and earn miles while shopping online or in person with certain stores.
Dining Program: The AAdvantage Dining program offers the opportunity for diners to earn miles at participating restaurants.
Travel Partners: Book car rentals and hotel stays through AAdvantage travel partners to earn additional miles.
Savings Account: Open a savings account with Bask Bank and choose to earn AAdvantage miles as interest instead of cash. Bask Bank account holders can earn 2.5 AAdvantage miles for every $1 saved annually.
Buying Miles: Occasionally, you can buy American Airlines miles during promotions.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About Earning and Redeeming Airline Miles
Courtesy of American Airlines
American Airlines AAdvantage Status Tiers
American Airlines offers four elite status tiers, each with a range of privileges; some of the most important are mileage bonuses, complimentary seat selection, and checked bag allowances. Executive Platinum members enjoy the most extensive benefits, including complimentary upgrades on award flights and access to Admirals Club lounges when traveling internationally.
All AAdvantage elite members can access complimentary upgrades on American flights within and between the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Central America for themselves and one companion. However, only Executive Platinum members receive complimentary upgrades on award flights.
AAdvantage elites can also select specialty rewards for reaching certain Loyalty Points thresholds, including systemwide upgrades, which can be redeemed for seat upgrades. But beware of the availability to actually use them. “American's systemwide upgrades have been tougher to redeem in recent years as more and more fliers have traded up for premium seats,” Gilbert Ott, director of partnerships at Point.me, tells T+L. “With fewer open seats up front, it's been harder to cash in those coveted upgrades.”
Gold Status
Requirements:
40,000 Loyalty Points
Benefits:
40 percent bonus on earned status miles
Complimentary Main Cabin Extra seats at check-in (when available)
Complimentary Preferred seats at booking (when available)
One free checked bag on American Airlines-marketed and -operated itineraries
Access to complimentary upgrades on select flights
Platinum Status
Requirements:
75,000 Loyalty Points
Benefits:
60 percent bonus on earned status miles
Complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats at booking
Two free checked bags on American Airlines itineraries
Access to complimentary upgrades on select flights
Access to Admirals Club lounges when traveling internationally
Platinum Pro Status
Requirements:
125,000 Loyalty Points
Benefits:
80 percent bonus on earned status miles
Complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats at booking
Three free checked bags on American Airlines itineraries
Access to complimentary upgrades on select flights
Access to Admirals Club lounges when traveling internationally
Executive Platinum Status
Requirements:
200,000 Loyalty Points
Benefits:
120 percent bonus on earned status miles
Complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats at booking
Three free checked bags on American Airlines itineraries
Access to complimentary upgrades on select flights
Complimentary upgrades on award flights
Access to Admirals Club lounges when traveling internationally
Courtesy of American Airlines
Redeeming Miles
Flights
Like most competitors, American Airlines employs dynamic pricing for award flights, allowing flexibility in the number of miles required for a booking. This means the mileage cost can vary depending on demand, route, and travel date.
While American Airlines no longer offers traditional “saver” and “anytime” award categories, the airline still maintains award charts with "starting at" values. The AAdvantage program features redemption sweet spots that can provide exceptional value; these may include premium cabin flights to specific regions, such as Japan or the Middle East, or off-peak awards that offer lower mileage requirements for select destinations.
Upgrades
All AAdvantage members can use their AAdvantage miles to request upgrades from Main Cabin to premium cabins on eligible flights. It's worth noting that AAdvantage elite members can access complimentary flight upgrades within specific regions, but only Executive Platinum members can receive complimentary upgrades on award flights.
Partner Airline Redemptions
Members can also redeem miles for flights with Oneworld Alliance partners, such as British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, and Japan Airlines. American Airlines also partners with non-Oneworld airlines like Silver Airways and Hawaiian Airlines, offering opportunities to redeem miles for flights with these carriers. Availability depends on partner airlines' award inventory. Each partner may have specific criteria for both earning and redeeming AAdvantage miles, so reviewing the partner's terms and conditions is key.
Hotels and Car Rentals
You can redeem miles for hotel stays and car rentals through American Airlines partners, including American Airlines Hotels, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, and more. Additionally, vacation packages and cruises are available for booking using AAdvantage miles.
Related: 9 Best Frequent Flier Programs — and How to Make the Most of Their Benefits
Courtesy of American Airlines
How to Get the Most Out of Your AAdvantage Miles
Maximizing the value of your American Airlines AAdvantage miles requires strategic planning and leveraging various program features. Here are some key strategies to help you make the most of your miles.
Earn elite status.
Focus on earning Loyalty Points by flying with American Airlines, utilizing co-branded credit cards, and engaging with AAdvantage partners. Higher elite status tiers, such as Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Executive Platinum, offer substantial benefits like mileage bonuses, complimentary seat selection, and free checked bags.
Be strategic about redemptions.
While dynamic pricing can be a pain, it can also result in some good deals. Embrace the flexibility of dynamic pricing for award flights by focusing on lower redemption rates and fare deals to maximize the value of your miles.
Use partner airlines and alliances.
Consider redeeming miles for flights with Oneworld Alliance partners to access a vast network of airlines. You can redeem miles with American Airlines' non-Oneworld partners for even more options.
For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.
