How To Get American Airlines Elite Status (And Is It Worth It?)

Key Takeaways

• American Airlines’ AAdvantage program offers elite status levels Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Executive Platinum.
• Each status level offers increasing benefits such as priority boarding, complimentary upgrades, and bonus miles.
• AAdvantage status is based on earning Loyalty Points through various activities such as flying, using credit cards, and spending with partners.

Having elite status with an airline is a great way to earn benefits and perks that make travel more rewarding. American Airlines is one of the main players in the industry and an airline that many of us use often. Its AAdvantage loyalty program has 4 main levels of elite status available — Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Executive Platinum. Earning elite status can be confusing, so we’re going to break it down for you so it’s easy to understand.

In this post, we’ll go over how to earn elite status with American Airlines and discuss whether or not it’s a valuable thing to have.

How To Earn American Airlines AAdvantage Status

American Airlines simplified the process of earning elite status at the beginning of 2022. Gone are the days of Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs), Elite Qualifying Segments (EQSs), and Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs). Now, all you need to do to earn AAdvantage status is earn Loyalty Points.

You’ll earn 1 Loyalty Point for each eligible base AAdvantage mile you earn.

Here’s a quick look at the ways you’ll be able to earn American AAdvantage Loyalty Points:

• Fly on American Airlines, Oneworld partner airlines, JetBlue, and GOL Airlines
• Spend on AAdvantage co-branded credit cards
• Shop through AAdvantage eShopping portal
• Dine at restaurants attached to AAdvantage Dining portal
• Shop with SimplyMiles
• Book travel packages through American Airlines Vacations
• Partner hotels and bookings through AAdvantage Hotels
• AAdvantage car rental partners booked through aa.com/cars
• Cruises booked through bookaacruises.com
• Retail partners including Shell, Miles for Opinions, NRG Energy, Reliant Energy, and Xoom

Hot Tip: Loyalty Points are earned through base AAdvantage miles. American Airlines bonus miles (including credit card sign-on bonuses and AAdvantage dining portal promotional bonuses) and eShopping portal promotional bonuses do not earn Loyalty Points.

Earn Loyalty Points on Flights

AAdvantage members earn Loyalty Points at the same rate as they earn redeemable miles on airline tickets. That means you’ll earn 5 AAdvantage miles and 5 Loyalty Points per dollar spent on American Airlines flights. This is on the fare only which doesn’t include taxes, fees, and surcharges.

You’ll earn miles and Loyalty Points on any class of ticket, including Basic Economy, however, Basic Economy only earns 2 miles per dollar.

If you have American Airlines status, you’ll continue to earn Loyalty Points at the same rate you earn redeemable base miles. For example, a Platinum Pro member would earn 9 redeemable miles and 9 Loyalty Points per dollar spent on flights.

You’ll also earn Loyalty Points when flying on American Airlines Oneworld partners as well as JetBlue and GOL Airlines. Loyalty Points are earned at the same accrual rate as redeemable AAdvantage miles on these airlines.

Earn Loyalty Points With Credit Cards

Using an American Airlines co-branded credit card is a great way to earn Loyalty Points that count toward status. You’ll earn 1 Loyalty Point per $1 spent on any of these cards (with 1 exception, see below). Loyalty Points are not earned on spend category multipliers. For example, if your card earns 2 points per $1 spent on American Airlines purchases, you’ll still only earn 1 Loyalty Point per $1 spent.

Citi American Airlines Co-Branded Credit Cards

• American Airlines AAdvantage^® MileUp^®
• CitiBusiness^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® Mastercard^®
• Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® World Elite™ Mastercard^®
• Citi^®/AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^®
• CitiBusiness^® / AAdvantage^® Select^® World Elite Mastercard^® (no longer open to new applicants)
• Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Gold Mastercard^® (no longer open to new applicants)

Barclays American Airlines Co-Branded Credit Cards

• AAdvantage^® Aviator^® Red World Elite Mastercard^®
• AAdvantage^® Aviator^® World Elite Business Mastercard^®
• AAdvantage^® Aviator^® Blue Mastercard^® (not available to new applicants, only as a downgrade for AAdvantage Aviator Red card)
• AAdvantage^® Aviator^® Mastercard^® (earns 1 Loyalty Point for every $2 spent; no longer open to new applicants, only as a downgrade for AAdvantage Aviator Red card)
• AAdvantage^® Aviator^® Silver Mastercard^® (no longer open to new applicants, only as an upgrade for AAdvantage Aviator Red card)

Earn Loyalty Points Through Shopping and Dining

You’ll earn Loyalty Points through shopping portals like AAdvantage Dining, AAdvantage eShopping, and Simply Miles.

AAdvantage Dining allows you to register a credit card (any card, not just an American Airlines card) and you’ll earn base miles and Loyalty Points when you dine at restaurants that are a part of AAdvantage Dining.

Promotional bonuses earned through AAdvantage Dining, including the new member bonus of 1,000 points, will be awarded as base miles only.

The AAdvantage eShopping portal allows you to earn base miles and Loyalty Points for online shopping. Simply create an account and click through the portal to the retailer of your choice and make a purchase as you normally would.

You’ll earn miles and Loyalty Points for your purchases. For example, if a store is offering 5 miles per $1 spent, you would earn 5 redeemable miles and 5 Loyalty Points per $1 spent. However, promotional shopping bonuses are awarded as base miles only.

Simply Miles is another great tool to earn lots of Loyalty Points and base miles for your online purchases. This site requires you to register a Mastercard in order to earn miles, although it doesn’t have to be an American Airlines credit card. Any Mastercard will work, and you can register multiple cards with Simply Miles.

Browse the offers and add any good ones to your card. Then use your card to make a purchase at the associated merchant and you’ll earn base miles and Loyalty Points.

Hot Tip: Simply Miles deals can be stacked with AAdvantage eShopping portal purchases.

Earn Loyalty Points Through American Airlines Hotel Partners

You can earn Loyalty Points by booking hotels through American Airlines hotel partners.

AAdvantage Hotels and Rocketmiles

When you book through AAdvantage Hotels you’ll earn AA miles and Loyalty Points for each elgible booking. Rocketmiles is another option, but it generally offers a lower earning rate since a devaluation in July of 2023.

American Airlines elite members who also hold an American Airlines credit card will see the biggest bonuses when booking a hotel through AAdvantage Hotels.

Hyatt Hotels

American Airlines elite members can earn 500 miles per stay, in addition to Loyalty Points, by staying at eligible Hyatt brands by linking their accounts.

Marriott Hotels

You’ll earn American miles and Loyalty Points on Marriott stays when you choose miles as your earning preference and American Airlines as your preferred airline. You’ll need to make this selection in your Marriott Bonvoy loyalty account.

You’ll earn 2 miles and 2 Loyalty Points per $1 spent at the following Marriott brands:

You’ll earn 1 mile and 1 Loyalty Point per $1 spent at these Marriott brands:

IHG Hotels

You’ll earn American miles and Loyalty Points at IHG hotels when you choose American Airlines as your earning preference.

You’ll earn 2 miles and 2 Loyalty Points per $1 spent at these IHG brands:

Additionally, you’ll earn 1 point per $1 spent at Candlewood Suites and Staybridge Suites.

Earn Loyalty Points Through American Airlines Car Rental Partners

You can earn base miles and Loyalty Points by booking a rental car through an American Airlines partner and providing your AAdvantage number at the time of booking.

Alamo, Dollar, National, and Thrifty

Earn 50 base miles and Loyalty Points per rental day on qualifying paid rentals at participating locations.

Avis and Budget

Earn 2 to 5 base miles and Loyalty Points per $1 spent with specific discount codes.

• All AAdvantage members can earn 2 miles per $1 spent
• All American Airlines credit cardholders can earn 3 miles per $1 spent
• AAdvantage Gold and Platinum members can earn 4 miles per $1 spent
• AAdvantage Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum members can earn 5 miles per $1 spent

Hertz

Earn 1 base mile and 1 Loyalty Point per $1 spent with discount code CDP217692 and get a discount on the base rate of the rental.

Payless

Earn 1 base mile and 1 Loyalty Point per $1 spent with discount code #K105200.

Earn Loyalty Points By Booking Vacation Packages and Cruises

American Airlines Vacations

You’ll earn Loyalty Points that count toward American Airlines status by booking a vacation package through American Airlines Vacations.

You’ll always earn 1,000 American Airlines base miles and Loyalty Points with each booking. Plus you can earn up to 30,000 bonus miles with select deals, but these won’t count as Loyalty Points since they are bonus miles.

American Airlines Cruises

When you book a cruise through American Airlines, you’ll earn Loyalty Points that help you achieve elite status. You’ll earn 1 base mile and 1 Loyalty Point per $1 spent. However, if you have an American Airlines AAdvantage credit card, you can earn 2 base miles and Loyalty Points per $1 spent. Keep an eye out for special deals to help you earn Loyalty Points and base miles even faster.

Earn Loyalty Points Through Home, Retail, and Other Partners

• E-Rewards: Earn miles and Loyalty Points by filling out surveys.
• Miles for Opinions: Earn miles and Loyalty Points by filling out surveys.
• NRG: Earn 2 base miles and Loyalty Points per $1 on the supply portion of your monthly electric and gas bills.
• Shell: Earn 100 base miles and Loyalty Points after joining Shell’s Fuel Rewards program and completing your first fill-up. Then earn 2 miles for every gallon of fuel purchased.
• Xoom: Earn 2 base miles and Loyalty Points per $1 on the supply portion of your monthly electric or gas bills in select states.

Bottom Line: Your American Airlines status level is determined by the number of Loyalty Points you earn during the qualification year. There are lots of ways to earn Loyalty Points, including using an American Airlines credit card, buying an American Airlines or partner flight, or shopping through the AAdvantage eShopping portal, to name a few. You’ll get 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 qualifying base American Airlines mile you earn. 

AAdvantage Status Requirements and Benefits

Since American Airlines simplified its elite status program, there’s only one thing you need to do to achieve elite status with American Airlines: earn Loyalty Points.

These are the number of loyalty points you need to earn for each tier of American Airlines status:

How To Check Your Progress Toward American Airlines Elite Status

To check your progress toward American Airlines elite status, log on to your AAdvantage account. After you sign in, click your name in the top-right corner and then click Account.

You’ll then be able to see your progress in the AAdvantage account view.

Qualification Period vs. Membership Period

When you’re trying to earn American Airlines status, you’ll need to understand the difference between the qualification period and the membership period.

The qualification period is from March 1 to the last day of February the following year. This is the time period you have to earn Loyalty Points. As soon as you qualify for elite status by meeting the requirements, your benefits will be active and they’ll remain active through the next membership year.

The membership year starts on the day you qualify for status or April 1 (whichever comes first) and goes through the following March 31.

AAdvantage Gold Status Benefits

We’ve written at length about the benefits and value of AAdvantage Gold status, so we’ll just touch on the highlights here:

• Automatic upgrade request on all routes within the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Caribbean, Canada, and Mexico
• 24-hour upgrade window
• 40% elite mileage bonus
• Main Cabin Extra seats at check-in, if available
• Complimentary Preferred seats
• 1 free checked bag
• Oneworld Ruby status

Hot Tip: American Airlines and JetBlue have a reciprocal relationship for passengers flying with each airline. American AAdvantage elite members can now expect benefits such as priority check-in, free checked bags, priority baggage handling, priority boarding, and more when flying JetBlue. 

AAdvantage Platinum Status Benefits

Our guide to the perks and value of AAdvantage Platinum status goes into detail on the benefits and their worth, but here are some of the highlights of this tier:

• Automatic upgrade request on all routes within the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Caribbean, Canada, and Mexico
• 48-hour upgrade window
• 60% elite mileage bonus
• Complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats at the time of booking
• 2 free checked bags
• Oneworld Sapphire status

AAdvantage Platinum Pro Status Benefits

Platinum Pro elites are eligible for upgrade and seating benefits and perks at the airport, fee waivers, and alliance benefits. Here are some of this status level’s highlights:

• Automatic upgrade requests on all flights within North America on American Airlines
• Complimentary upgrades on Alaska Airlines
• 72-hour upgrade window
• 80% elite mileage bonus
• Complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats
• 3 free checked bags
• Oneworld Emerald status

Hot Tip: Loyalty Choice Rewards have been replaced by Loyalty Point Rewards. These rewards, including things like systemwide upgrades, bonus miles, Admirals Club day passes, and more are now tied to the number of Loyalty Points you have earned. There are no longer flight segment requirements nor are they tied to elite status level.

AAdvantage Executive Platinum Status Benefits

Executive Platinum is AAdvantage’s highest status. We’ve written extensively on this tier’s upgrades and seating options and the airport benefits and alliance-wide perks. Here’s a quick look at some of the benefits:

• Automatic upgrade requests on all flights within North America on American Airlines
• 100-hour upgrade window
• 120% elite mileage bonus
• Complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats
• 1 free food and 1 free drink item in Main Cabin seats
• 3 free checked bags
• Oneworld Emerald status
• Ability to upgrade on Alaska Airlines

Hot Tip: A fifth, unpublished status level exists within the AAdvantage program called ConciergeKey. This invitation-only status doesn’t have published specific requirements and is reserved for top-tier spenders and influential travelers.

AAdvantage Million Miler Program

AAdvantage Million Miler status grants lifetime American Airlines Gold status, plus other additional benefits like bonus miles and upgrades after reaching 1 million miles.

Miles for the Million Miler program are calculated based on 2 criteria:

• The actual distance flown on American-marketed flights
• Base miles earned for flights on eligible American Airlines partners

After reaching 1 million miles on American Airlines, you’ll earn lifetime Gold status and 35,000 bonus AAdvantage miles. When you reach 2 million miles flown on American Airlines, you’ll earn lifetime Platinum status and 4 one-way system upgrades. After that, you’ll earn an additional 4 one-way systemwide upgrades for each additional million miles flown.

Bottom Line: There are 4 levels of status within the American Airlines AAdvantage program — Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Executive Platinum. A fifth level, ConciergeKey, is invitation-only and doesn’t publish membership requirements. In addition, if you fly at least 1 million miles, you’ll be a part of the Million Miler program, earning you Gold status for life.

Is American Airlines Elite Status Worth It?

Determining whether or not an airline’s elite status is worth it is somewhat subjective, but that’s not going to stop us from breaking it down to help you determine the value you can get from American Airlines status.

For this analysis, we’ve evaluated the minimum standards for Gold status only, since it’s the base-level tier. According to our extensive analysis of the value of American Airlines Gold status, you can get upwards of $1,000 in value if you’re a frequent flyer who knows how to use your benefits.

Here’s a quick look at the estimated value you can get from just some of the American Airlines Gold status benefits:

• 40% Mileage Bonus: ~$300 (based on approximately $3,000 yearly spend and 7 miles per dollar earned)
• Free Checked Bag: $360 ($30 per flight;  based on 6 round-trip flights a year)
• Complimentary Preferred and Main Cabin Extra Seats: $420 ($35 per flight; based on 6 round-trip flights per year)

These numbers are a conservative estimate based on just a few benefits and can dramatically increase based on your flying habits.

Final Thoughts

If you fly American Airlines often, earning elite status is something you’ll definitely want to consider. Many benefits that come with American Airlines status are geared at making your flights more comfortable, like preferred seating and complimentary upgrades. Plus, you’ll earn miles faster and save money with benefits like free checked bags.