American AAdvantage Introduces 2022 Loyalty Choice Rewards

As part of its AAdvantage elite program offering, American currently has several elite choice reward levels, allowing select elite status tier customers to choose which benefits are most beneficial for them, as well additional benefits for surpassing the top elite level.

American has now revealed which rewards will be available at each reward level under its new Loyalty Points scheme, set to debut in March 2022.

Table of Contents

What Are Loyalty Points?
What Points Do You Need To Earn Status and Loyalty Choice Reward Levels?
What Loyalty Choice Rewards Can I Choose?
Final Thoughts

What Are Loyalty Points?

Loyalty Points are points that determine your engagement level with American Airlines. In general, every dollar you spend is at least worth 1 Loyalty Point, and the vast majority of purchases earn far more points per dollar.

American Airlines 787 Business Class Seat Wide Angle — The more Loyalty Points you earn, the more rewards you can choose from. Image Credit: Chris Hassan

What Points Do You Need To Earn Status and Loyalty Choice Reward Levels?

If you’re working towards status, you need at minimum 125,000 Loyalty Points to earn second to highest tier Platinum Pro and 200,000 Loyalty Points for top-tier Executive Platinum status. Beyond this, the more Loyalty Points you earn, the more reward levels you unlock.

Loyalty Point Reward Levels	Loyalty Points Required	Number of Choices
Level 1 (Platinum Pro)	125,000 (plus a minimum of 30 eligible flight segments)	1
Level 2 (Executive Platinum)	200,000	2
Level 3 (Executive Platinum)	350,000	2
Level 4 (Executive Platinum)	550,000	2
Level 5 (Executive Platinum)	750,000	2

What Loyalty Choice Rewards Can I Choose?

At the Platinum Pro level (Level 1), you can earn 1 Loyalty Choice Reward. In most cases, the systemwide upgrade will probably be the most valuable award, followed by 20,000 AAdvantage miles or the 15% award discount.

Level 1 Threshold Rewards	Choices Needed (Choose 1)
20,000 AAdvantage miles (25,000 miles with a co-branded card)	1 choice
1 systemwide upgrade	1 choice
6 Admirals Club day passes	1 choice
$200 trip credit	1 choice
$200 donation	1 choice
Gift of Gold status	1 choice
Carbon offset	1 choice
15% award discount (1-time)	1 choice

If you earn 200,000 Loyalty Points, you advance to Executive Platinum status and can now choose 2 Loyalty Choice Rewards from the Level 2 list, in addition to the Loyalty Choice Reward you select for Platinum Pro. Like the Level 1 rewards, the most valuable selections are the systemwide upgrades, though you may find additional merit in selecting an Admirals Club membership or a pair of premium noise-canceling headphones.

Level 2 Threshold Rewards	Choices Needed (Choose 2)
20,000 AAdvantage miles (30,000 miles with co-branded card)	1 choice
2 systemwide upgrades	1 choice
6 Admirals Club day passes	1 choice
$200 trip credit	1 choice
$200 donation	1 choice
Admirals Club individual membership	2 choices
Gift of Gold status	1 choice
Carbon offset	1 choice
1 Bang & Olufsen premium product	2 choices

If you’re an overachiever and earn an additional 150,000 to 550,000 Loyalty Points above and beyond Executive Platinum at Level 2, you’ll be able to choose 2 of the below choices at each level:

Level 3 to 5 Threshold Rewards	Choices Needed (Choose 2)
25,000 AAdvantage miles	1 choice
1 systemwide upgrade	1 choice
6 Admirals Club day passes	1 choice
$200 trip credit	1 choice
$200 donation	1 choice
Admirals Club individual membership	2 choices
Gift of Gold status (Level 3) or Platinum status (Levels 4 and 5)	1 choice (Level 3) / 2 choices (Levels 4 and 5)
Carbon offset	1 choice

By and large, these awards and choices very similarly follow the rewards available under the 2021 program.

Final Thoughts

American has mostly kept its 2021 elite choice rewards structure intact, though it will now require more Loyalty Points to advance to the next reward level than the previous Elite Qualifying Miles structure.

The nice thing about Loyalty Points is that you can earn them from pretty much every activity, whether that’s flying American, staying in a hotel, eating out at a dining partner, or purchasing items in an online shopping portal. As you amass more Loyalty Points, you’ll also be able to choose from more rewards.