American Airlines Made a Change to Elite Status That Most People Won’t Even Notice

Updated: April 24, 2026, 11:48am CDT

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How Loyalty Points Earned From Credit Cards Count Toward Elite Status Is Changing … Slightly
Final Thoughts

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American Airlines revamped its elite program over the last couple of years with the introduction of Loyalty Points. These points are what determines your status within the American Airlines AAdvantage loyalty program. What’s great is that Loyalty Points can be earned through spending on American Airlines credit cards. This makes earning elite status achievable for even casual flyers.

American Airlines has announced a change to how Loyalty Points earned through credit card spending are counted. The good news is that this change is actually pretty minor (most customers probably won’t even notice), and it’s an overall win for customers.

Let’s get to the details.

How Loyalty Points Earned From Credit Cards Count Toward Elite Status Is Changing … Slightly

Loyalty Points are what determines your American Airlines elite status, and you earn 1 Loyalty Point for each dollar you spend on American Airlines co-branded credit cards.

American Airlines elite status is earned from March 1 to the last day of February the following calendar year. Previously, if your American Airlines credit card statement closed on March 15, 2024 (which would include charges from February 16 through March 15), for example, all of the charges on that statement, including the ones in February, would count toward the 2025 elite year.

American Airlines has made a change that will simplify this for customers. Now, all of your credit card charges through the end of the qualification year (the last day of February) will count toward the current status year regardless of when your statement closes.

Using our previous example with a credit card statement closing on March 15, 2024, all of the charges from February 16, 2024, through February 29, 2024, will now count toward the 2024 elite year, while the charges from March 1, 2024, through March 15, 2024, will count toward the 2025 elite year.

In all likelihood, this is probably how most customers assumed it worked, so this change won’t rock the boat too much. This announcement is an overall positive for customers since it clarifies exactly what credit card purchases will count toward status in what year.

Bottom Line:

American Airlines made a small change to how credit card spending counts toward elite status. Now, all spending through the last day of February will count toward that year’s elite status, regardless of when the statement closes.

American Airlines Credit Cards

Citi Executive Card on Luggage — Image Credit: American Airlines

There is a broad selection of American Airlines credit cards to choose from, and each one earns Loyalty Points. You’ll earn 1 American Airlines Loyalty Point for every dollar you spend on these American Airlines co-branded credit cards:

Final Thoughts

American Airlines made a minor change to the cut-off date for when credit card purchases count toward elite status. Previously, purchases made on a statement that closed in March would count toward the following year’s status. Now, American Airlines has simplified the process, and all purchases made by the end of the qualification year (the last day of February) will count toward that year’s status. This is a minor but welcome change that should simplify this process for customers.