You Can Buy American Airlines Elite Status Into 2026, but Is It Worth It?

If you’re trying to earn elite status with American Airlines but don’t have enough Loyalty Points to reach the next tier, American is providing another way to get you there — albeit at a significant cost.

You’re now able to check and see whether you can buy up to the next status level without having to earn more Loyalty Points.

Here’s what you need to know.

American’s Buy Up Status Promotion Details [2025]

Normally, renewing elite status with American Airlines requires earning a certain amount of Loyalty Points. However, many travelers may not have earned the elite status they wanted with American Airlines AAdvantage over the past 12 months.

American is offering eligible travelers the opportunity to buy up their status to keep it active through March 31, 2026, so they don’t lose it completely, though there are some things you need to be aware of. To check your eligibility, log in to the buy-up promotion page with your AAdvantage loyalty number.

First and foremost, you can only buy up to 1 status level from where you’re currently at. For example, current Platinum Pro members who have only earned enough Loyalty Points to keep Gold status for the next year would only be able to buy up to Platinum — and not Platinum Pro — as you only have enough Loyalty Points for Gold status.

That said, if you’re Platinum Pro and have only earned enough for Platinum, you’ll also be able to use the buy-up offer to retain your current status of Platinum Pro. It’s not cheap, though. One Upgraded Points writer has an offer to keep Platinum Pro status for $1,919 or 192,000 AAdvantage miles.

Another writer has an offer to keep Gold status for $1,775 or 177,500 miles.

Alternatively, you might see an offer to buy either Gold ($395 or 39,500 miles) or Platinum status ($1,439 or 144,000 miles).

Another member of our team had an offer to buy either Gold or Platinum status, though the price was higher for Gold but cheaper for Platinum:

You can buy all the way up to Executive Platinum tier, assuming you receive an offer like this one for $2,189 or 219,000 AAdvantage miles.

However, you cannot use this offer to buy up to the coveted, invitation-only Concierge Key level.

There are also some other things you should know about this offer:

• The offer is non-refundable.
• The buy-up offer can change depending on how many Loyalty Points you can earn over the next few weeks. Therefore, if you’re earning more Loyalty Points soon, you can check back on your buy-up offer. Keep in mind that you need to earn status by the end of February 2025, so don’t cut it too close.
• The amount you spend on any buy-up offer won’t earn you redeemable miles or Loyalty Points. The promotion simply purchases your new status.

The amount it will cost to buy up varies depending on how many Loyalty Points you have. In general, expect this buy-up offer to cost you a pretty penny, as the convenience won’t come cheap. You can assume that it will cost several thousands of dollars to upgrade or retain your status.

However, not everyone is eligible for this offer. Many members of our team saw this message.

Final Thoughts

If retaining American Airlines status is important to you, you may want to consider this offer if you otherwise won’t earn enough Loyalty Points in time. While American Airlines’ elite status can be valuable for many, the hefty price tag of these buy-up offers may be a turn-off for many travelers.