By Shawn Gallagher
American Airlines is the largest airline in the world (by fleet and passengers served), and they have 350 destinations as of today. It should be no surprise then, that their loyalty program, AAdvantage, is popular among frequent flyers. Being able to obtain miles and status with such a huge airline opens up many travel opportunities. In addition, the program comes with many perks, many ways to redeem rewards, and many ways to reach those rewards. I’ve been part of the AAdvantage program since I was 5 years old, and as I grew up, I came to learn how the program works. Keep reading for an overview of AAdvantage by American Airlines.
Elite Status On American Airlines
As with any airline, one of the main things about a program like this is being able to get elite status. American Airlines is no different, and they have the following 4 levels of status: AAdvantage Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Executive Platinum.
Status Benefits
Each status offers a variety of benefits, and those are as follows:
AAdvantage Gold
Despite being the lowest tier, Gold status brings a number of benefits to travelers. First, you will get a 40% status mileage bonus, and earn miles from AA flights at a rate of 7 miles per dollar instead of 5 miles per dollar if you were a non-status AAdvantage member. This allows you to earn miles and reach the next status more quickly.
Preferred seats are complimentary, and Main Cabin Extra is complimentary at check-in based on availability. Gold passengers also are permitted 1 checked luggage free of charge, and a 24 hour upgrade window for American and Alaska Airlines flights.
Priority boarding will place you in group 4 out of American’s (too many!) 9 boarding groups.
Gold also gets you Oneworld Ruby status. This means that you’ll get Ruby status benefits when flying Oneworld partner airlines. For example, your Ruby status will allow you to check in using the business class counter when flying Japan Airlines.
AAdvantage Platinum
Platinum is the next tier, and this is where you start to see premium benefits really kick in.
Platinum members earn miles at a rate of 8 miles per dollar and receive a 60% status mileage bonus. In addition, you’ll get a 48 hour upgrade window versus the 24 hour upgrade window for Gold, and get higher priority for upgrades.
Main Cabin Extra comes complimentary. You will be able to check 2 bags for free as well. Priority boarding will place you in group 3, in addition to the priority lanes at check-in and security.
Platinum will get you Oneworld Sapphire status. Sapphire will allow you access to many Oneworld partner business class lounges around the world.
AAdvantage Platinum Pro
Platinum Pro status holders earn miles at a rate of 9 miles per dollar and get an 80% status mileage bonus. The upgrade window is now 72 hours and gets more priority over Platinum and Gold, and just like Platinum, Main Cabin Extra is complimentary.
Passengers are allowed to check 3 bags for free. Priority boarding places you in group 2 as well, in addition to the priority lanes at check-in and security.
Oneworld Emerald status comes with Platinum Pro, giving access to many of the world’s top-tier first class lounges. Emerald assures a high level experience no matter where you go, as long as you’re flying a Oneworld partner airline.
AAdvantage Executive Platinum
This is the highest achievable tier through Loyalty Points. Miles are earned at 11 miles per dollar in addition to a big 120% status mileage bonus. In addition to complimentary Main Cabin Extra, you will get the highest upgrade priority with a 100 hour upgrade window.
You can check 3 bags for free, and enjoy priority baggage handling, ensuring your bag will be among the first to come out at baggage claim. In addition to the priority check-in lanes and security lanes, priority boarding places you first, in group 1.
Food and beverages are also complementary in Main Cabin.
Just like Platinum Pro, Executive Platinum also gets Oneworld Emerald, the highest Oneworld status. You will be able to enjoy a number of first class lounges around the world.
How Do I Earn Status?
To obtain status, flyers must obtain a certain amount of Loyalty Points for each tier. You can earn Loyalty Points by earning miles, which is done by flying on American Airlines flights or partner airlines sold by American. You can also earn miles using American Airlines credit cards. 1 eligible mile is equal to 1 Loyalty Point.
The number of Loyalty Points you need for each status are the following:
- Gold: 40,000 Loyalty Points
- Platinum: 75,000 Loyalty Points
- Platinum Pro: 125,000 Loyalty Points
- Executive Platinum: 200,000 Loyalty Points
The period to qualify goes from March to February every year. For example, for 2023-2024, the period runs from March 1, 2023 to February 29, 2024.
What Airlines Can You Earn Loyalty Points And Miles With?
In addition to flying on American Airlines, you can earn loyalty points and miles with Oneworld partner airlines. You can also redeem miles and status holders can get benefits when flying with these airlines. These are:
- Alaska Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
- SriLankan Airlines
- Fiji Airways (Oneworld connect)
For specific information about earning and redeeming with partner airlines, check American’s website.
Earning AAdvantage Miles
The other part to the loyalty program is miles. Although there are many different ways to earn miles, here are the 3 main ways.
Flying On American Airlines
Although this is the most obvious method, this is the most straightforward way and gets the most out of your money. As we discussed earlier in this article, here’s how many miles you earn per dollar:
- Non status AAdvantage member: 5 miles per dollar
- Gold: 7 miles per dollar
- Platinum: 8 miles per dollar
- Platinum Pro: 9 miles per dollar
- Executive Platinum: 11 miles per dollar
Flying Partner Airlines
Let’s say you book a ticket with Finnair, a Oneworld partner airline. But instead of earning miles for Finnair, you want those miles to go to your AAdvantage account. Yes, it’s certainly possible, albeit with some restrictions. Depending on the fare type, the miles you earn will vary. Here are the rules for earning miles on Finnair marketed flights.
Although it would be more worth it to book a Finnair flight through American, keep in mind that this is still an option if you end up in this situation. Here is more information about earning miles on partner airlines.
American Airlines Credit Cards
Finally, a very easy way to earn miles is by getting an American Airlines co-branded credit card. These cards are a must-have for frequent AA fliers as they can boost your miles and loyalty points just with your daily spending.
Redeeming AAdvantage Miles
Miles can be redeemed in many ways, and it’s vital to find the best deal to make most of your earned miles. Generally, you’ll get the most value out of your miles by redeeming them for American Airlines flights.
You can also redeem miles for Oneworld partner airlines. Although it depends on availability, you may be able to find some great deals with these partner airlines.
As someone who often flies to Asia, these Japan Airlines redemptions are always good to have. A first class ticket from Boston to Tokyo on Japan Airlines for 80k miles is a huge steal. Main Cabin can also be purchased starting at 35k.
The Bottom Line
The American Airlines AAdvantage Loyalty Program has a lot going for it, and you can potentially get a lot of value from it if done right. As American serves 350 destinations (and more to come) in addition to the networks of its partner airlines, having AAdvantage status can be powerful and open up many destinations that otherwise would have been difficult.