American Airlines is one of the major airlines in the United States, with its headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. The airline, while serving all international and domestic passengers with the best in-flight amenities and services, brings added perks and benefits for its frequent flyer members.
The American Airlines AAdvantage program has been proven beneficial for all AA flyers, along with other One World Alliance partners and other codeshare flights operated by different airlines. The AAdvantage program offers great perks even to travelers who are flying with partner airlines that work with American Airlines. This means that if you're flying with airlines like Qantas, British Airways, or Qatar Airways, you can still enjoy the benefits and rewards from the AAdvantage program.
What's more? You can collect miles for everyday purchases, such as booking American Airlines flights or any partner airline service, and credit card purchases. These miles can be redeemed for various rewards, such as flights, upgrades, car rentals, and hotels. The airline also has a business relationship with numerous car rental companies, hotel brands, and cruise lines. This means you can also earn and use AAdvantage miles on these travel expenses.
Well, there is more to the benefits that come easily with the AA frequent flyer program. This blog covers all the major benefits and information one must know regarding the American Airlines AAdvantage program.
Joining Fee: Free or Paid!
Good news! You can join the American Airlines AAdvantage program without paying any cost. You can become a member without any fee and start earning miles and Loyalty Points.
However, there might be annual fees for a few other related memberships and care if you choose to buy.
- For the American Airlines Admirals Club lounges, you need to pay annual membership fees. Now these rates vary as per your AAdvantage status, which means whether you choose an individual or household membership.
- Some AAdvantage co-branded credit cards have annual fees, which depend on their benefits and features.
- There will be taxes and Carrier-Imposed Fees on award travel on American Airlines. This, too, depends on your origin, destination, and cabin class.
- Reactivating Expired Miles is chargeable. If your miles expire due to inactivity, you can pay a fee to reactivate them.
How Are Points Calculated: Based on Miles or Money
AAdvantage members can earn and redeem award miles every time they buy a service from the airline. Award miles are the points you get with every purchase. This excludes the extra costs like taxes, fees, or add-ons like baggage and seat selection. In simple terms, the more you pay for your flight, the more miles you collect. But there is a catch to this, too. So the miles you earn per dollar depends on your loyalty status and the type of ticket you buy. Now the question is, what are Loyalty Points?
Loyalty Points are basically influenced by the different levels of membership available on the AAdvantage program. With every eligible mile, you get 1 Loyalty Point. This can be simplified to the fact that Loyalty Points are earned based on dollars spent, not miles flown. You earn 1 Loyalty Point per $1 spent on eligible flights.
These points can be earned by
- Flying with American Airlines, oneworld Alliance airlines, and GOL Airlines.
- Spending with partners like American Airlines Vacations, SimplyMiles, AAdvantage eShopping, AAdvantage Dining, and AAdvantage Hotels.
- Using AAdvantage credit cards for your purchases
Please note that AAdvantage miles do not count toward Loyalty Points if it is bonus miles, gifted or transferred miles, and credit card welcome bonuses. If you hold a Higher AAdvantage elite status, such as Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Executive Platinum, you earn more bonus miles and Loyalty Points.
For example:
- A General member gets 5 miles per $1, which means 5 Loyalty Points.
- Gold members get 7 miles per $1, and 7 Loyalty Points.
- An Executive Platinum member earns 11 miles per $1, equivalent to 11 Loyalty Points.
So, Awards Miles are the currency you get by spending dollars, and the Loyalty point is the status that opens more perks and determines the miles you will earn with each purchase. Both Award miles and Loyalty Points expire, but only if there is no activity for 24 months.
AAdvantage Elite Status Tiers and How to Qualify
There are four elite statuses on American Airlines' AAdvantage program. Now, each has its benefits and comes with a specific requirement, which depends on the Loyalty Points.
AAdvantage Gold: Members must have 40,000 Loyalty Points as a qualification.
AAdvantage Platinum: Members must have 75,000 Loyalty Points as a qualification.
AAdvantage Platinum Pro: Members must have 125,000 Loyalty Points as a qualification.
AAdvantage Executive Platinum: Members must have 200,000 Loyalty Points as a qualification.
American Airlines has also introduced an invitation-only program called ConciergeKey for
AAdvantage's most loyal customers.
Redemption Options for Members
American Airlines AAdvantage members can easily redeem their award points or miles. How? Here is a detail on primary redemption options:
1. Flights
You can book award flights directly through the American Airlines website and redeem miles. You can also book award travel on many of the partner airlines and oneworld Alliance members via the American Airlines website.
2. Upgrades
You can use miles to upgrade your cabin seat to a higher cabin on American Airlines flights. These miles can also be used to reserve desired seats on American Airlines flights.
3. Hotels and Car Rentals
You can redeem the miles for hotel stays by booking via the AAdvantage Hotels Platform. Similarly, the AAdvantage Car Rentals Platform allows members to redeem their points to book car rentals globally. The program also allows purchasing vacation packages by redeeming miles.
Why Join the American Airlines AAdvantage Program?
American Airlines AAdvantage is ranked No. 2 in the Best Airline Rewards Programs. This means the perks and benefits the airline offers to its members are worth the hype. If you are planning to be an AAdvantage member, we have listed a few advantages that come complimentary:
- You earn miles and Loyalty Points when flying with American Airlines and its Oneworld Alliance.
- You earn miles and Loyalty Points on everyday purchases with AAdvantage co-branded credit cards.
- You earn miles and Loyalty Points with other programs like AAdvantage Hotels, AAdvantage eShopping, AAdvantage Dining, and rental car companies.
- The miles you earned can be redeemed for booking award travel or upgrading to a higher class of service. You can also pay for car rentals and hotels.
- Elite status Members get more perks like mileage bonuses, complimentary upgrades, priority check-in and boarding, free checked bags, and lounge access.
- Each Award mile comes with Loyalty Point Rewards. These can be used for booking flights, cabin upgrades, and hotels.
- It offers the benefit of changing or cancelling award tickets without any fees.
- If you are an Elite status member, you get complimentary Preferred Seats and Main Cabin Extra seats.
