AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
American Airlines Loyalty Point earnings reset every year on March 1st. But there’s one way to jump off the hamster wheel and lock in lifetime benefits: American Airlines Million Miler status.
But how do you earn it, and is it really worth the effort? This guide breaks down everything you need to know, from qualification requirements to the perks that come with reaching this milestone.
Page Contents
How to Become an American Airlines Million Miler
Reaching Million Miler status is a rare achievement that only dedicated travelers will ever attain. But whether you’re chasing this prestigious milestone or just want to know what it takes, here’s how earning American Airlines Million Miler works.
Loyalty Points Vs. Million Miler miles
AAdvantage elite status is achieved by earning Loyalty Points. This metric resets each year on March 1st and can be earned in a variety of ways. These include earning through spending on American Airlines co-branded credit cards and using shopping portals.
However, Million Miler status is based on the actual miles flown on American Airlines — or the base miles earned on eligible partner airlines. This excludes any bonuses.
On a recent flight to Syracuse, you can see that I earned 343 Loyalty Points — 214 miles based on the fare plus 129 bonus miles thanks to my AAdvantage status. However, the distance actually flown was 1,516 miles in total. Therefore, I earned 1,516 miles towards my Million Miler status.
But not all flights earn Million Miler miles based on the actual miles flown. For example, AwardWallet Editor-In-Chief JT Genter flew an Iberia flight from Marrakesh (RAK) to Barcelona (BCN) in February 2024. Despite being an 873-mile flight, the base earning rate was just 20% for this flight. So, he only earned 174 Million Miler miles for this flight.
Million Miler miles are earned only on revenue flights. You can’t earn towards Million Miler status on itineraries booked with miles. The only way to accrue lifetime flight miles is by flying on a paid ticket with American, American Eagle, or eligible partners.
Where to track your progress
You can easily track your progress toward Million Miler status in both the American Airlines App and when logged into your account on the AA website. Under “Account Summary”, select Activity. Your Award Miles, Loyalty Points, and Million Miler will be displayed at the top.
The tracker will show you your progress towards elite status for the year, as well as your Lifetime flight miles.
Which AAdvantage status do American Airlines Million Milers get?
Historically, the American Airlines Million Miler program offered just two tiers: Lifetime AAdvantage Gold (at one million miles) and Lifetime AAdvantage Platinum (at two million miles). That was just expanded as of February 20, 2025 to include the following levels:
| Number of Million Miler Miles earned | Lifetime AAdvantage Status |
|---|---|
| 1,000,000 | AA Gold |
| 2,000,000 | AA Platinum |
| 4,000,000 | AA Platinum Pro |
| 5,000,000 | AA Executive Platinum |
If you have already reached 4 or 5 million miles, you should now see your newly granted Million Miler status.
Keep in mind that earning lifetime Platinum status with American will unlock Oneworld Sapphire for life. This provides reciprocal benefits on other Oneworld carriers, as well as access to Oneworld lounges when flying on Oneworld airlines. The Oneworld Ruby status you'd get from earning AAdvantage Gold for life includes benefits such as priority check-in, priority boarding, and a checked bag on many Oneworld flights.
Other Perks of Earning American Airlines Million Miler Status
In addition to lifetime AAdvantage status with American Airlines, Million Milers also receive another benefit at each level:
- 1 million lifetime miles: 35,000 bonus AAdvantage miles.
- 2 million lifetime miles: 4 systemwide upgrades.
- Each additional million miles: 4 systemwide upgrades.
Systemwide upgrades entitle the member to a confirmed upgrade on up to three segments on a one-way itinerary — as long as there's availability. The upgrades are now valid through the end of the membership year earned.
Is Million Miler status worth it?
Whether Million Miler status is worth it depends on how often you fly with American Airlines. The long-term perks can be valuable if you're already a frequent traveler accumulating miles organically. However, compared to United and Delta’s Million Miler programs, the benefits are relatively underwhelming.
American Airlines Millon Miler program expanded this year with the addition of two more levels, but it still doesn't have nearly as many perks as the other similar programs. AA Million Milers are only granted base-level AA Gold as a starting point. You also don't receive any systemwide upgrades until 2 million miles, and it doesn't include any companion benefit like United's Million Miler status does.
But perhaps most strikingly, Delta, United, and now Alaska offer top-tier status at 3 million lifetime miles. With American Airlines, you'll need to earn 5 million lifetime miles before unlocking top-tier status.
| Lifetime Mileage Earnings | American | Delta | United | Alaska |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000,000 miles | Lowest tier (Gold) | Second tier (Gold) | Second tier (Gold) | Second tier (MVP Gold) |
| 2,000,000 miles | Second tier (Platinum) | Third tier (Platinum) | Third tier (Platinum) | Third tier (Platinum) |
| 3,000,000 miles | " " | Top tier (Diamond) | Top tier (1K) | Top tier (MVP Gold 100K) |
| 4,000,000 miles | Third tier (Platinum Pro) | " " | Invitation-only (Global Services) | " " |
| 5,000,000 miles | Top tier (Executive Platinum) | Invitation-only (360°) | " " | " " |
The benefits at each Million Miler level are identical to those you’d receive if you earned the status through regular annual qualification. However, you won't earn valuable perks like systemwide upgrades or bonus miles through the Loyalty Point Rewards program unless you actually meet those Loyalty Point requirements each year.
Certainly, this isn’t a status that would be worth chasing for the casual American Airlines flyer, given the serious commitment you’d have to have to accumulate over one million flown miles.
Bottom Line
Despite this week's expansion of the American Airlines Million Miler program, it doesn’t offer the same long-term value as similar programs from United or Delta. Unless you’re already racking up lifetime miles with American, there’s little incentive to chase American Airlines Million Miler status vs. another program's status.
You're likely better off focusing on annual elite status qualification or diversifying your loyalty across multiple airlines. Of course, for frequent flyers who naturally accumulate a high number of miles with American Airlines, having elite benefits that don’t expire each year is definitely a valuable perk.
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
