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In December 2023, American Airlines discontinued its Business Extra program in favor of a revamped business rewards program dubbed AAdvantage® Business. The program can provide decent value to business travelers. It offers rewards for both businesses and their employees when booking revenue flights. Recently, American Airlines has made some more improvements to benefit business customers — including a new loyalty tier for businesses themselves!
This guide will cover everything you need to know about the AAdvantage Business program.
Page Contents
What Is the AAdvantage Business Program?
The AAdvantage Business program offers businesses rewards in the form of redeemable miles. Best of all, travelers continue to earn AAdvantage miles as usual — and travelers even earn extra Loyalty Points. Since Loyalty Points are the sole metric for elite status with American Airlines, this setup creates a compelling path for business travelers to climb the status ladder faster.
Who can join AAdvantage Business?
AAdvantage Business is designed for businesses of all sizes, but not every company can apply. The program has outlined the following criteria for participation:
- Have at least five employees.
- Be based in the United States or Canada.
- Have a valid federal tax ID (U.S.) or a business number (Canada). This is a required entry during registration.
- Have at least five (5) active, registered business travelers.
- All business travelers and travel managers must have an AAdvantage account to participate.
Don't qualify? The good news is that you can bypass these requirements by getting the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®.
- Free checked bags for you and up to 4 companions on domestic itineraries
- Priority boarding to help you win the race for overhead bin space
- A 25% discount on inflight food, beverage, and Wi-Fi purchases
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent on cable and satellite providers
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent at gas stations
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent on select telecommunications merchants
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent on car rentals
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
Related: Which Citi American Airlines AAdvantage Credit Card is Right for You?
How to earn miles and Loyalty Points through AAdvantage Business
With AAdvantage Business, travelers and their businesses can earn redeemable miles alongside Loyalty Points based on the amount spent on eligible flights on top of what the business and employee would normally earn through the AAdvantage program.
Here's what businesses and travelers can expect to earn with the program:
The earning structure can be lucrative for businesses, but even more so for business travelers. The ability to earn extra Loyalty Points will quickly increase the rate at which travelers earn American Airlines elite status.
Notice in the graphic that travel booked through the business program would earn the traveler 5 miles and at least 6 Loyalty Points per dollar spent, while the business would also earn at least 1 mile per dollar.
Earn more American miles with the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®
One of the most significant focal points of the new AAdvantage Business program is the increased emphasis on the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®. Businesses are encouraged to hold the card to take full advantage of the program and maximize the potential earnings for both the company and the traveler taking the business trips.
Businesses that hold the Citi AAdvantage Business Card will earn an extra 2 AAdvantage miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, while travelers will earn an extra Loyalty Point.
AA Business travelers who are flying with elite status and with a company that has the Citi AAdvantage Business Card can really rake in the miles and Loyalty Points. Here's what that could look like for a flight totaling $1,000:
What are the minimums for accessing the miles earned?
American Airlines has established a couple of thresholds that companies must meet to access the miles earned, including these qualifications:
- $5,000 in eligible program flown revenue, and
- Five (5) registered, active business travelers
The airline has also noted in the program's terms that qualification will be re-evaluated on a rolling 12-month basis, and mileage balances will be updated monthly.
However, if you hold the Citi AAdvantage Business Card, the thresholds are waived. Your business will receive immediate access to each mile accrued.
Related: Do American Airlines AAdvantage Miles Expire?
Earn Additional Perks After Unlocking AAdvantage Business Select
Launched on July 21, 2025, AAdvantage Business Select is a new elite tier within the AAdvantage Business program. It’s designed for companies that spend $250,000 or more annually on eligible American Airlines travel. Qualifying businesses unlock:
- Up to 4% fare discounts
- Preferred Group 5 boarding
- Immediate access to earned miles for redemption (directly from the business account) or transfer to employees
These are not revolutionary benefits, especially given the spending requirement, but they are still additional perks you will unlock for your continued loyalty to AAdvantage Business.
How to Book Flights Through AAdvantage Business
After you have registered your business, you can book travel with your travel on the AA website or American app by selecting “Business” under travel type. Your company and any registered employees will auto-populate in a drop-down menu.
Business members will now earn Loyalty Points and AAdvantage miles for bookings made through third-party travel agencies as well. To do so, you will need to provide your business account number, listed under settings in your business account profile on the AA website.
In addition, there is also a dedicated phone line for AAdvantage Business members, available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT on weekdays by calling 877-229-8278.
More Changes Are Coming to AAdvantage Business
American Airlines has made it clear that it is serious about earning more business travel dollars, and it continues to refine its AAdvantage Business program. Back in late 2024, we reported that several updates were on the way, including the ability to transfer unused tickets between employees, store corporate credit card details, and book travel directly with miles. So far, only one of these new features is live for companies that qualify for the Select tier: the ability to redeem miles directly from the business account.
Previously, businesses had to transfer miles to an individual employee’s AAdvantage account before booking travel. Now, eligible companies can skip that step entirely, making it quicker and easier for travel managers to book award flights for any team member.
We will continue to monitor the rollout and update this post as more features become available.
Bottom Line
Organizations, especially those with Citi AAdvantage Business Card, can find value in the AAdvantage Business Program, allowing both the company and the traveler to benefit with extra earning potential.
What are your thoughts on the AAdvantage Business program and its changes? Let us know in the comments below.
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