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Ever wondered how you can get those cushy upgrades and other perks from American Airlines AAdvantage elite status? There's more to it than just seat upgrades, so let's look at what the perks are, how you earn them, and the various status levels within AA's loyalty program.
Imagine this:
- Instead of shuffling through a 30-minute security line, breeze through with priority security screening.
- Rather than struggling to find a seat at the gate, grab a snack and a comfy chair in the Admirals Club.
- Instead of talking your way out of a middle seat, spread out in first-class, thanks to a complimentary upgrade.
In this guide to American Airlines AAdvantage elite status, we're walking you through everything you need to know to enhance your travel experiences on American Airlines. There are four tiers in AAdvantage elite status, and we'll walk you through what they are, the different requirements, and the different perks they offer.
Page Contents
Getting Started
American Airlines' frequent flyer program is called AAdvantage. Founded in 1981, it's the second-oldest airline loyalty program in the world — and the oldest that you've probably heard about.
The first step to earning elite status is to sign up for a free AAdvantage account and get an AAdvantage number. American Airlines uses this number to track your flights and purchases to award “miles” for each. You'll also earn Loyalty Points on qualifying activities — more on those later. The more you fly and the more money you spend, the higher you can ascend in the AAdvantage program.
Glossary of Terms
There are some terms we will use a lot in this article, so it's best to know what they are from the start.
- AAdvantage miles: These are redeemable miles earned on qualifying flights and purchases with partners. You can use (redeem) them for all kinds of things — including award flights, seat upgrades, and lounge memberships. Having a ton of these doesn't necessarily mean you've earned any status level since you could get a bunch of these from a credit card sign-up bonus, even though that doesn't count toward status.
- Miles Flown: These refer to the number of miles flown during a flight. This term is important for Million Mile progress and mileage earnings on most partners.
- Loyalty Points: This is the new metric that determines everything with American Airlines AAdvantage elite status.
Related: Your Complete Guide to American Airlines AAdvantage Loyalty Points
AAdvantage Elite Status Qualification
Prior to 2022, you had to keep track of 3 metrics to earn elite status with American Airlines AAdvantage: Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM), Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQD) and Elite Qualifying Segments (EQS). Now, the program has simplified earning elite status to just one metric. Everything about how you earn your status is based on Loyalty Points.
You will earn Loyalty Points and need to pass the following thresholds for status:
- Gold: 40,000 Loyalty Points (a 10,000 increase effective March 1, 2023)
- Platinum: 75,000 Loyalty Points
- Platinum Pro: 125,000 Loyalty Points
- Executive Platinum: 200,000 Loyalty Points
Earning Loyalty Points
We have an entire guide to earning Loyalty Points. But, as an overview, you earn Loyalty Points from the following activities:
- Flying with American Airlines or Oneworld partners
- Flying with select partners outside of this alliance, such as JetBlue and Etihad.
- AAvacations.com bookings
- BookAAcruises.com bookings
- Staying at partner hotels
- Renting a car from preferred partners
- Online shopping portals
- Participating in the American Airlines Dining program
- Spending money on American Airlines credit cards
Basic Economy fares
Previously, AAdvantage members earned a base of 5 miles (and Loyalty Points) per dollar spent on all paid flights — plus elite bonuses depending on status. However, as of March 1, 2023, AAdvantage members will earn just two miles per dollar spent on basic economy fares — instead of 5x miles.
If you have AAdvantage elite status, you'll receive a mileage bonus on top of the 2x miles.
Elite status timelines
There are two timelines to be aware of when earning American Airlines AAdvantage elite status:
- Qualification period — which runs from March 1 through the end of February of the following year.
- Membership period — effectively the period in which you enjoy the status you've earned. The membership period starts the day you qualify and runs through the next calendar year and all the way to March 31 of the year after that.
Since that can be confusing, here are some examples:
- A member earns 75,000 Loyalty Points during the qualification period from March 1, 2023, to February 29, 2024. That member will earn Platinum status until March 31, 2025. From March 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025, this member would need to requalify for status for the ensuing year.
- In the following qualification period (March 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025), this person only qualifies for Gold status. The former Platinum status will change down to Gold status on April 1, 2025, and that status will be valid until the end of the membership period (March 31, 2026).
AAdvantage Elite Status Benefits
As you might expect, the higher the elite status tier, the better the benefits. Here's a chart summarizing some of the best perks for each status tier:
| Upgrades | Upgrade Window | Complimentary Main Cabin Extra & Preferred Seats | Complimentary Baggage | Elite Mileage Earning Bonus | Other Notable Benefits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Complimentary auto-requested upgrades on all American Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights within North America. | 24-hour | •Complimentary M.C.E. at check-in •Complimentary Preferred Seats | 1 free checked bag | 40% | |
| Platinum | Complimentary auto-requested upgrades on all American Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights within North America. | 48-hour | Complimentary M.C.E. and Preferred Seats | 2 free checked bags | 60% | |
| Platinum Pro | Complimentary auto-requested upgrades on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines within North America. | 72-hour | Complimentary M.C.E. and Preferred Seats | 3 free checked bags | 80% | •Complimentary same-day flight change |
| Executive Platinum | Complimentary auto-requested upgrades on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines within North America - including American Airlines award flights. | 100-hour | Complimentary M.C.E. and Preferred Seats | 3 free checked bags | 120% | •Complimentary same-day flight change •Complimentary upgrades on award tickets |
First-class upgrades
Complimentary seat upgrades are by far the best benefit of American Airlines AAdvantage elite status. Whenever a premium cabin has empty seats, American Airlines uses a system of status and seniority to upgrade AAdvantage elite members to fill them.
The primary way AA determines which passenger gets an upgrade is by their elite status tier. The higher your elite status, the higher you'll appear on the upgrade list. When there are multiple passengers with the same tier level, American Airlines first prioritizes travelers on paid flights, then those traveling on awards. The final tiebreaker is the number of Loyalty Points earned over the past 12 months.
Airport upgrades are automatic. Gate agents do not need to clear them manually, and the upgrade process is completed by the computer 40 minutes before take-off. That means upgrades should be complete before boarding begins.
Members with any level of AAdvantage elite status receive complimentary upgrades on all flights within North America. Previously, Gold and Platinum elites needed to use 500-mile upgrade certificates for themselves and their companions. However, American Airlines phased out the 500-mile upgrade certificates. Now, all AAdvantage elites are eligible for complimentary upgrades. Up to one travel companion on your same reservation will upgrade with you if your upgrade is approved.
AAdvantage benefits on Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines joined Oneworld in 2021 and has a close partnership with American Airlines. Through this partnership, they both offer reciprocal elite status benefits, including upgrades to first class. You can expect similar benefits flying on Alaska Airlines that you would receive flying American Airlines.
Systemwide Upgrades (SWUs)
Upon reaching set Loyalty Point thresholds — now starting at 175,000 Loyalty Points — AAdvantage members can choose Systemwide Upgrades as a reward. These can be used to upgrade one cabin class on a one-way itinerary (three segments max) operated by American Airlines. Even better, you can apply these to anyone you like — even if you're not flying with them!
For example, say you book a one-way economy ticket from Phoenix (PHX) to London (LHR) via Dallas (DFW). If upgrade space is available, you can immediately upgrade your class of service to business class for both segments. This would require just one systemwide upgrade since it has only 2 segments on one ticket.
The one downside is that SWUs don't last forever. Once they are issued, they're valid for one year. That means it could make sense to hold off on choosing them as your Loyalty Point Reward until you know you can use them.
Ultra-Frequent Flyers
The rewards don't stop once you've reached Executive Platinum status. AA has a few tricks up its sleeve to continue rewarding your loyalty for reaching Executive Platinum status with 200,000 Loyalty Points and beyond.
Loyalty Point Rewards
On March 1, 2023, American Airlines replaced its Loyalty Choice Rewards with Loyalty Point Rewards and no longer requires AAdvantage members to fly any segments to earn benefits. You can now earn American Airlines without setting foot on a plane.
At 15,000 Loyalty Points, you will earn a Loyalty Point Reward. As the name implies, there are rewards you get to choose from. These range from bonus miles to Systemwide Upgrades, American Airlines vouchers to lounge memberships, and headphones to charity donations.
| Loyalty Point Threshold | Guaranteed Benefits | Benefits Choice |
|---|---|---|
| 15,000 | Group 5 boarding | Choice of one: |
| 40,000 | AAdvantage Gold | |
| 60,000 | ||
| 75,000 | AAdvantage Platinum | |
| 100,000 | ||
| 125,000 | AAdvantage Platinum Pro | |
| 175,000 | Choice of one: | |
| 200,000 | AAdvantage Executive Platinum | |
| 250,000 | Choice of one: Or choice of two: | |
| 400,000 | Choice of one: Or choice of two: | |
| 550,000 | Choice of one: Or choice of two: | |
| 750,000 | Choice of one: Or choice of two: | |
| 1,000,000 | Choice of one: | |
| 3,000,000 | Choice of one: | |
| 5,000,000 | Choice of one: |
AAdvantage Million Miler program
The Million Miler program is designed to award extended benefits to anyone who's been flying long enough to accumulate one million miles flown. For this, AA bases mileage earned towards Million Miler status on distance flown on AA-marketed flights (butt-in-seat miles) and base miles earned on qualifying partner flights.
Here's what you can expect when reaching these beautifully round numbers:
- 1,000,000 miles — AAdvantage Gold status for the lifetime of the account and 35,000 bonus award miles
- 2,000,000 miles — AAdvantage Platinum status for the lifetime of the account and four Systemwide Upgrades
- Each additional 1,000,000 miles — Four additional Systemwide Upgrades
It's worth noting that you do not “start here” if you want to move to a higher status. If you're a million miler with Gold status for life, that doesn't reduce the number of Loyalty Points needed to earn Platinum status. You will still need to earn 75,000 Loyalty Points to qualify for Platinum status — the same way as everyone else.
AAdvantage Concierge Key
There exists an elite status tier even higher than AAdvantage Executive Platinum. This status is called Concierge Key, and it's invite-only. Nobody really knows the metrics required to procure an invite. However, many reports indicate that it typically entails spending upwards of $50,000 with American Airlines annually.
As you'd expect, this status comes with even better benefits. For instance, AA has been known to give Concierge Key members with tight connections plane-to-plane transfers in a Cadillac. Additionally, they receive complimentary upgrades up to 120 hours before departure, complimentary Admirals Club Access, access to the exclusive Chelsea Lounge in JFK, and access to Flagship First check-in. In short, American Airlines rolls out the red carpet for these most-loyal travelers.
AAdvantage Elite Status When Flying Oneworld Partners
Each tier of American Airlines AAdvantage elite status coincides with the respective status with Oneworld:
- Gold — Oneworld Ruby
- Platinum — Oneworld Sapphire
- Platinum Pro — Oneworld Emerald
- Executive Platinum — Oneworld Emerald
Oneworld status entitles you to benefits when flying with Oneworld partners. Ruby members receive priority check-in and standby, plus preferred seats, while Sapphire members receive priority boarding and lounge access, extra checked baggage, and priority baggage handling.
Naturally, Oneworld Emerald elites receive the best benefits — including priority lines at security checkpoints, priority boarding, and first-class lounge access.
Shortcuts to AAdvantage Elite Status
What if you have elite status with another airline and want to switch your loyalty to American Airlines AAdvantage? Well, I've got good news and bad news.
Let's start with the bad news. Unlike Delta and Southwest, AA doesn't offer direct status matches for elite members from other airlines. So, even if you're a Delta Diamond or United Premier 1K, AA won't offer you a free match to AAdvantage Executive Platinum.
Instant Status Pass
The good news, however, is that AA does offer its Instant Status Pass program.
By logging into your AA account and checking your promotions section, you can see if you have been targeted. You can also call the AA call center (888-697-5636 or 800-882-8880) to find out if you have been targeted and register for the promotion. When calling, note that some travelers report needing to pay to enroll in an AAdvantage Instant Status Pass.
Once you start, you'll need to meet set Loyalty Point thresholds every four months to keep your status. If you meet the threshold for three four-month periods in a row, you keep that status for the reminder of the membership year.
With a little bit of planning, Instant Status Pass can be an easier way to earn AA status than the traditional method.
Free status offers / challenges
An even easier way to earn American Airlines AAdvantage elite status is to wait for them to give it to you! Ok… you could be in for a VERY long wait. But, American Airlines has been known to periodically offer free elite status.
For example, AwardWallet's Patrick received one such offer for AAdvantage Platinum status — without any fees or strings attached.
This offer included a challenge to extend his status by earning 4,000 Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs, a spending metric in the old loyalty program) within about 100 days. AAdvantage tends to send these offers out in the last few months of the year, so be sure to keep an eye on your inbox.
Elite status buy up
While the Instant Status Pass promotion requires you to complete challenges to keep the status past the initial promotional period, there could be a way to “buy up” elite status. These offers vary by member, and if you go to the American Airlines status page, you can see what your current offer is.
As an AAdvantage Gold member, I was offered the chance to buy up to Platinum Status for $1,349 or 135k AA miles:
The status would be good until March 31, 2024. Since the qualification period had already begun for 2023, I'd need to earn 75,000 Loyalty Points to earn Platinum status the traditional way.
Shortcut to status via Hyatt partnership
We have seen various versions of this partnership and its status shortcut. You can earn elite status with AA if you have status with Hyatt and complete the requirements, which change each time the offer comes around. However, these tend to be much simpler than the standard qualification metrics.
Online shopping portal
If you do any online shopping through the American Airlines eShopping portal, it could help you earn Loyalty Points towards elite status. Any shopping initiated through the portal could earn you extra award miles (these are in addition to any points earned with the card used for shopping).
The AAdvantage eShopping portal has several deals where you can earn thousands of award miles and Loyalty Points that count towards elite status when signing up for different trials like meal delivery services. Just don't forget to cancel the trial after the first week.
Mimic AAdvantage Elite Status With a Credit Card
Many benefits of AAdvantage elite status can be replicated simply by holding the right credit card. No need to pay for status or spend more on flights.
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® (review) offers several elite-style perks for only an annual fee of $99, waived for first 12 months. First, you get one free checked bag for you and up to four traveling companions on every itinerary. Second, your entire travel party gets preferred boarding (Group 5). Third, you get a 25% discount on in-flight food and beverage purchases when you pay with your card.
With these perks, it's easy to justify the annual fee of $99, waived for first 12 months.
- 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 at restaurants
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent at gas stations
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
If you want to take things to the next level, consider the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (review). If there was one card that could fool you into thinking you're an American Airlines VIP, this is it.
Cardholders get priority check-in, priority security screening, priority boarding, one free checked bag for you and up to eight companions, a 25% discount on inflight dining — oh, and a full Admirals Club membership! With so many valuable benefits, it's by far our favorite premium airline credit card.
- Complimentary Admirals Club membership for the primary cardholder
- Admirals Club membership for authorized user accounts
- First checked bag free on domestic AA flights for you and up to 8 companions
- Priority check-in, TSA screening lines, and boarding
- 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points after you spend $40,000 in purchases within the year
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Earn 10X miles for every $1 spent on eligible hotels booked at aa.com/hotels and eligible rental cars booked through aa.com/cars
- Earn 4X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases (increased to 5X miles through the end of the calendar year after you pass $150,000 in purchases annually)
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
Bottom Line
If you find yourself flying AA all the time, you owe it to yourself to look into AAdvantage elite status. No, the requirements aren't easy to achieve. And no, you're not going to have the red carpet rolled out as soon as you reach AAdvantage Gold. But, if you fly often enough, all of the benefits — no matter how small they may seem — can make a huge difference.
Otherwise, if you only fly AA a few times a year, consider applying for an American Airlines co-branded credit card. You'll get several of the same benefits for far less effort and less money invested.
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Thanks for sharing this guide! appreciate the insights.
Now I understand how this works! Thanks
Going from decades as an EXP to realizing I can’t take AA anymore. I’m just “Gold” now which will expire in a few weeks. I’m now redeeming my miles as I have switched loyalty to a different airline. I got a retention rate of $800 to keep Gold. Wow! I also paired up with Marriott (lifetime Platinum elite, but had been Ambassador for as many years) and looks like both are right next to each other at the bottom. Years of being a road warrior and picking the wrong loyalties.
Interesting article
Can we now qualify for lifetime status with bask account miles?
Unfortunately not. Bask Bank only earns AAdvantage miles – not Loyalty Points or Million Miler miles.
Seguramente será más difícil conseguir un upgrade con tantos candidatos nuevos.
Muy interesante el articulo, gracias por ello. Finalmente pude entender el uso de: 500-Mile Upgrade Certificates
En mi opinion el programa es un poco complicado, pienso q mientras mas simple mejor, comprendo q AA quiere dar muchas opciones a los viajeros, sin embargo creo q cae en un esquema complicado de entender q uno ya no sabe cuando y como acumular millas ni como usarlas.
“The start date for a challenge can be backdated up to five days.”
I once did a status challenge and they were able to backtrack it by 7 days. Probably not the norm but I was able to snag Gold this way with a flight paid for by a third party. 😀
Thanks for sharing ur personal data point of actually being able to backtrack 7 days. Perhaps it’s even worth an edit to the article – as in “some AW members have reported backdating as far back as 7 days” – since it’s valuable info to know.
Good idea! I added that to the article.
I was once a platinum on American Airlines and it has many benefits.
Excellent guide and really informative. I managed to get executive platinum via business travel but haven’t managed to get away due to the various restrictions that there’s been in the UK. Hopefully this will soon be over and we’ll be able to get back to travelling.
Congratulations on this great guide. I hope that soon I will become Elite! I see it very possible! Thanks
Great info!
Thanks for sharing
Award Wallet is the best travel app I have ever had, and especially during Covid by far the easiest way to track miles expiration. Just saw that my hundreds of thousands of AAdvantage points expire this summer – American likes to hide this expiry on their website!
American needs but needs to get with the times – and the other major US airlines – and go with no expiration for points; given that we will be in a pandemic for months to come, extending their points expiration to June 2021 is not long enough for customers who are still at high risk for traveling and is a poor way to thank those of us who are over the age of 65 and lifelong American fliers,
I think apart from this article it’s hard to find an up to date article on the AA scheme
I have Executive Platinum status for the first time this year and I appreciate the upgrades. I shouldn’t have any trouble re-qualifying next year except dates are so low that the EQDs are hard to achieve. I might have to pay to upgrade a few times at the end of the year to get the EQDs.
I also have the AAdvatage Executive Card. If you have people you can trust with a credit card, up to 9 authorized users are free and they also get in to the Admirals Club with their cards. My family thought I was awesome when I got them their cards.
Great guide. Maybe one day I’ll become Elite!
American’s Elite program seems to beat United’s.
This is a very explanatory guide. Congratulations on the work. This makes our life better and easier.
But will you actually be able to get any upgrades no that there will be many more folks with status competing for upgrades
I can see this if someone travels AA a lot. If I would hold the Amex Plat card would it be better? Since you can get a known traveler credit and some fees credited, plus they have more lounge options. I know this post is all about AA but I feel the Amex Plat would be better, even if you travel AA a lot?
Interesting! I usually think of the Amex Platinum being a better pair with Delta than American, since it grants SkyClub access when flying Delta. The Amex Platinum does provide Centurion Lounge access in most of AA’s hubs (CLT, DFW, LAX, MIA, JFK, LGA, PHL, PHX), so I definitely see it being a good match for AA flyers. However, it doesn’t provide the elite-like perks (free bags, priority boarding, etc) that the AA cards we highlight in this post.
I don’t fly AA very often. I think it would be easier to qualify and I get a AA co-branded card.
That’s the right move for many. As much as it’s enticing to get elite status, the credit card route to perks is a lot easier and cheaper!
Unfortunately, airlines have effectively closed the mileage run loophole and made earning miles so much more difficult.
I definitely like to get the elite status bonuses but I would not go out of my way to fly their airline just to get them. I dont think I fly enough to enjoy the benefits anyway.
Great guide, interesting to learn a few things I didn’t know re. AAdvantage
I did not know that AA would give away Platinum status on a case by case basis.
Me neither