American Airlines Instant Status Pass: How to Match Your Elite Status to AAdvantage

American Airlines’ Instant Status Pass is one of the more unique status match and challenge offers out there. It gives eligible travelers instant AAdvantage elite status, but with a catch: you need to earn a set number of Loyalty Points every four months (for a full year) to keep it long-term.

You can qualify in two ways — either by matching status from another airline or by contacting American directly as an AAdvantage elite (or even a non-elite) to see if there are any targeted offers available on your account.

Here's everything you need to know about the AA Instant Status Pass.

How to Qualify for the American Airlines Instant Status Pass

If you're interested in getting AAdvantage elite status perks via the Instant Status Pass, there are three primary ways to qualify:

1. Evergreen Status Match: If you hold elite status with Delta, United, Southwest, or JetBlue, you can request an Instant Status Pass by submitting proof of status. And you can click here to apply. This is the offer available when there's not a limited-time one.
2. Targeted Offers: Even if you don’t have elite status with another airline, you may still qualify. Log in to your AAdvantage account, check the Promotions tab, or reach out to American Airlines via chat or phone to see if you have an offer. Keep in mind that most travelers report needing to pay a fee to start an Instant Status Pass this way. The fee is usually around $295 for Gold, $495 for Platinum, $795 for Platinum Pro, or $1,195 for Executive Platinum, although the exact amount can vary.

Credit: Tyler Glatt/AwardWallet

Additional eligibility requirements

The targeted offers have fewer strings attached since American Airlines directly invites eligible members. However, if you secure an Instant Status Pass through a status match, you’ll want to pay attention to the following requirements:

• Your first and last name on your AAdvantage account must match the name on your competitor airline account.
• Members who have registered for this promotion in the last 2 years are not eligible for this offer.
• Only earned elite statuses qualify. Matched, transferred, lifetime, or promotional statuses are not eligible for this offer.
• American Airlines may request additional documentation and has sole discretion in determining your eligibility.
• Submitting fraudulent or forged documentation may result in the termination of your AAdvantage account.
• You can view all the terms and conditions here.

Once you submit your information and documents, you should receive an email from AA within two weeks detailing your new status and requirements. It will also inform you of the date when your status match will end if you don't meet the requirements to maintain the status.

Credit: American Airlines

Which Airline Elite Statuses Match to AAdvantage?

When there isn’t a limited-time offer, American Airlines runs an ongoing status match program. If you hold elite status with Delta, United, JetBlue, or Southwest, you can request an Instant Status Pass at no cost. The chart below shows the AAdvantage tier you can match to based on your current elite status:

One notable omission from the list is Alaska Airlines. Airlines generally avoid offering status matches to competitors within the same alliance, and since Alaska is a Oneworld member, American Airlines does not extend this offer to Atmos Rewards elites.

Credit: Tyler Glatt/AwardWallet

How the Instant Status Pass Works

Once approved for the Instant Status Pass, you instantly receive elite status, as the name implies — but only for four months. To extend it, you must earn a set number of Loyalty Points each phase.

If you meet the requirements, your status extends for another four months with a new Loyalty Points goal. This cycle repeats for three phases (12 months total). And you can track your progress in the AA app or under “Promotions” on the website.

Credit: American Airlines

Related: How to Play the American Airlines Loyalty Points Game to Unlock AAdvantage Elite Status

You can upgrade or downgrade your status during the challenge

One interesting aspect of this offer is that your status isn’t locked in for the full duration of the challenge. You can upgrade or downgrade your status every four months based on how many Loyalty Points you rack up. Here are two possible scenarios:

• If you match to Gold but earn 44,000 Loyalty Points in the first phase, you’ll bump up to Platinum Pro for the next phase.
• If you match to Platinum but only manage 14,000 points in the first phase, you'll drop to Gold for the second phase.

In my experience, I was matched to Platinum status but only earned 14,350 Loyalty Points in my first four months. That meant a downgrade to Gold for the next phase. To keep Gold, I now need 11,650 more points (26,000 total for the year).

Credit: American Airlines

Related: Shortcuts to Airline Elite Status With Status Match or Fast Track Opportunities

Final Thoughts

The Instant Status Pass is a clever way for American Airlines to attract loyal flyers and big spenders. You’ll get elite perks right away, but you have to keep hitting Loyalty Point targets to hold onto them. That makes it more demanding than a typical status challenge.

If you start an Instant Status Pass challenge, make sure to take advantage of all the ways to earn Loyalty Points — which go well beyond just flying.

AwardWallet Tip of The Day

Did you know that you are able to expand the AwardWallet window or zoom out to see the Last Updated column? Easily see the last time AwardWallet checked your balance.
Show me how

Hide image