American Airlines AAdvantage® Complete Guide
Citi is a partner of Travel Freely.
American Airlines’ AAdvantage® program is one of the most flexible and popular frequent flyer programs in the U.S. Whether you’re planning a quick weekend getaway or a bucket-list trip halfway around the world, there are tons of ways to earn and use miles along the way.
Since rolling out Loyalty Points, American has made it easier than ever to earn elite status-not just by flying, but through everyday spending and activity, too.
In this guide, we’ll walk through how to earn and redeem AAdvantage® miles, what each elite status level offers, and why this program continues to be a favorite for travelers looking to stretch their miles further.
Pros and Cons of AAdvantage® Program
Pros
- Loyalty Point flexibility: Earn status from credit card spend, shopping portals, dining, and more.
- Systemwide Upgrades: Those with top-tier elite status can select valuable systemwide upgrades through Loyalty Point Rewards milestones.
- Basic Economy earns status: As long as tickets are sold by American Airlines, even Basic Economy fares now earn Loyalty Points.
- Web Special awards: Dynamic “web specials” often provide great deals on domestic and international routes.
Cons
- Dynamic pricing: No published award chart for American-operated flights. Redemption values vary widely.
- Slightly more limited partner footprint: Fewer partners than some competitors, though the oneworld alliance still provides global reach.
- Status inflation: Earning status can be relatively easy to earn making it harder to secure upgrades due to a more saturated market.
Ways to Earn AAdvantage® Miles and Loyalty Points
Flights on American Airlines
You earn AAdvantage® miles and Loyalty Points based on ticket price (excluding taxes and fees):
- Elite Level Miles Earned per $1 Spent
- Base Member 5x
- Gold 7x
- Platinum 8x
- Platinum Pro 9x
- Executive Platinum 11x
Basic Economy earns Loyalty Points on AA-issued tickets. Partner flights earn miles and Loyalty Points based on distance and class of service — see AA’s partner earnings chart for exact rates.
However, not every ticket will earn redeemable miles. Here are the types of tickets that typically don’t qualify:
- All tickets issued as AAdvantage® awards
- Charter flight tickets
- Companion tickets
- Infant tickets
- Items occupying a purchased seat
- Other free ticket promotions including free or reduced rate tickets
- Tickets purchased through a travel agency where the airline is not disclosed prior to purchase, such as Priceline or Hotwire
- Tickets issued subject to special provisions
- Travel agency/industry reduced rate tickets
It’s worth noting that flights on most non-alliance partners will still earn redeemable miles, meaning you can use them toward free flights. But, they won’t count toward earning elite status through Loyalty Points. We’ll break down how to earn Loyalty Points later in the post.
AAdvantage® Credit Cards
You can earn American Airlines AAdvantage® miles in two main ways: through new-card welcome bonuses and by using your AAdvantage® credit card for everyday purchases. While we love a good welcome bonus (it’s the fastest way to rack up big rewards), everyday spending on these cards usually isn’t the best long-term strategy. Other travel cards often give you better earning rates or more flexible points for daily expenses.
Every dollar you spend on an AAdvantage® credit card earns 1 base mile and 1 Loyalty Point, which helps you move closer to elite status. Just note that welcome bonuses, category multipliers, and promotional bonuses don’t count toward Loyalty Points — only the base miles do.
Current card options include consumer and business cards issued by Citi® and Barclays®:
Consumer Cards:
Business Cards:
Pro Tip: Citi often sends targeted spending or retention offers that can make everyday spend worthwhile for short periods. Otherwise, it’s usually more effective to earn AAdvantage® miles through bonuses and partner activities.
Transfer from Other Programs
Citi ThankYou Points: Premium Citi cards like Citi Strata Premier, Citi Strata Elite Card, Citi Prestige (no longer available), and AT&T Access More card (no longer available) transfer 1:1 to AAdvantage. Your best bet is usually to wait until you find a great flight award before transferring points. One exception: Citi often offers 25% or 30% transfer bonuses to certain programs. If you’re confident that you’ll use the points for good value, it may make sense to transfer points when those bonuses are in effect. And while all qualifying ThankYou points earning cards now transfer to AAdvantage, they typically do so at a rate that is inferior to the Citi Prestige, Citi Strata Premier, Citi Strata Elite and AT&T Access More cards (1:0.7 transfer rate)
The only other option that transfers directly to AAdvantage is Marriott Bonvoy® which transfers 3:1 to AAdvantage.
Everyday Earning (Flight-Free Options)
AAdvantage® offers a long list of non-flight earning opportunities. Unless noted, these typically earn both redeemable miles and Loyalty Points.
Earning Method
- AAdvantage eShopping®: 1 Loyalty Point per mile earned; bonus offers don’t count.
- SimplyMiles (Mastercard offers): Earn miles and Loyalty Point for card-linked purchases.
- AAdvantage Dining®: Dine at participating restaurants to earn rewards.
- Hyatt stays: 1 mile per $1 spent at Hyatt (up to 10,000 miles per year).
- BookAAHotels.com / Rocketmiles: Great for boutique hotel stays.
- Rental Cars via AA.com: Earn both miles and Loyalty Points.
- AAdvantage Vacations & Cruises: Miles + Loyalty Points for bundled bookings.
- Shell Fuel Rewards: Earn miles when fueling up.
- Miles for Opinions: Earn small mile bonuses for taking a survey.
- Bask Bank Savings Account: Earn miles instead of cash interest (no Loyalty Points).
Redeeming AAdvantage® Miles
Booking flights with AAdvantage® miles is straightforward. On AA.com, check “Redeem miles” when searching flights, then use the calendar view to find the lowest-priced dates.
Here are the pros for booking AA flights.
- Low taxes & fees: The taxes and fees on AA award flights are low compared to carriers like British Airways who charge fuel surcharges. These surcharges can cost as much as several hundred dollars per ticket, so if you can avoid paying them, that’s a huge bonus. Who doesn’t love paying less? =)
- Free cancellations/changes: AA allows you to freely cancel your award flight booking and get all of your miles redeposited up until the time of departure. No questions asked! They also don’t charge change fees. Some airlines charge $100+ for these options, so the value plus flexibility of AA miles makes them some of our favorites.
Award Tips
- No change fees: All awards can be changed or cancelled for free.
- Web Specials: Can’t be changed but can be cancelled and points redeposited into your account.
- Partner awards: Still use a fixed partner chart – best value for long-haul business or first class.
Great Redemption Values (2025)
Here are some examples of the best award redemptions available on AA.
- U.S. to Europe in business class: 57.5K miles each way
- U.S. to Japan/Korea in business: 60K miles each way
- U.S. to Indian Subcontinent in business: 70K miles each way
- U.S. to Japan/Korea in first class: 80K miles each way
With American Airlines AAdvantage®, you’ll also have access to some of the world’s best premium cabins, including Qatar Airways Qsuites, Cathay Pacific business class, and Etihad First Class.
Current Partner Airlines (as of 2025)
oneworld Members: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, SriLankan Airlines.
Additional Partners: Air Tahiti Nui, Bangkok Airways, Cape Air, Etihad Airways, Fiji Airways, GOL, Hawaiian Airlines, Oman Air, Seaborne Virgin Islands.
AAdvantage® Elite Status in 2025
How It Works
Elite status is earned entirely through Loyalty Points, based on activity from March 1 to February 28 each year.
Tier Required Loyalty Points
- Gold 40,000
- Platinum 75,000
- Platinum Pro 125,000
- Executive Platinum 200,000
Once achieved, status is valid through the following membership year.
Loyalty Point Rewards (Milestone Benefits)
American has replaced “Elite Choice Rewards” with Loyalty Point Rewards, unlocked at milestone thresholds starting at 15,000 Loyalty Points. These include options like:
- Bonus miles
- Admirals Club® day passes
- Systemwide Upgrades (starting at 175,000 Loyalty Points)
- Elite upgrades and bonus choice bundles
Unlike the old program, no segment requirement applies. Your LP total alone determines which rewards you unlock.
Core Elite Benefits by Tier
Tier Key Benefits
- Gold: 40% mileage bonus, complimentary upgrades on flights ≤500 miles, Main Cabin Extra seats at check-in, 1 free checked bag, oneworld Ruby.
- Platinum: 60% bonus, upgrades on flights ≤500 miles, 2 free checked bags, oneworld Sapphire (business lounge access).
- Platinum Pro: 80% bonus, 3 checked bags, complimentary upgrades, 72-hour upgrade window, oneworld Emerald.
- Executive Platinum: 120% bonus, 3 checked bags, 100-hour upgrade window, unlimited complimentary upgrades on AA/Alaska, top-tier Loyalty Point Rewards eligibility.
Credit Card Options and Strategy
American partners with Citi® and Barclays® to offer a range of consumer and business cards. Each earns miles on purchases and Loyalty Points at a 1:1 ratio for base miles.
As a reminder, welcome bonuses and category bonuses don’t count toward Loyalty Points, but they can be excellent for building your miles balance quickly.
Consumer Cards:
Business Cards:
Final Thoughts
The AAdvantage® program keeps changing, but the basics that make it great are still there: flexible ways to earn miles, lots of airline partners, and some really solid options for business-class travel. It’s a great fit for anyone who wants to build status or travel more comfortably without having to fly all the time.
Want to start earning AAdvantage® miles?
Travel Freely makes it simple to get started. The app helps you find the right AAdvantage® card and keeps track of your welcome bonuses automatically — so you always know what’s next. Just check your CardGenie™ recommendations when you’re ready to see your best options.
(Some of this content originally appeared on The Frequent Miler and has been posted with permission.)
