If you happen to fly with American Airways and its companions, you might have — or be focused on incomes — American Airways elite standing.

In early 2022, American AAdvantage revamped the way you earn American elite standing. Loyalty Factors are the only real metric you have to concentrate on when striving for a particular American Airways AAdvantage elite standing tier. This is what you might want to learn about American Airways elite standing and easy methods to earn it.

In contrast to airline loyalty applications wherein flying is the first exercise wanted to earn standing, American AAdvantage helps you to earn Loyalty Factors towards elite standing via many actions unrelated to journey, together with on-line buying, eating and spending on cobranded American Airways bank cards.

You’ll be able to earn completely different American Airways elite standing tiers by accumulating set quantities of Loyalty Factors every elite-qualification 12 months, which runs for 12 months from March 1 via the tip of February. The standing you’ve got earned based mostly on the Loyalty Factors accrued by the tip of every February will probably be legitimate via the tip of the next March. Then, your Loyalty Factors stability resets and you’ve got 12 extra months to earn Loyalty Factors and requalify for standing.

Associated: Final-minute methods for incomes American AAdvantage elite standing

Along with these tiers, there’s additionally the unique, invite-only Concierge Key standing. Nonetheless, American AAdvantage does not publish any particular necessities for this standing.

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You will additionally earn Loyalty Level Rewards as you attain particular Loyalty Level thresholds. You will earn your first Loyalty Level Rewards selection after incomes simply 15,000 Loyalty Factors inside the 12-month qualification interval following March 1.

Associated: Your information to American Airways lifetime elite standing

Learn how to qualify for American Airways elite standing

To qualify for American Airways elite standing, you have to earn the required variety of Loyalty Factors throughout every 12-month qualification interval following March 1. As mentioned above, you may have to earn 40,000 Loyalty Factors for Gold standing, 75,000 for Platinum, 125,000 for Platinum Professional and 200,000 for Govt Platinum.

We now have a full information to incomes Loyalty Factors. However, in brief, you possibly can earn two sorts of American Airways miles: base and bonus. And whereas each base and bonus miles are redeemable, base miles additionally offer you Loyalty Factors. So, every time you earn a base mile with American AAdvantage, you may additionally earn a Loyalty Level.

You’ll be able to earn American AAdvantage base miles via many alternative actions. This is a non-comprehensive listing of some methods you possibly can earn base miles (and therefore Loyalty Factors):

• Flights bought by American Airways, British Airways and Iberia: Earn base miles based mostly in your ticket’s base fare and carrier-imposed charges.
• Flights bought and operated by different American AAdvantage companions: Earn base miles based mostly on flight distance and the fare class of your ticket.
• AAdvantage eShopping portal: Earn base miles once you click on via the AAdvantage eShopping portal earlier than making purchases with choose retailers.
• SimplyMiles: Earn base miles once you enroll in SimplyMiles affords with collaborating retailers after which make eligible purchases.
• AAdvantage Eating: Earn base miles once you use an enrolled card to pay at collaborating AAdvantage Eating eating places, bars and golf equipment.
• Rocketmiles and AAdvantage Inns: Earn base miles once you ebook inns via AAdvantage Inns or Rocketmiles.

There are numerous different methods to earn American Airways miles. Nonetheless, verify whether or not you are incomes base or bonus miles earlier than you get too enthusiastic about what number of Loyalty Factors you may earn. Bask Financial institution mileage accounts are one instance of an exercise that earns solely bonus miles — and therefore no Loyalty Factors.

Associated: Instances you will not earn American Airways Loyalty Factors, even should you earn miles

American Airways elite standing advantages

American Airways elite standing comes with some worthwhile advantages. This is a have a look at a few of the most noteworthy advantages, together with how they differ by standing tier.

Upgrades and higher seats

American Airways elite members get complimentary upgrades from Important Cabin to the following class of service on choose American-marketed and -operated flights. These upgrades are limitless and robotically requested however are based mostly on availability and solely apply to flights inside the U.S. and between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Central America. The upgrades embrace award tickets and may apply to a companion touring with you on the identical flight.

Nonetheless, members with completely different American Airways elite standing tiers can affirm these complimentary upgrades at completely different instances. Govt Platinum members could have their complimentary improve cleared as early as 100 hours earlier than departure, Platinum Professional members as early as 72 hours, Platinum members as early as 48 hours and Gold members as early as 24 hours.

American Airways prioritizes upgrades — together with complimentary upgrades, mileage award upgrades and systemwide upgrades — within the following order:

• AAdvantage standing stage (Govt Platinum, Platinum Professional, Platinum after which Gold)
• Sort of improve (dealt with independently till on the airport, the place systemwide upgrades and mileage award upgrades come earlier than complimentary upgrades)
• 12-month rolling Loyalty Factors (up to date every day)
• Reserving code (W, P, Y, H, Okay, M, L, V, G, S, N, Q, O after which T)
• Date and time of the request

Members with American Airways elite standing — and as much as eight passengers touring with you on the identical reservation — can choose Most popular seats with none further charges throughout reserving or anytime after reserving (based mostly on availability). Most popular seats have normal legroom however are positioned in additional fascinating areas all through the economic system cabin.

Important Cabin Additional seats with as much as 6 inches of extra legroom are additionally out there to AAdvantage elite members totally free (based mostly on availability). Nonetheless, AAdvantage Gold members should wait till 24 hours earlier than check-in to pick out these seats freed from cost (if out there).

Mileage bonuses

American Airways elite members get a mileage bonus when flying on American Airways, Alaska Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Gol Airways, Iberia, Japan Airways, Malaysia Airways, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc and Royal Jordanian.

The bonus is calculated based mostly on the bottom miles earned on the flight, with completely different elite tiers incomes the mileage bonus as follows:

• Gold: 40%
• Platinum: 60%
• Platinum Professional: 80%
• Govt Platinum: 120%

The mileage bonus is handled as base miles, so you may additionally earn Loyalty Factors. As such, it is simpler for higher-tier AAdvantage elite members to qualify for a particular American Airways elite standing tier based mostly on flights than a traveler with lower-tier standing or no AAdvantage standing.

Advantages on the airport

AAdvantage elite members take pleasure in — when out there — Precedence entry at check-in, safety and boarding. Particularly, Govt Platinum members board in Group 1, Platinum Professional in Group 2, Platinum in Group 3 and Gold in Group 4. Boarding with any of those teams often means there’s nonetheless house within the overhead bin in your carry-on suitcase.

Elite members additionally get precedence when standing by for a special flight on the identical day of journey when flying to or from america, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Govt Platinum and Platinum Professional members can take pleasure in complimentary same-day flight adjustments on American when flying to or from america, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Canada and choose locations within the Caribbean.

AAdvantage elites additionally take pleasure in complimentary checked luggage: Gold members get one checked bag, Platinum members get two checked luggage and Platinum Professional and Govt Platinum members get three checked luggage. Plus, Platinum, Platinum Professional and Govt Platinum members and others on the identical reservation get their checked luggage tagged as Precedence, which implies their luggage needs to be among the many first to achieve the declare belt.

As well as, your free checked baggage allowance relies on the upper of their standing at reserving or check-in. In different phrases, should you ebook a flight after which lose your standing (or drop to a decrease tier) by your check-in date, you may nonetheless obtain the allowance of your standing at reserving. Likewise, should you ebook a flight after which attain a better tier of standing, you may benefit from the larger baggage allowance.

Different advantages

American Airways elite standing affords quite a lot of different perks, together with the next:

• Perks on Alaska Airways: Complimentary space-available upgrades, higher seats and extra
• Oneworld standing: Gold will get Oneworld Ruby, Platinum will get Sapphire, and Platinum Professional and Govt Platinum get Emerald
• Earn American miles on Hyatt stays: AAdvantage elite members earn 1 base mile per greenback spent on eligible Hyatt stays
• Govt Platinum perks in Important Cabin: Govt Platinum members touring within the Important Cabin can take pleasure in a complimentary alcoholic beverage and a snack on American Airways flights with full drink service

Loyalty Level Rewards

Lastly, though Loyalty Level Rewards aren’t tied to American Airways elite standing, they’re tied to particular Loyalty Level milestones that you will inherently meet as you progress towards AAdvantage elite standing. This is a have a look at the Loyalty Level Rewards you may select as you progress towards the 200,000 Loyalty Factors required for Govt Platinum standing:

• 15,000 Loyalty Factors: Group 5 boarding for the membership 12 months plus a selection of Precedence privileges and Group 4 boarding for one journey or 5 Most popular seat coupons. Beginning with the brand new qualification 12 months on March 1, 2024, 1,000 Loyalty Factors can even be a selection.
• 60,000 Loyalty Factors: Avis Most popular Plus standing and a 20% Loyalty Level bonus with choose companions for six months.
• 100,000 Loyalty Factors: Avis President’s Membership standing and a 30% Loyalty Level bonus with choose companions for six months.
• 175,000 Loyalty Factors: A selection of two systemwide upgrades, 20,000 bonus miles (25,000 you probably have an AAdvantage bank card), six Admirals Membership one-day passes, a $200 journey credit score ($250 you probably have an AAdvantage bank card), carbon offset, $250 donation to pick out nonprofit group, 15% award rebate (not supplied in new qualification 12 months beginning March 1, 2024), two items of AAdvantage Gold standing or 35,000 AAdvantage miles towards a Mastercard Priceless Expertise (solely out there you probably have an AAdvantage bank card). Beginning with the brand new qualification 12 months on March 1, 2024, 5,000 Loyalty Factors can even be a selection.

Keep in mind that you have to accrue all these Loyalty Factors inside the 12-month qualification interval following March 1. However, for many who haven’t any points incomes Loyalty Factors, there are additionally extra Loyalty Level Rewards you possibly can earn at larger milestones. Try the AAdvantage Loyalty Level Rewards web page for extra particulars on these high-threshold tiers.

Having a cobranded American Airways bank card is extraordinarily useful if you wish to earn American Airways elite standing. Though the sign-up and class bonuses present bonus miles — which will not offer you Loyalty Factors — you may earn 1 Loyalty Level per greenback spent with most AAdvantage bank cards. This implies you possibly can enhance your Loyalty Level stability as you utilize your card for purchases and even qualify for American elite standing from bank card spending alone.

This is a have a look at a few of the presently out there American Airways bank cards:

If you happen to worth getting Admirals Membership entry, the Citi / AAdvantage Govt World Elite Mastercard is a superb selection. However I just like the Barclay AAdvantage Aviator Silver Mastercard — which I obtained by upgrading my AAdvantage Aviator Pink Mastercard — because it offers me as much as $25 per day in assertion credit towards meals and drinks bought on American-operated flights and lets me earn as much as 15,000 extra Loyalty Factors after I meet particular spending thresholds inside my standing qualification interval.

The data for the AAdvantage MileUp, Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Choose, CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Choose, Aviator Pink and Aviator Silver playing cards has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.

Associated: American Airways bank card spending now earns Loyalty Factors based mostly on buy date

Is American Airways elite standing price it?

American Airways elite standing is price it for some vacationers. For instance, I’ve valued having Govt Platinum standing since 2016 because of the home upgrades, waived checked bag charges, Precedence check-in strains, systemwide upgrades and Oneworld Emerald standing it offers. However, after struggling to earn Loyalty Factors and reconsidering what I worth in American Airways elite standing, this qualification interval I am going to probably solely requalify for Platinum Professional. In brief, I made a decision the incremental worth of Govt Platinum over Platinum Professional did not justify the additional prices I would incur to earn the upper standing.

It is vital to contemplate how a lot you may use your AAdvantage perks and the price of incomes American Airways standing. If you happen to’ll organically earn American Airways standing via flights, then it is probably price incomes. However should you’ll should earn a big variety of Loyalty Factors via different means, corresponding to utilizing the AAdvantage eShopping portal or spending on an AAdvantage bank card, there’s a possibility price to doing so. In any case, you may earn extra worthwhile rewards on one other bank card or via one other on-line buying portal for some purchases.

Lastly, should you’ll solely use your American Airways elite standing perks sometimes or solely want a particular perk, think about whether or not you may get what you search via reserving premium-cabin fares or getting a bank card that gives perks corresponding to lounge entry, most well-liked boarding and your first checked bag free on home itineraries. The Citi / AAdvantage Govt World Elite Mastercard (see charges and charges) is an efficient possibility for Admirals Membership entry, whereas the AAdvantage Aviator Pink Mastercard and Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Choose World Elite Mastercard present a primary checked bag free on home flights.