Originally Posted by
JDiver
Concierge Key and Executive Platinum can upgrade awards with 500 mile e-upgrades. Imo, it’s definitely not worth going to the trouble of earning Gold if you’re going to be flying some award flights. If you like some of the Gold benefits, the more useful ones are easily gained with the proper credit card. See
What are AA ♦️Gold / GLD Benefits? Are they worth it? (Master thd)
I'll voice a dissenting opinion here.
For me, two of the most valuable benefits of my Gold status are:
1) no $75 close-in award-booking fee; and
2) free MCE seats at check-in (and free "Preferred" seats at booking). Both of these are available on award travel; neither is available on Basic Economy fares.
In addition, Gold gets a free checked bag in Economy on
all AA routes, not just domestic ones.
Whether these extras are enough to warrant going for AA Gold is something that only the individual traveler can answer.