The following rule change has been mentioned in scattered posts across the forum but has not yet had a dedicated thread, and a lot of outdated information continues to be posted, particularly as we approach the end of the status year.
Via a December 7, 2023 email to cardholders (pasted below), AA announced that beginning in 2024, LPs for AA credit card spending will be credited to either the current or next status year
based on the transaction date, rather than the statement closing date. As a practical matter, this means that
LPs from credit card purchases during the month of February will count toward the 2023-2024 status year, irrespective of when the credit card statement closes. Please note that this rule change applies to
all AAdvantage credit cards -- i.e., Barclays or Citi, fee or no annual fee, etc.
The AA email provides an illustrative example of how the rule will be applied for a credit card statement that includes transactions from both February and March. What we don’t know yet is exactly how the new rule will be implemented. The AA email indicates that it may take 8-10 weeks for LPs from February transactions to be reflected correctly in your account, and presumably your elite status if applicable. Perhaps this thread can be used to collect data from FT members as to how and when these LP adjustments are made after March 1.
DECEMBER 6 EMAIL TEXT:
Your journey to AAdvantage® status
As an AAdvantage® credit cardmember, you earn Loyalty Points on everyday purchases, which is a great way to reach AAdvantage® status and Loyalty Point Rewards.
With a few months left in the status qualification year, we wanted to make you aware of a change we’ve made to reaching status with your AAdvantage® credit card.
What has changed?
The Loyalty Points you earn on AAdvantage® credit card* purchases between March 1 and the end of February of the following year count toward the current status qualification year.
This means you can earn Loyalty Points through February 29, 2024, instead of your last statement close date of the qualification year.
What will this look like?
As an example, if your monthly AAdvantage® credit card statement closes on March 5 (which includes purchases posted to your credit card account between February 6 and March 5), all the Loyalty Points earned from purchases made between February 6 through 29 will count toward 2024 status. All Loyalty Points earned between March 1 and 5 count toward the 2025 qualification year.
It may take up to 8 – 10 weeks after March 5 to post to your account, in this example.
What happens on March 1?
The new status qualification year begins and your Loyalty Point balance resets to zero. You can then begin earning toward status from March 1, 2024 – February 28, 2025.
How can I earn Loyalty Points faster as an AAdvantage® credit cardmember?
Along with flying, we recommend engaging with our partners using your AAdvantage® credit card.