Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Airlines and Mileage Programs > American Airlines | AAdvantage
Reload this Page >

AAdvantage Million Miler Program as of Dec 2011 (master thd)

Old Mar 22, 2013, 10:33 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: JDiver
="4"%Revised AAdvantage Million Miler Program Launched 01 Dec 2011 (master thread)

13 Apr 2020: AA announces AAdvantage card spend during 1 May - 31 Dec 2020 counts toward Million Miler status. Link

● May 1, 1981: American introduces AAdvantage®, the first airline loyalty program

● The initial Million Miler balance on 30 Nov 2011 included every AAdvantage mile ever earned in the program; after, only flown (actually base) miles shown below count.

● As of 1 Dec 1, 2011 "Miles earned toward Million Miler status are based on the distance of your flight for travel on American marketed flights or the base miles earned for travel on eligible partner marketed flights.[/hl]." - link

Minimum miles guarantee does not apply to MM program; only actual Base Miles will be counted. Miles flown on airlines only earning Redeemable Miles (not Elite Qualifying) won't count. (N.B. Neither BarclayCard Aviator AAdvantage Citi ExecutiveSM / AAdvantage® World Elite™ MasterCard® credit card miles count for MM status, not even the EQM earned by those making the required spend in one calendar year.)

There have been no changes made to the Million Miler program since 2011 to date, nor any changes announced. Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum will not be added to the program, according to AA spokespersons. (30 Nov 2011).

Q. What does lifetime AAdvantage Platinum and lifetime AAdvantage Gold status mean for me?

A. For the life of the AAdvantage Platinum and Gold programs, you will continue to enjoy the rewards and recognition of that elite level regardless of your annual elite-qualifying activity.

Q. Which miles will count for the AAdvantage Million Miler program?

A. "Miles earned toward Million Miler status are based on the distance of your flight for travel on American marketed flights or the base miles earned for travel on eligible partner marketed flights.” (Literally, “butt in seat” miles flown on qualifying revenue flight.)

Q. How can I track my progress toward reaching AAdvantage Million Miler status?

A. AAdvantage Million Miler activity is displayed in the members' AAdvantage account on aa.com separately from award miles so progress toward reaching this special designation can be easily tracked.
● At 1,000,000 Million Miler miles, AAdvantage members receive lifetime Advantage Gold® status and 35,000 AAdvantage bonus miles

● At 2,000,000) Million Miler miles, AAdvantage members receive lifetime AAdvantage Platinum® status and 4 SWUs / Systemwide Upgrades

● At each additional Million Miler mark, AAdvantage members will receive 4 additional SWUs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Link to aa.com page .

Q. Will AA add Platinum Pro or Executive Platinum to lifetime status levels?

AA spokespeople announced in late 2016 neither status tier is under consideration for lifetime status.

The other active and archived threads discussing the American Airlines AAdvantage Million Miler Program are:

Wiki: Made Lifetime Gold / Platinum with NEW Million Miler Program! (>1 Dec 2011)

ARCHIVE: Made Lifetime Gold / Platinum! million miles - brag etc. (ended 30 Nov 2011)

Million Miles / Million Miler Program ARCHIVE

Older posts have been archived here.


Print Wikipost

AAdvantage Million Miler Program as of Dec 2011 (master thd)

Old Oct 9, 2018, 7:11 am
  #31  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond
Posts: 21,422
Awards do not earn miles toward MM levels.
(nor EQS or EQS or EQM or RDM)........... (I am happy that awards with Hilton get you credit for the number of nights)
mvoight is offline  
Old Oct 9, 2018, 7:16 am
  #32  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
AA Million Miler FAQ:

Which miles will count for the AAdvantage Million Miler program?

Flight distance on American marketed flights or the base miles earned for travel on eligible partner marketed flights will count toward AAdvantage Million Miler status.
Award travel, bonus miles do not count. Only revenue flying counts toward MM status, literally paid “butt in seat” miles.

As has been said, occasionally during IROPS / OSO one can be reticketed in a miles-earning fare category, but that’s a fluke and should never be counted on - and iirc there are a very few reported instances of AA clawing those back.
JDiver is offline  
Old Oct 9, 2018, 7:16 am
  #33  
Hilton Contributor BadgeMarriott Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: WAS
Programs: Free Agent
Posts: 1,751
Originally Posted by JJeffrey
No, of course an award flight doesn't count, and an AA reservations agent is going to have no idea about this kind of question, definitely not worth your time calling.
There's no "of course" about it. Some carriers allow this, many don't. OP did the correct thing and called the airline, who gave him conflicting answers. Hell, AA used to count credit card spend towards MM status, so the rules don't necessarily make sense.
Beltway2A is offline  
Old Oct 9, 2018, 7:24 am
  #34  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond
Posts: 21,422
Originally Posted by bl393
Curious if mileage award flights earn base miles for Million Miler program. Called AA desk twice and got conflicting answers.

Thanks!
Did you ask for AAdvantage Customer Service or were you asking a reservation agent?
I would expect the AAdvantage rep to know. I would not expect the res agent to know.
mvoight is offline  
Old Oct 9, 2018, 7:32 am
  #35  
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Stilllwater OK (SWO)
Programs: AAdvantage ExecPlat, World of Hyatt Globalist, plain "member" of Marriott, IHG, enterprise, etc.
Posts: 1,837
Originally Posted by Beltway2A
There's no "of course" about it. Some carriers allow this, many don't. OP did the correct thing and called the airline, who gave him conflicting answers. Hell, AA used to count credit card spend towards MM status, so the rules don't necessarily make sense.
I was unsure of this until I flew on a award ticket myself.

Sure, back in the day, a mile was a mile was a mile, but nowadays, you have lifetime miles (real miles flown), EQM miles (500 miles for <500 mile flights, or miles flown with some sort of multiplier based on fare code), and miles (based on amount spent on base fare times a multiplier based on elite status) that can be used to book flights. Three systems of 'miles', all with different purposes and rules.

So, I think it is lame to not count award miles toward the lifetime mileage count in the 'new' system. EQM and 'miles' earned for flights can still be zero. Oh well, the whole system is lame considering how very very very much harder it is nowadays for someone to get to 1 million butt in seat paid miles compared to a while ago when everything counted the same. I missed out -- under the old system, I would be 1 MM in about 5-10 years. In the new system, I will be 1 MM in about 40 years (might very well die first), and the award is just gold. From my perspective (mid 30s, only started travelling enough for any elite status just a couple years ago), the whole MM program can burn to the ground and is utterly, completely, 100% worthless.
MarkOK is offline  
Old Oct 9, 2018, 8:17 am
  #36  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: New York
Programs: AA Exp / Marriott Titanium / Hilton Gold / Hyatt Globalist / United Silver
Posts: 958
Is it easier to get to AA 1MM than other airlines given that UA gives Gold at 1MM.

I picked the wrong airline
samwise6222 is offline  
Old Oct 9, 2018, 8:49 am
  #37  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: AAdvantage PP
Posts: 13,913
If award miles do not (and never have) counted towards EQMs and RDMs why would one think they would count towards MM? It took me 2003-2010 to hit 1 million and from 2010 to a couple of months ago to hit 2 million. If one were to fly 250K miles a year (and few fly this kind of mileage) it would take 8 years to hit 2 million. At 100K a year, 20 years. Yes for the person starting out today unless they are an International road warrior for many years to come yes they will probably be older and much more grey by the time they hit 2 mm.
MiamiAirport Formerly NY George is offline  
Old Oct 9, 2018, 9:20 am
  #38  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 9,981
When IRROPS happen on partner airlines booked with AA miles, you do frequently get AA mileage credit by mistake, still.
josephstern is online now  
Old Oct 9, 2018, 10:37 am
  #39  
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Stilllwater OK (SWO)
Programs: AAdvantage ExecPlat, World of Hyatt Globalist, plain "member" of Marriott, IHG, enterprise, etc.
Posts: 1,837
Originally Posted by newyorkgeorge
If award miles do not (and never have) counted towards EQMs and RDMs why would one think they would count towards MM?.
Because since ~2011 the three mileage counts (lifetime, EQM, and miles miles) all are independently scored with different rules anyways. It's like saying if you don't get elite bonuses on EQMs, why would you expect elite bonuses on miles miles? Or any other combination of arguments for why something is done on one mileage count but not the others.

MM is an extremely strict count. No bonuses for status or ticket type, no round up to 500 for short flights. You could say it is purely bis miles, but that isn't true-since bis miles on award tickets don't count either. I think including award ticket bis miles in the MM count makes MORE sense, not less sense. (and of course there are OW partner airline credits which are calculated differently anyways).
MarkOK is offline  
Old Oct 9, 2018, 12:26 pm
  #40  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Austin
Posts: 4,629
Originally Posted by MarkOK
Because since ~2011 the three mileage counts (lifetime, EQM, and miles miles) all are independently scored with different rules anyways. It's like saying if you don't get elite bonuses on EQMs, why would you expect elite bonuses on miles miles? Or any other combination of arguments for why something is done on one mileage count but not the others.

MM is an extremely strict count. No bonuses for status or ticket type, no round up to 500 for short flights. You could say it is purely bis miles, but that isn't true-since bis miles on award tickets don't count either. I think including award ticket bis miles in the MM count makes MORE sense, not less sense. (and of course there are OW partner airline credits which are calculated differently anyways).
AA didn't make the change to make the program to make more sense. It made the changes to limit the number of miles that count so that fewer people would reach the limits. They were successful in achieving their goal.

Although I have no information on this I would still guess that AA will eventually make it even more restrictive.
millionmiler is offline  
Old Oct 9, 2018, 12:52 pm
  #41  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: AAdvantage PP
Posts: 13,913
On an Award ticket you are redeeming miles for travel. Why in the world would AA award MM? When you buy something at 50% off at a department store does the department store credit the entire retail price to an awards program? Or you have buy one, get one free does the department store award you two purchases?

I think if anything MM will ultimately turn into a dollar spend program rather than miles flown.
MiamiAirport Formerly NY George is offline  
Old Oct 9, 2018, 1:22 pm
  #42  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: The FT AA forum, until it no longer wants me.
Programs: CK or bust
Posts: 1,913
Originally Posted by newyorkgeorge
If award miles do not (and never have) counted towards EQMs and RDMs why would one think they would count towards MM? It took me 2003-2010 to hit 1 million and from 2010 to a couple of months ago to hit 2 million. If one were to fly 250K miles a year (and few fly this kind of mileage) it would take 8 years to hit 2 million. At 100K a year, 20 years. Yes for the person starting out today unless they are an International road warrior for many years to come yes they will probably be older and much more grey by the time they hit 2 mm.
And hopefully with a more forward-thinking management team by that time!
enpremiere is offline  
Old Oct 9, 2018, 1:26 pm
  #43  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: The FT AA forum, until it no longer wants me.
Programs: CK or bust
Posts: 1,913
Originally Posted by newyorkgeorge
On an Award ticket you are redeeming miles for travel. Why in the world would AA award MM? When you buy something at 50% off at a department store does the department store credit the entire retail price to an awards program? Or you have buy one, get one free does the department store award you two purchases?

I think if anything MM will ultimately turn into a dollar spend program rather than miles flown.
A very long time ago, IIRC when one redeemed their miles, there was at least one or more FF programs that would actually credit the FF account with a decent sum (something like the Barclay/Citi's 10% back on redemptions up to 10K in a given year) with the thought that if you were cashing out, by not having to start from scratch there was incentive to continue accruing with them going forward. This was well before my time so someone wiser and with better memory will surely know more and aside from the Citi/Barclay program, I'm not aware that this has existed for many many many years.
enpremiere is offline  
Old Oct 9, 2018, 1:46 pm
  #44  
Hilton Contributor BadgeMarriott Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: WAS
Programs: Free Agent
Posts: 1,751
Originally Posted by enpremiere
A very long time ago, IIRC when one redeemed their miles, there was at least one or more FF programs that would actually credit the FF account with a decent sum (something like the Barclay/Citi's 10% back on redemptions up to 10K in a given year) with the thought that if you were cashing out, by not having to start from scratch there was incentive to continue accruing with them going forward. This was well before my time so someone wiser and with better memory will surely know more and aside from the Citi/Barclay program, I'm not aware that this has existed for many many many years.
NH is an example of an airline that currently awards MM credit to flight taken on their metal, even awards booked through partners. And you can claim it retroactively.

The people acting as if earning MM credit for award flights is some kind of insanity, but accruing 1MM+ status solely through Citibank credit card spend is totally normal, are acting a tad silly.
Beltway2A is offline  
Old Oct 9, 2018, 1:48 pm
  #45  
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Stilllwater OK (SWO)
Programs: AAdvantage ExecPlat, World of Hyatt Globalist, plain "member" of Marriott, IHG, enterprise, etc.
Posts: 1,837
Originally Posted by newyorkgeorge
On an Award ticket you are redeeming miles for travel. Why in the world would AA award MM? When you buy something at 50% off at a department store does the department store credit the entire retail price to an awards program? Or you have buy one, get one free does the department store award you two purchases?

I think if anything MM will ultimately turn into a dollar spend program rather than miles flown.
Your argument only makes sense for why it wouldn't count towards EQD spend. And many times a 'buy one get one' deal is actually receipted as two purchases at half off vs. as one purchase.
Also, hotel programs typically credit a free night towards whatever 'night count' they have. I think it makes perfect sense to credit someone's trip towards MM status if the purpose of the MM program is to recognize people that travelled a MMs with the airline. (which yes is a joke, since I would wager the vast majority of MM and 2MM holders have flown quite a bit less than 1 million actual miles because of accruals under the old system)


Originally Posted by millionmiler
AA didn't make the change to make the program to make more sense. It made the changes to limit the number of miles that count so that fewer people would reach the limits. They were successful in achieving their goal.

Although I have no information on this I would still guess that AA will eventually make it even more restrictive.
Yes, but that isn't the point. I am only making the point that this "of course" talk is nonsense. Like you say, the whole program doesn't make sense. 1 M BIS miles is a lot of miles

I think if AA wants a program they should make it fair. Right now, the program only counts BIS miles not associated with award travel but has its rolls probably quite overweighted with people that qualified mostly on non-BIS miles. I think it is ridiculous to only give a lifetime gold status for someone that truly puts a milllion BIS miles on the airline (that is 200 round trip trans con flights; >400 roundtrip flights for us in the midcon or who travel more regionally)

And yes, They should just match the program to their program in a more direct way, but it is hard for me to see how it can be 'more restrictive' considering someone that earns gold with 25,000 miles a year would need to earn that status for 40 years before AA would grant them that lifetime status. Someone could be Exec plat for more than 10 years before being given lifetime gold (these calculations are hand wavy, because it is easier to get 100K EQM than 100,000 miles due to ticket multipliers). The system is a joke in terms of encouraging anyone to stick with AA over the long haul. The mountain is tall and the reward is poor.

Something like this would work:

2M EQM + 200K EQD lifetime ExP (would take a minimal ExecPlat 17-20 years at that level to earn)
1.5M EQM + 150K EQD lifetime PlatPro (would take a minimal PlatPro17-20 years at that level to earn)
1M EQM + 100K EQD Lifetime Plat (would take a minimal Plat 17-20 years at that level to earn)
500,000 EQM + 50K EQD Lifetime Gold (would take a minimal Gold 17-20 years at that level to earn)

Here the mountain is still high, but it is actually somewhat doable.
The current lifetime golds and plats can keep their lifetime status, but at least new members who stick with AA for 17 years at a certain level can keep that status.

Last edited by MarkOK; Oct 9, 2018 at 3:42 pm Reason: minor details/grammar things
MarkOK is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.