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New Elite Qualifying Miles earning

link to AAdvantage program changes for 2016 on aa.com

"You’ll continue to earn EQMs based on the airline and booking class purchased. Plus, Full-fare Economy, Business Class or First Class tickets on American-marketed flights will earn EQMs at a higher rate (up to 2.0 or 3.0 EQMs per flown mile) – getting you to elite status faster." - aa.com

Caveat: other than on American Airlines, discount or deep discount economy fares may be credited with fractional or even no EQM / Elite Qualifying Miles. Read carefully.

Please see this page (link) on aa.com for earning AAdvantage miles flying oneworld and additional airline partners, then read the chart for that airline partner. Be sure to note some fares operated by oneworld and additional partners may earn full, partial or no AA miles (E.g. Cathay Pacific only earns AA miles on H, B and full Y fares in coach; BA and IB fares may earn as few as 0.5 EQ Miles per mile flown as of 1 Feb 2016.)

Link to AAdvantage program update page on aa.com

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Glossary:

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AAdvantage Status Four Annual American Airlines Segment Requirement

*Must fly at least four segments on American Airlines during the qualifying year to receive elite status. no longer a requirement as of 1/1/2027.

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On American Airlines marketed flights: (AA flights operated by AA and AA codeshares)
Exceptions: There are certain airline ticket types that are not eligible for mileage accrual regardless of the booking class. These include, without limitation, the following:

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Earning EQM on AA partner airlines:

The amount of EQMs you earn on partner airlines has changed. Earning rates will vary depending on the marketing airline. On qualifying flights of airlines other than AA marketed flights, the maximum EQM that can be earned is 1.5 EQM per base mile flown.

EQMs may be earned at different rates and with differing fare classes, depending on airline, flown miles and fare class. Not all partner airlines' or their fares earn EQM. See here to partner airlines' miles earning charts link on aa.com.

Some non-oneworld partner airlines award only award / redeemable miles, not EQM (e.g. Etihad, Gulf, Fiji), unless flying them as an AA or QF marketed ("codeshare") flight.

Explore our partner airlines (link)

For example, using BA / British Airways marketed flights operated by oneworld partners including AA, as of 1 Feb 2016:

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AAdvantage Elite minimum mileage guarantee (applies to EQM and RDM)

How is the 500-mile EQM minimum benefit applied for elite members?

If your flight is less than 500 miles we’ll raise the base EQM amount to 500 prior to applying any multipliers, according to the booking code purchased. After applying the multiplier, the number of EQMs awarded could be less than 500. For example, if your flight is 300 miles in length, we will raise the base EQM amount to 500. If the multiplier to be applied is 0.50, you will earn 250 EQMs for the flight.

Elite members will earn at least 500 (250, in reality - see immediately above) miles for flights under 500 miles on American Airlines and American Eagle (including codeshare flights booked as an American Airlines flight number) and participating AAdvantage and oneworld airlines: *LAN includes LAN Airlines, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru. Minima seem to not apply to new Basic Economy fares.

The 500 EQM minimum is what multipliers should be applied to, not actual miles when flown miles are under 500. See:

Earning AA Elite Qualifying Miles / EQM on AA, oneworld, partner airlines 2016.

aa.com: link

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Elite Qualifying (EQM) or Redeemable (RDM)?
To determine if you earn EQM or RDM, read the "Earn miles" statement for each airline:

This will earn EQM:
This will not earn EQM, only RDM:

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oneworld Codeshares Operated by non-oneworld Airlines or Affiliates

Other than flying Qantas (and some Japan Airlines) codeshares / marketed flights, oneworld codeshare flights must be operated by oneworld airlines and their oneworld affiliates to earn miles.

E.g. AA codeshare operated by EY, earn as if flying AA.
E.g. Flying EY, earn Redeemable (not Elite Qualifying) miles.
E.g. BA operated by Bangkok Airways, no AA miles.
E.g. Iberia operated by SN yields no AA miles.
E.g. QF flown by FJ should to earn EQM.

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Examples: (For a flight of 1,000 flown miles)

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NOTES:

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Earn more EQMs via credit card earning

Also, as a Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive card or AAdvantage® Aviator™ Silver MasterCard® credit cardmember, you’ll still earn 10,000 EQMs after you reach your qualifying spend for the year when you use your eligible AAdvantage credit card.

Learn more about the Citi®/AAdvantage® Executive card

Learn more about the AAdvantage® Aviator™ Silver MasterCard®

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CAUTION: To earn status on AA you must fly a minimum of four qualifying segments on an AA marketed or operated flight within the qualifying year. (The exception has been for elite status challenges.)

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