Last edit by: JDiver
Earning AA Award ("Redeemable") Miles / RDM earning as of 01 Aug 2016
on American Airlines and its partner airlines
on American Airlines and its partner airlines
Note: Earning RDM / Award Miles changed 1 Aug 2016 -
Award Mile changes: American Airlines announced 1 Aug 2016 they have implemented a revenue-based scheme for earning what American is calling Award Miles (previous AA terms have included "Prize-winning miles", also frequently referred to as Redeemable Miles (RDM) in this forum).
This means miles that can be spent on awards are now earned on the basis of price paid (base fare plus carrier-imposed fees such as fuel surcharges, not including government-imposed fees and taxes such as airport passenger service fees, etc.) times a factor determined by one's status. This change applies only to AA-"marketed" flights -- that is, flights booked with an "A" flight number -- with exceptions described under "Special Fares".
Partner-marketed flights (flights with a flight number other than an "AA" one) continue to earn based on miles. See below. This change applies to all flights flown on or after 1 Aug 2016, regardless of when the ticket was purchased.
Elite Qualifying Miles / EQM are merely mile posts to count for status qualification as of 01 January 2016. NOTE: some airline partner EQM changes occur 1 Aug 2016. See here. These are no longer Redeemable.
Bonus Miles: The earning of Bonus Miles (which are always Award or Redeemable Miles, never Elite Qualifying), has changed as a result of the new system. Cabin service / fare class bonus miles may be earned on flights marketed by AA airline partners; see the mileage earning chart for 1 Aug 2016 for each airline partner on aa.com.
See Earning AA Elite Qualifying Miles / EQM on AA, oneworld, partners 2016 for more about earning EQM.
Link to aa.com page "AAdvantage program updates".
Award Miles (also called Redeemable miles)
Earning as of 01 Aug 2016 and beyond
Earn miles
To earn AAdvantage® miles when you fly on American and American Eagle marketed flights (including flights sold as AA codeshare flights operated by other airlines):
Calculating award miles
For travel beginning August 1, 2016, you'll earn miles based on ticket price (base fare plus carrier-imposed fees, not including government-imposed taxes and fees). The more you spend, and the higher your elite status, the more you'll earn.
Or, as mchensel said in another post, to clarify:
AAdvantage® member – 5 miles for every U.S. dollar*
Gold member – 7 miles/U.S. dollar* (5 miles + 2 miles, 40% bonus)
Platinum member – 8 miles/U.S. dollar* (5 miles + 3 miles, 60% bonus)
Platinum Pro member - 9 miles/U.S. dollar* (5 miles + 4 miles, 80% bonus)
Executive Platinum member – 11 miles/U.S. dollar* (5 miles + 6 miles a 120% bonus)
*dollar spent on basic fare and carrier imposed fees only - not government fees or taxes, ancillary fees such as baggage, upgrade, changes, etc.
NOTE: You can earn a maximum of 75,000 award miles per E-Ticket. Note that a single PNR might have more than one E-Ticket, and various kinds of changes may cause an E-Ticket to be re-issued, which we believe resets the maximum mileage counter.
Earning award miles for travel on most flights marketed by partner airlines is based on a percentage of the flight distance and the fare class purchased. Updated tables were posted 15 Jul 2016 and reflect new award earning rates on partner / fare class combinations.
See here.
Elite bonuses on partners: Earning on flights marketed by Alaska and almost all oneworld partners will also use those same elite status bonus ratios (40%/60%/80%?/120%), as announced by AA on 1 Aug 2016. See here.
Special Fares: AA has specified a set of "Special Fares", which includes AA Vacations. NOTE: Award Miles earning varies for "Special Fares" (e.g. AA Vacations), and the chart for those changes on 11 Jan 2017. See here.
Initial reports have revealed interesting cases which apparently fall under that final "fare isn't disclosed" catch-all, and therefore earn according to the Special Fares mileage-based table:
Again, these reports are few and preliminary. Further data points to confirm or refute these, or to add to the list, are welcome.
Elite Bonuses on Special Fares: The Special Fares page also says, "AAdvantage elite member bonuses will be applied in addition to the percentages shown for award miles." These bonuses are the same as for partner flights.
See the "Special Fares" earning chart (and note the chart for those changes on 11 Jan 2017). See here.
BE SURE to read the FAQs here.
Sample calculation
AAdvantage member flying round-trip on an American marketed flight from Dallas (DFW) to London-Heathrow (LHR) (NOTE: All $ figures are USD / U.S. Dollars)
In the example below, in Costa Rican Colones so used only for illustrative purposes, the airport and countered fees and taxes would be excluded from RDM calculations:
Bonus miles
Bonus (award) Miles are no longer earned as before - see earnings for EQM, A/RDM (and for 2017 EQD) here and from other partner activities such as hotel stays, auto rentals, purchases from AA shopping portal vendors and partners, credit cards, etc.
(NOTE: Bonus miles are Award / Redeemable, not Elite Qualifying, miles)
Earning as of 01 Aug 2016 and beyond
Earn miles
To earn AAdvantage® miles when you fly on American and American Eagle marketed flights (including flights sold as AA codeshare flights operated by other airlines):
- Buy an eligible published fare ticket in an eligible booking code
- Fly an eligible route
- Specific flights, routes or cities that are excluded from earning miles or award travel are listed as exceptions if applicable.
Calculating award miles
For travel beginning August 1, 2016, you'll earn miles based on ticket price (base fare plus carrier-imposed fees, not including government-imposed taxes and fees). The more you spend, and the higher your elite status, the more you'll earn.
- AAdvantage® member – 5 miles for every U.S. dollar
- Gold member – 7 miles/U.S. dollar (40% bonus)
- Platinum member – 8 miles/U.S. dollar (60% bonus)
- Platinum Pro member (New in 2017) - 9 miles/U.S. dollar (80%bonus)
- Executive Platinum member – 11 miles/U.S. dollar (120% bonus)
Or, as mchensel said in another post, to clarify:
AAdvantage® member – 5 miles for every U.S. dollar*
Gold member – 7 miles/U.S. dollar* (5 miles + 2 miles, 40% bonus)
Platinum member – 8 miles/U.S. dollar* (5 miles + 3 miles, 60% bonus)
Platinum Pro member - 9 miles/U.S. dollar* (5 miles + 4 miles, 80% bonus)
Executive Platinum member – 11 miles/U.S. dollar* (5 miles + 6 miles a 120% bonus)
*dollar spent on basic fare and carrier imposed fees only - not government fees or taxes, ancillary fees such as baggage, upgrade, changes, etc.
NOTE: You can earn a maximum of 75,000 award miles per E-Ticket. Note that a single PNR might have more than one E-Ticket, and various kinds of changes may cause an E-Ticket to be re-issued, which we believe resets the maximum mileage counter.
Earning award miles for travel on most flights marketed by partner airlines is based on a percentage of the flight distance and the fare class purchased. Updated tables were posted 15 Jul 2016 and reflect new award earning rates on partner / fare class combinations.
See here.
Elite bonuses on partners: Earning on flights marketed by Alaska and almost all oneworld partners will also use those same elite status bonus ratios (40%/60%/80%?/120%), as announced by AA on 1 Aug 2016. See here.
Special Fares: AA has specified a set of "Special Fares", which includes AA Vacations. NOTE: Award Miles earning varies for "Special Fares" (e.g. AA Vacations), and the chart for those changes on 11 Jan 2017. See here.
Some fares (such as bulk or consolidator fares) earn award miles and Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs) at a modified rate based on a percentage of the distance flown as determined by the booking code.
Special fares are often purchased through a specialized agent, third party or as part of a package including air transportation and lodging.
Examples:
Special fares are often purchased through a specialized agent, third party or as part of a package including air transportation and lodging.
Examples:
- Bulk fares
- Cruise fares
- Consolidator fares
- Discounted or inclusive tour packages
- Vacation packages, including American Airlines Vacations® (AAV) packages
- Other tickets where the fare isn't disclosed, excluding bookings made through priceline.com or hotwire.com where the carrier isn't disclosed before buying
- At least some purchases made with Citi TYPs and the like
- At least some reissues, whether changed beforehand or due to IROPS
Elite Bonuses on Special Fares: The Special Fares page also says, "AAdvantage elite member bonuses will be applied in addition to the percentages shown for award miles." These bonuses are the same as for partner flights.
See the "Special Fares" earning chart (and note the chart for those changes on 11 Jan 2017). See here.
BE SURE to read the FAQs here.
Sample calculation
AAdvantage member flying round-trip on an American marketed flight from Dallas (DFW) to London-Heathrow (LHR) (NOTE: All $ figures are USD / U.S. Dollars)
Code:
Elite status Base fare Carrier imposed fees Miles/USD Award miles earned AAdvantage member $1,436 $458 5 9,470 Gold $1,436 $458 7 13,258 Platinum $1,436 $458 8 15,152 Executive Platinum $1,436 $458 11 20,834
Bonus miles
Bonus (award) Miles are no longer earned as before - see earnings for EQM, A/RDM (and for 2017 EQD) here and from other partner activities such as hotel stays, auto rentals, purchases from AA shopping portal vendors and partners, credit cards, etc.
(NOTE: Bonus miles are Award / Redeemable, not Elite Qualifying, miles)
Certain airline ticket types aren't eligible for mileage accrual regardless of the booking code. These include, without limitation:
- All tickets issued as AAdvantage® awards
- Charter flight tickets
- Companion tickets
- Infant tickets
- Items occupying a purchased seat
- Other free ticket promotions including free or reduced rate tickets
- Tickets purchased through a travel agency where the airline is not disclosed prior to purchase, such as Priceline or Hotwire
- Tickets issued subject to special provisions
- Travel agency/industry reduced rate tickets"
Updated 07 Jan 2017 - JDiver with thanks to spammersarescum
Historical information moved to ARCHIVE thread, link to same renewed. JDiver
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GUIDE: Earning AA Award / Redeemable Miles / RDM on AA, partners 1 Aug 2016
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: MR/SPG LT Titanium, AA LT PLT, UA SLV, Avis PreferredPlus
Posts: 31,008
If you're flying 4 segments, cross-country, for $270, then yes, this is what you earn. AA, along with other majors, now are giving you rewards proportional to the amount you pay them.
On the flip side, my weekly $600+ PIT-PHL round trip will earn me 4,456 miles, instead of the 2,000 I've been earning for the last 2 years.
Reward proportional to spend? Seems relatively fair to me.
I'd say it's worth what you spend in aggregate over the year. I don't lose all elite benefits on a single cheap ticket. Value of loyalty proportional to value of expenditure - again, seems fine IMHO.
On the flip side, my weekly $600+ PIT-PHL round trip will earn me 4,456 miles, instead of the 2,000 I've been earning for the last 2 years.
Reward proportional to spend? Seems relatively fair to me.
I'd say it's worth what you spend in aggregate over the year. I don't lose all elite benefits on a single cheap ticket. Value of loyalty proportional to value of expenditure - again, seems fine IMHO.
#18
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Baltimore/Washington, USA
Programs: AA LT Platinum, Hilton LT Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 3,076
Plus I doubt I will ever get Platinum upgrades like I used too.
As they increased the prioritys vs spend and there are so many Execs out there.
Really sad but I think you are saying the 80% deval in my case is true and that AA is matching the other airlines.
#19
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 7,041
#20
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEN
Programs: AA EXP, AA Million Miles, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,586
Where have you been? I hope you are aware of the other (EQD, new status level above Platinum) changes AA is making in 2017, or else you are really gonna be in for it.
#21
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Gold, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Plat, CC Gold, IHG Plat Amb, Choice Plat
Posts: 306
its all disAAdvantage now..
I have tickets booked to NZ during thanksgiving which would have earned almost 40K RDM and now measly 10K RDM being EXP
I am hit with 3+ hrs schedule change so may even end up cancelling this...only reason I am sticking is hoping to use remaining SWU
Does anyone know if after SWU clears, is it possible to change FF number to alaska for RDM credit at the time of check-in?
I have tickets booked to NZ during thanksgiving which would have earned almost 40K RDM and now measly 10K RDM being EXP
I am hit with 3+ hrs schedule change so may even end up cancelling this...only reason I am sticking is hoping to use remaining SWU
Does anyone know if after SWU clears, is it possible to change FF number to alaska for RDM credit at the time of check-in?
#22
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Vail, CO
Programs: AA EXP/1mm, Marriott Titanium/LT Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 626
its all disAAdvantage now..
I have tickets booked to NZ during thanksgiving which would have earned almost 40K RDM and now measly 10K RDM being EXP
I am hit with 3+ hrs schedule change so may even end up cancelling this...only reason I am sticking is hoping to use remaining SWU
Does anyone know if after SWU clears, is it possible to change FF number to alaska for RDM credit at the time of check-in?
I have tickets booked to NZ during thanksgiving which would have earned almost 40K RDM and now measly 10K RDM being EXP
I am hit with 3+ hrs schedule change so may even end up cancelling this...only reason I am sticking is hoping to use remaining SWU
Does anyone know if after SWU clears, is it possible to change FF number to alaska for RDM credit at the time of check-in?
#23
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
AA.com now gives mileage earning for flights August 1st and beyond before you book.
Am I reading this right? Similar itinerary to what I flew in May - total of 2,160 miles.
May itinerary was about 9,600 miles total.
No change in EQM's/segments, but total earnings cut by 80%?
I get the earn based on what you pay, but cutting Platinum bonuses like this.
This is just awful if true. Did other airlines cut elite flying bonuses to this degree?
Terrible AA if true.
...
Am I reading this right? Similar itinerary to what I flew in May - total of 2,160 miles.
May itinerary was about 9,600 miles total.
No change in EQM's/segments, but total earnings cut by 80%?
I get the earn based on what you pay, but cutting Platinum bonuses like this.
This is just awful if true. Did other airlines cut elite flying bonuses to this degree?
Terrible AA if true.
...
Friendly reminder: this thread is not about Million Miler program, Platinum Pro or Platinum impacts; it is strictly about earning Award / Redeemable Miles. Such posts better fit http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...un-2016-a.html.
Thank you,
/Moderator
Last edited by JDiver; Jun 25, 2016 at 5:18 pm
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: MR/SPG LT Titanium, AA LT PLT, UA SLV, Avis PreferredPlus
Posts: 31,008
Yes, what you are seeing is accurate, and AA is the last major to move to this model.
I can't comment on the first sentence, as I can't understand it.
#25
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 185
Clarification needed regarding the new points earning system...
Hi guys,
Sorry if this is a newbie question - but I was a little confused.
If I am Canadian (live in Canada), and buy an AA ticket, do the rules still apply for earning RDMs? 8x, 11x, etc? If so, would your ticket price just be converted into American, and earnings will be based off of that?
Thanks,
T
Sorry if this is a newbie question - but I was a little confused.
If I am Canadian (live in Canada), and buy an AA ticket, do the rules still apply for earning RDMs? 8x, 11x, etc? If so, would your ticket price just be converted into American, and earnings will be based off of that?
Thanks,
T
#26
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 17,399
Hi guys,
Sorry if this is a newbie question - but I was a little confused.
If I am Canadian (live in Canada), and buy an AA ticket, do the rules still apply for earning RDMs? 8x, 11x, etc? If so, would your ticket price just be converted into American, and earnings will be based off of that?
Thanks,
T
Sorry if this is a newbie question - but I was a little confused.
If I am Canadian (live in Canada), and buy an AA ticket, do the rules still apply for earning RDMs? 8x, 11x, etc? If so, would your ticket price just be converted into American, and earnings will be based off of that?
Thanks,
T
#28
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: ORD [formerly] + HKG
Programs: CX Diamond, AA exExPlat, BAEC exGold, HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Starriott Titanium, GE
Posts: 2,966
Just got off the phone with an EXP agent who said partner RDMs are not changing but only EQDs are going to be added. I sure hope that is the case. Holding my breath tight for the next two days...
#29
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Edmonton, AB, Canada
Programs: AC 75K, Hertz President’s Circle, Accor Gold, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 10,068
#30
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 17,399