Dec 17, 2021, 11:25 am
Last edit by: jbeckett
American Airlines announced that starting in 2022, the way to earn Elite status has changed. No more Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM), Elite Qualifying Segments (EQS), or Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQD)!
Now, you can get AA Elite status by earning Loyalty Points (LPs): https://aadvantagestatus.com/?anchor...=newaadvantage
How many LPs do I need for elite status?
How do I earn LPs?
Flying
What you get for redeemable miles (RDM) is what you'll get for LPs.
AA and B6 flights:
No status: 5 LPs per $ spent in base fare plus fees (excludes taxes)
Gold: 7 LPs per $
Platinum: 8 LPs per $
Plat Pro: 9 LPs per $
EXP: 11 LPs per $
Partner flights (other than B6):
Distance flown x accrual rate* x (1 + cabin bonus + elite bonus**)
* Certain discount fares earn less than 100% of miles flown. In those cases, the discounted accrual rate (0% to 75% depending on the partner and the fare class) should be applied to the flown miles. Otherwise, the accrual rate is 100%. If there is a cabin bonus, it should not be added to the accrual rate; it is applied separately within the parentheses. The accrual rate can never be more than 100%.
** 40% for GLD, 60% for PLT, 80% for PRO, 120% for EXP.
So for example, an EXP on a 5000-mile flight on QR booked in J would earn 5000 x 100% x (1 + 25% + 120%) = 5000 x 1 x 2.45 = 12250 LPs.
A PLT on the same flight booked in P would earn 5000 x 75% x (1 + 0% + 60%) = 5000 x .75 x 1.6 = 6000 LPs.
Earning chart for QR
Here's a great online LP calculator:
https://lpcalculator.com/#/calculator/
AAdvantage non-flying partners:
Generally, 1 LP per base mile earned. But in many cases you can earn large bonuses that post as base miles; see link here: https://exploreamerican.com/newaadva...nloyaltypoints
There are differences among how these programs work, ranging from minor to significant, in terms of awarding LPs. You will need to skim through the thread as there are too many different promo offers to address here. But here are the popular ones:
BookAAHotels and RocketMiles: You can earn large mileage bonuses here, separated into "base" miles and "promo" miles by the portals. For now they are all posting as base miles on aa.com, but there is a suspicion that the "promo" miles may start posting as bonus miles (and so would not count as LP). You don't even have to actually check in or stay at the hotel as long as you pay for the stay.
SimplyMiles: You must link a MasterCard to the account. Then you can add their promos to your card by activating the offers. When you accept one of their offers and then pay for it using your linked card, you will get the associated miles which currently post as base miles on aa.com.
AAdvantage eShopping: Once you click through the AAdvantage eShopping portal to a vendor offer and make a purchase, you will eventually get the associated miles posted to your AAdvantage account as both redeemable miles and Loyalty Points. If the merchant advertises an increase in the miles per dollar spent, you'll earn the higher amount in both redeemable miles and an equal number of Loyalty Points. The same applies if a merchant advertises a higher fixed amount per purchase, rather than a per dollar amount. Examples of this would appear on the portal as, "Extra miles. Was 1 mile/$. Now earn 3 miles/$" or "Extra miles. Was up to 3700 miles. Now up to 6200 miles." However, if the website advertises a "Limited-time bonus offer" for "bonus miles" after meeting a spending threshold, that bonus will only post as redeemable miles and not Loyalty Points. If a bonus is offered for some site-wide activity such as 1000 miles for installing an extension, or 500 miles for enrolling in the portal, or 2000 miles for meeting a spending threshold across multiple merchants, the bonus will only post as redeemable miles and not Loyalty Points.
(If a vendor has offers with both SimplyMiles and eShopping, activate the offer on SimplyMiles first and then make the purchase through eShopping with the MasterCard linked to your SimplyMiles account. Apparently that you can get a double-dip. You can also get a double-dip by stacking the promos with discount offers from your credit card issuers, basically reducing the cost to you.
Booking directly with hotels, car rental companies, etc.: The picture here is a bit unclear but it appears that if you book with a hotel that offers 5x miles, only 1 mile will post as base and the rest as bonus.
Credit card spend:
1 LP per $ spent on an AA branded card (except for one card which earns 0.50 LP per $ and several non-US cards which earn 2 LP per $). See the list of cards, and a lot more small print here: https://creditcards.aa.com/aadvantag...hange_ExecCard
What about spending bonuses?
E.g., your card gives 2x miles for hotels, or 3x for AA purchases, etc etc. These do NOT count.
These bonuses count:
Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard (the $450 annual fee card that gives Admirals Club access): 10K LP bonus when hitting $40K spend for the year.
AAdvantage Aviator Silver Mastercard: 5K LP bonus when hitting $20K spend, another 5K LP bonus when hitting $40K spend, and another 5K LP bonus when hitting $50K spend for the year.
Do miles earned at Bask Bank count?
No.
Will Loyalty Points count toward Million Miler℠ status?
No, Million Miler℠ status will still be earned the same way as today, based on miles earned from flying with American and its partners.
Now, you can get AA Elite status by earning Loyalty Points (LPs): https://aadvantagestatus.com/?anchor...=newaadvantage
How many LPs do I need for elite status?
Code:
Gold: 40K Platinum: 75K Plat Pro: 125K EXP: 200K
Flying
What you get for redeemable miles (RDM) is what you'll get for LPs.
AA and B6 flights:
No status: 5 LPs per $ spent in base fare plus fees (excludes taxes)
Gold: 7 LPs per $
Platinum: 8 LPs per $
Plat Pro: 9 LPs per $
EXP: 11 LPs per $
Partner flights (other than B6):
Distance flown x accrual rate* x (1 + cabin bonus + elite bonus**)
* Certain discount fares earn less than 100% of miles flown. In those cases, the discounted accrual rate (0% to 75% depending on the partner and the fare class) should be applied to the flown miles. Otherwise, the accrual rate is 100%. If there is a cabin bonus, it should not be added to the accrual rate; it is applied separately within the parentheses. The accrual rate can never be more than 100%.
** 40% for GLD, 60% for PLT, 80% for PRO, 120% for EXP.
So for example, an EXP on a 5000-mile flight on QR booked in J would earn 5000 x 100% x (1 + 25% + 120%) = 5000 x 1 x 2.45 = 12250 LPs.
A PLT on the same flight booked in P would earn 5000 x 75% x (1 + 0% + 60%) = 5000 x .75 x 1.6 = 6000 LPs.
Earning chart for QR
Here's a great online LP calculator:
https://lpcalculator.com/#/calculator/
AAdvantage non-flying partners:
Generally, 1 LP per base mile earned. But in many cases you can earn large bonuses that post as base miles; see link here: https://exploreamerican.com/newaadva...nloyaltypoints
There are differences among how these programs work, ranging from minor to significant, in terms of awarding LPs. You will need to skim through the thread as there are too many different promo offers to address here. But here are the popular ones:
BookAAHotels and RocketMiles: You can earn large mileage bonuses here, separated into "base" miles and "promo" miles by the portals. For now they are all posting as base miles on aa.com, but there is a suspicion that the "promo" miles may start posting as bonus miles (and so would not count as LP). You don't even have to actually check in or stay at the hotel as long as you pay for the stay.
SimplyMiles: You must link a MasterCard to the account. Then you can add their promos to your card by activating the offers. When you accept one of their offers and then pay for it using your linked card, you will get the associated miles which currently post as base miles on aa.com.
AAdvantage eShopping: Once you click through the AAdvantage eShopping portal to a vendor offer and make a purchase, you will eventually get the associated miles posted to your AAdvantage account as both redeemable miles and Loyalty Points. If the merchant advertises an increase in the miles per dollar spent, you'll earn the higher amount in both redeemable miles and an equal number of Loyalty Points. The same applies if a merchant advertises a higher fixed amount per purchase, rather than a per dollar amount. Examples of this would appear on the portal as, "Extra miles. Was 1 mile/$. Now earn 3 miles/$" or "Extra miles. Was up to 3700 miles. Now up to 6200 miles." However, if the website advertises a "Limited-time bonus offer" for "bonus miles" after meeting a spending threshold, that bonus will only post as redeemable miles and not Loyalty Points. If a bonus is offered for some site-wide activity such as 1000 miles for installing an extension, or 500 miles for enrolling in the portal, or 2000 miles for meeting a spending threshold across multiple merchants, the bonus will only post as redeemable miles and not Loyalty Points.
- A separate thread exists to discuss the AAdvantage eShopping portal
- Another thread exists to discuss using the portal for a particular merchant, giftcards.com
- For additional questions about buying and using gift cards, refer to the separate Manufactured Spending forum.
(If a vendor has offers with both SimplyMiles and eShopping, activate the offer on SimplyMiles first and then make the purchase through eShopping with the MasterCard linked to your SimplyMiles account. Apparently that you can get a double-dip. You can also get a double-dip by stacking the promos with discount offers from your credit card issuers, basically reducing the cost to you.
Booking directly with hotels, car rental companies, etc.: The picture here is a bit unclear but it appears that if you book with a hotel that offers 5x miles, only 1 mile will post as base and the rest as bonus.
Credit card spend:
1 LP per $ spent on an AA branded card (except for one card which earns 0.50 LP per $ and several non-US cards which earn 2 LP per $). See the list of cards, and a lot more small print here: https://creditcards.aa.com/aadvantag...hange_ExecCard
What about spending bonuses?
E.g., your card gives 2x miles for hotels, or 3x for AA purchases, etc etc. These do NOT count.
These bonuses count:
Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard (the $450 annual fee card that gives Admirals Club access): 10K LP bonus when hitting $40K spend for the year.
AAdvantage Aviator Silver Mastercard: 5K LP bonus when hitting $20K spend, another 5K LP bonus when hitting $40K spend, and another 5K LP bonus when hitting $50K spend for the year.
Do miles earned at Bask Bank count?
No.
Will Loyalty Points count toward Million Miler℠ status?
No, Million Miler℠ status will still be earned the same way as today, based on miles earned from flying with American and its partners.
Loyalty Points discussion/questions - From 2022 now used for determining elite status
Jan 18, 2022, 8:44 am
#1561
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: CMH, CLE, CAK
Programs: AA, Hertz, Hyatt, Hilton
Posts: 203
Agree 100% - I just recently explained the situation to the wife and gave her the link. I mean, she shops online all the time anyways - so, she might as well stop by the ol' portal first and see what she can get.
Jan 18, 2022, 8:47 am
#1562
Join Date: Sep 2020
Programs: AA EXP, BA Gold, VS Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,938
Good practice in general - but it's might instead be worth checking CashBackMonitor which aggregates rates from multiple sources, including AAdvantage Shopping. Sometimes you'll get a much higher rate from other portals - e.g. Chase. You won't get LPs... but you might end up getting an even better deal.
Jan 18, 2022, 11:01 am
#1563
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Programs: AA, HH, UA, Amtrak
Posts: 270
AA mile and EQM earning listed. The Economy OW fare was $822.70 or so. The 'D" fare on JAL metal was $2777 RT, the other half is still to be flown.
For those 747-800i that are looking at the DEL-HND-JFK-HND-DEL fares (J /business class) on JAL. I booked and flew one leg of the DEL-HND-JFK-PIT recently. Actually I had booked till JFK then realized it was a pain to move luggage from airport to Amtrak etc and take the train the next day to Pittsburgh, so I called (from Delhi using my google voice no) the customer service in Tokyo, and they very helpfully changed my routing to PIT, and it only cost me an additional INR 1458 or so. (like a crisp $20 bill).
Anyhow, my miles just posted, the fare was a "D" fare on JAL business, and AA First class on AA 4530 (JFk-PIT). I was pleasantly surprised to see that this flight + an earlier OW to India on AA has helped me reach AA Gold status, my first ever earned "elite status" in any frequent flyer program since I began flying ~20 yrs ago. Here's a screenshot of the EQMs etc. That spreadsheet above is real cool jfkeze , but you get 6773 miles (one more
) on HND-JFK. Of course AAdvantage wont be telling us about the LP till March or whenever, but the EQM and other details are here for this routing.I really appreciated the 1000 EQM for the 180 base miles flight between JFK-PIT on F.
The Dec 28 flight was not PIT-JFK-DEL, it's showing only the first segment in the image/AAdv summary page. The ticket cost me $ 822. Also, I had to make this trip on short notice for a family emergency/death event so I booked OW. On the return I decided to go for Biz fare as even economy fares around Jan 11 were too pricey. The "D" fare on JAL came with no change fees so I was able to change the date and itinerary on two separate calls.
Last edited by psusaver; Jan 18, 2022 at 11:07 am Reason: Adding a note about the F segment on AA metal
Jan 18, 2022, 12:25 pm
#1564
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, HH DIA, Hertz PC, GE + Pre✓, Amazon Super Special Prime
Posts: 1,008
The CU didn't know how to directly apply the check from Plastiq, so the dumped the funds into the member savings account instead of the car loan.
I think it was a bit of an anomaly with the CU and how they applied the funds, instead of a thing with Plastiq. Just happened to work in my favor.
Jan 18, 2022, 2:32 pm
#1565
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,527
Jan 18, 2022, 3:04 pm
#1566
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,366
I've updated the "Flying" section of the Wiki to provide a hopefully understandable explanation of how LPs are calculated on AA and partner flights, since the question keeps coming up.
Jan 18, 2022, 5:24 pm
#1567
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SAN
Programs: Lots of faux metal
Posts: 6,416
Of course they will just say the wiki isn't AA and won't believe it, but whatever.
Jan 18, 2022, 5:58 pm
#1568
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Santa Barbara, CA, Park City, UT
Programs: AA EXP, Delta Plat, Marriott Plat,Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Plat
Posts: 901
AA flying using Amex points with 35% rebate
For Amex plat business card holders. I have not heard this discussed unless I missed it. I’m assuming since redeemable miles earned is same as if purchased with cash that LP earnings both ways will be the same. Anyone asked AA about this?
Jan 18, 2022, 6:28 pm
#1569
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,366
I'm not clear on what you mean by "both ways".
Jan 18, 2022, 6:58 pm
#1572
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 687
Anyone buying a bunch of prepaid Verizon plans for EXP? Looks like it would take about $1200 to earn EXP -
https://frequentmiler.com/6200-ameri...dium=Flipboard
https://frequentmiler.com/6200-ameri...dium=Flipboard
Jan 18, 2022, 7:29 pm
#1573
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,366
Anyone buying a bunch of prepaid Verizon plans for EXP? Looks like it would take about $1200 to earn EXP -
https://frequentmiler.com/6200-ameri...dium=Flipboard
https://frequentmiler.com/6200-ameri...dium=Flipboard
I seriously doubt that Verizon will let one person sign up for 30 prepaid plans and pay out 6200 miles each time.
I'd like to do it with just one line as it's a good price for LPs, but I'm confused about exactly how to do it.
Jan 18, 2022, 7:29 pm
#1574
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Florida
Posts: 97
Anyone buying a bunch of prepaid Verizon plans for EXP? Looks like it would take about $1200 to earn EXP -
https://frequentmiler.com/6200-ameri...dium=Flipboard
https://frequentmiler.com/6200-ameri...dium=Flipboard
some of the comments people are having all types of error codes on checkout, still being charged and an order happening (and not tracking)
Jan 18, 2022, 7:55 pm
#1575
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 263
fwiw I did it once last night, stacking with the $75 off Amex offer, and it seems to have tracked ok since the eshopping site shows the 6200 miles already. So there are definitely ways to make it work. Shame I could only use that offer once, though lol.