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 24, 2022, 7:21 pm
#1741
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Everywhere
Programs: AA EXP - 3.7MM, Bonv LIFETIME Titan, HH Dmd, Hyatt Glob., Priority Clb Dmd, Ntnl Exec El., Sixt PLT
Posts: 1,680
I've mentioned before that the website is awful. I'm going to try and buy another line. I will report back.
BTW neither my Verizon nor my AT&T purchases are tracking. AT&T only charged me for the SIM card but not for the line so far.
[Edited to add:] No problem at all. Much smoother than the first time.
BTW neither my Verizon nor my AT&T purchases are tracking. AT&T only charged me for the SIM card but not for the line so far.
[Edited to add:] No problem at all. Much smoother than the first time.
Jan 24, 2022, 9:14 pm
#1742
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,363
https://www.aadvantageeshopping.com/...m#orderInquiry
I'm waiting to inquire as well.
Jan 24, 2022, 9:29 pm
#1743
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Usually in SAN or Central Europe.
Programs: AA:EXP/1MM. Accor/Radisson:Silver; HH:Gold; ICH:Plt Amb.
Posts: 22,307
Oh yeah. I forgot that we had to actually register for that when it popped up in our promo box. I'm looking forward to two upcoming deadlines. That one, and March 31st. When everyone's 2021 status extension expires. I'm sure there were a lot of people who didn't meet the published requirements for 2022 status renewal, nor met the 2000 EQD prormo for the last few months of the year. I wouldn't be surprised if most elites were unaware of that promo. I actually only spent around $1300 in ticket purchases to pass the $2K mark, thanks mostly to cheap F fares on AS.
Jan 25, 2022, 1:50 am
#1744
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: in the vicinity of SFO
Programs: AA 2MM (LT-PLT, PPro for this year)
Posts: 19,781
- For AAdvantage® credit cards, “accelerators” or “multipliers” such as: extra miles for purchases in specific categories, with specific merchants (such as American Airlines purchases) or purchases made abroad
I just had a large enough charge from a French company that I will probably be able to see the gap in recent RDM vs. LP come March if that's not the case.
Jan 25, 2022, 10:04 am
#1745
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Oh yeah. I forgot that we had to actually register for that when it popped up in our promo box. I'm looking forward to two upcoming deadlines. That one, and March 31st. When everyone's 2021 status extension expires. I'm sure there were a lot of people who didn't meet the published requirements for 2022 status renewal, nor met the 2000 EQD prormo for the last few months of the year. I wouldn't be surprised if most elites were unaware of that promo. I actually only spent around $1300 in ticket purchases to pass the $2K mark, thanks mostly to cheap F fares on AS.
UA did the exact same thing -- they offered tons of promos to maintain status. And then at the 11th hour when everyone's status was about to expire... surprise! Extended for another year. This helped me since I ignored their promos.
I would expect that AA has some sort of a goal for how many customers they want with status (remember, status drives people to purchase tickets on their airline). If they don't hit it they will extend peoples' status for free.
Jan 25, 2022, 10:09 am
#1746
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: MSP
Programs: AA Exec Plat MM, Marriott LT Titanium, Hertz President, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 93
Jan 25, 2022, 10:13 am
#1747
Join Date: Mar 2019
Programs: AA EXP and Marriott Titanium
Posts: 767
There's a blurb when you book that they are "Bonus" miles and don't count towards elite status. Of course, that's how it stands now. How or if that ever changes is anyone's guess at the moment.
Jan 25, 2022, 10:32 am
#1748
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: MSP
Programs: AA Exec Plat MM, Marriott LT Titanium, Hertz President, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 93
I just wish I knew what was considered bonus miles and what wasn't in each possible spend scenario. "Pay more for extra miles" doesn't really seem like a bonus to me, it's a purchase. Lot's of vagaries in this whole thing. But since Rocketmiles said they were "bonus" I guess AA Booking would too.
Jan 25, 2022, 10:41 am
#1749
Original Member and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Kansas City, MO, USA
Programs: DL PM/MM, AA ExPlat, Hyatt Glob, HH Dia, National ECE, Hertz PC
Posts: 16,579
I don't know why 'pay more for extra miles' would ever be considered base if AA doesn't count the miles they sell directly as such.
Jan 25, 2022, 10:44 am
#1750
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 702
As a data point, here is a screen grab of my AA activity.
Mostly eShopping and AA CC's miles posting. eShopping is coding as a base mile, regular CC miles are coding as base, and appropriate CC bonus categories are posting as bonus.
I have not had and SimplyMiles info post yet, nor any of the bookAAhotels activity (later this year we will have some).
But since eShopping is listed just like these other avenues as a legit source for LP's.... I am a bit confused by the skepticism on LP's being awarded. It is not exactly some grand conspiracy?
Edit to add:
Bloom and Motley Fool offers posted, the former without an actual purchase - just going thru the motions of registering for an account but no purchase. A free 1200 ? - Sure, I'll take it!
Mostly eShopping and AA CC's miles posting. eShopping is coding as a base mile, regular CC miles are coding as base, and appropriate CC bonus categories are posting as bonus.
I have not had and SimplyMiles info post yet, nor any of the bookAAhotels activity (later this year we will have some).
But since eShopping is listed just like these other avenues as a legit source for LP's.... I am a bit confused by the skepticism on LP's being awarded. It is not exactly some grand conspiracy?
Edit to add:
Bloom and Motley Fool offers posted, the former without an actual purchase - just going thru the motions of registering for an account but no purchase. A free 1200 ? - Sure, I'll take it!
Jan 25, 2022, 10:49 am
#1751
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 702
So far I expect to have about 76K LPs and 76K RDMs (all non-flying) for a net cost of under $1,200. If they turn out to be only RDMs, that's a cost of 1.6˘ each. A bit more than I'd pay but not exactly flushing money down the drain. And if I get the LPs on top of that, it's a home run.
How so many LP's; hotels? Or all shopping portal?
Jan 25, 2022, 1:10 pm
#1752
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,363
Jan 25, 2022, 7:42 pm
#1753
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: SNA and BNA depending on work and time of year
Programs: UA Silver/ AA EXP/Hyatt Globalist/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,189
Has anyone tested doing Sunbasket or Naked Wines more than once? I have family wanting subscriptions too.
Jan 26, 2022, 1:25 am
#1754
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 19,880
I know we're still in the early days, but it seems like some of you guys are pretty excited about the new program as you can spend your way to status? I'm still not convinced that I should abandon BA for AA if I want to pursue OW status.
Jan 26, 2022, 6:00 am
#1755
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,363
Verizon and AT&T
Verizon
It seems from surfing the web that miles were awarded to those who bought on the 17th and 18th and the early part of the 19th. No one has apparently received miles from purchases made on the 19th evening and later.
AT&T
I don't believe anyone has reported receiving the miles.
They both seem to be taking the position (belatedly) that prepaid doesn't count.
Probably time to start dispute proceedings. I'm out around $150 and if I'm not getting the miles, I want a refund.
It seems from surfing the web that miles were awarded to those who bought on the 17th and 18th and the early part of the 19th. No one has apparently received miles from purchases made on the 19th evening and later.
AT&T
I don't believe anyone has reported receiving the miles.
They both seem to be taking the position (belatedly) that prepaid doesn't count.
Probably time to start dispute proceedings. I'm out around $150 and if I'm not getting the miles, I want a refund.
