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
Oct 26, 2021, 12:10 pm
#196
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: CT/NY
Programs: UA 1K/1MM, AA EXP, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Plat Amb
Posts: 6,020
Oct 26, 2021, 12:14 pm
#197
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: CMH,BLR
Programs: AA Plat Pro, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Gold, HH Gold, Virgin Atlantic Gold, Taj Gold, Shangri-La Jade
Posts: 32
So flying Partner airlines (ticketed) is still better in general due to cabin bonus and status bonus.
Oct 26, 2021, 12:14 pm
#198
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AA EXP, IHG Diamond, IC Amb
Posts: 5,510
Oct 26, 2021, 12:15 pm
#199
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 134
? I don't think the EXP bonus applies to CC spend. So I think its $16,667 on AA AND $16,667 on CC
Oct 26, 2021, 12:15 pm
#200
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,586
Time will tell, but I'm not sure that you are correct. What is one to make of the "& more" language at the end of the quote?
Oct 26, 2021, 12:18 pm
#202
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 3,698
What AA does seem to be encouraging is relatively more, lower-cost segments than fewer, higher-cost segments. That's confusing to me since even though short-haul segments are often priced higher per-mile than long-haul segments, there's quite a bit of additional cost associated with them and you never really see the ultra-premium fares that airlines are able to command from long-haul segments. I assume that a paid F seat on LAX-LHR is wildly more profitable than the walkup F fare on, say, LGA-BOS, but for some reason the frequent flier program wants you to do more of the latter and less of the former.
Oct 26, 2021, 12:20 pm
#204
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: USA
Programs: American Airlines (Executive Platinum), Hyatt (Globalist), Hilton (Diamond), IHG (Diamond)
Posts: 2,917
Oct 26, 2021, 12:29 pm
#205
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: CMH,BLR
Programs: AA Plat Pro, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Gold, HH Gold, Virgin Atlantic Gold, Taj Gold, Shangri-La Jade
Posts: 32
The new program definitely appears to further devalue flying on partner tickets vs. AA tickets when it comes to loyalty requalification which is something I am surprised has not been highlighted in all of the blogger/press coverage of the new program.
For example, as an EXP if you fly BA in discount J roundtrip from JFK-LHR roundtrip in the current program you would receive 2X Base milage in EQM and 25% of base mileage in EQD which equates to 13,760 EQM and $1,720 EQD or put another way 13.8% of the 100K EQM you need to qualify for EXP (assuming 2019 levels are normal go forward) and 11.5% of the $15K EQD you need.
Under the new program that same trip for an EXP on BA will generate 16,856 loyalty point (6880 base, plus 25% cabin, plus 120% Exp bonus) or only 8.4% of what you need to requalify as an EXP.
Assuming EQD is the tougher requirement in the old program, with the new program, with the same trip you go from earning 11.5% of what you need to requalify for EXP to earning 8.4% or a reduction/devaluation of about 27%.
For example, as an EXP if you fly BA in discount J roundtrip from JFK-LHR roundtrip in the current program you would receive 2X Base milage in EQM and 25% of base mileage in EQD which equates to 13,760 EQM and $1,720 EQD or put another way 13.8% of the 100K EQM you need to qualify for EXP (assuming 2019 levels are normal go forward) and 11.5% of the $15K EQD you need.
Under the new program that same trip for an EXP on BA will generate 16,856 loyalty point (6880 base, plus 25% cabin, plus 120% Exp bonus) or only 8.4% of what you need to requalify as an EXP.
Assuming EQD is the tougher requirement in the old program, with the new program, with the same trip you go from earning 11.5% of what you need to requalify for EXP to earning 8.4% or a reduction/devaluation of about 27%.
E.g. Discount JFK-LHR RT would be about $2000. Per your math, you would have earned 6880 base plus 25% cabin as a base. and 40% bonus assuming Gold.
That is 6880+1720+2752 = 11352..
However same flight via AA would have been 7x Price (1700+300 in taxes?) = 11900 miles.
Pretty comparable, however flying AA would be super beneficial if you Platinum pro or Platinum Exec.
Last edited by lon3volf; Oct 26, 2021 at 12:32 pm Reason: Added quote
Oct 26, 2021, 12:30 pm
#207
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 19,901
Oct 26, 2021, 12:31 pm
#208
Join Date: Oct 2015
Programs: AA: EXP, 1MM Marriott: Ambassador, LTT
Posts: 407
While partner tickets get cabin and status bonus they only get the status bonus on the base MILES, so for an EXP you only get 120% bonus on the base miles, not 11X the base TICKET PRICE.you would on an AA ticket. There will certainly be some specific partner tickets that are a better deal than flying on an AA ticket (very long flights with a heavily discounted F/J/PE), but in general it will likely be better to fly on AA ticket/metal to maximize loyalty points.
Oct 26, 2021, 12:31 pm
#209
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,546
What I make of it (after reading the OMAT post where he talked to AA’s PR team) is that Bask Bank miles aren’t set up to post as LP yet but that could change with future negotiations.
Oct 26, 2021, 12:35 pm
#210
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,159
The new program definitely appears to further devalue flying on partner tickets vs. AA tickets when it comes to loyalty requalification which is something I am surprised has not been highlighted in all of the blogger/press coverage of the new program.
For example, as an EXP if you fly BA in discount J roundtrip from JFK-LHR roundtrip in the current program you would receive 2X Base milage in EQM and 25% of base mileage in EQD which equates to 13,760 EQM and $1,720 EQD or put another way 13.8% of the 100K EQM you need to qualify for EXP (assuming 2019 levels are normal go forward) and 11.5% of the $15K EQD you need.
Under the new program that same trip for an EXP on BA will generate 16,856 loyalty point (6880 base, plus 25% cabin, plus 120% Exp bonus) or only 8.4% of what you need to requalify as an EXP.
Assuming EQD is the tougher requirement in the old program, with the new program, with the same trip you go from earning 11.5% of what you need to requalify for EXP to earning 8.4% or a reduction/devaluation of about 27%.
For example, as an EXP if you fly BA in discount J roundtrip from JFK-LHR roundtrip in the current program you would receive 2X Base milage in EQM and 25% of base mileage in EQD which equates to 13,760 EQM and $1,720 EQD or put another way 13.8% of the 100K EQM you need to qualify for EXP (assuming 2019 levels are normal go forward) and 11.5% of the $15K EQD you need.
Under the new program that same trip for an EXP on BA will generate 16,856 loyalty point (6880 base, plus 25% cabin, plus 120% Exp bonus) or only 8.4% of what you need to requalify as an EXP.
Assuming EQD is the tougher requirement in the old program, with the new program, with the same trip you go from earning 11.5% of what you need to requalify for EXP to earning 8.4% or a reduction/devaluation of about 27%.