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
Mar 13, 2022, 11:13 am
#2911
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,535
So, after having two orders canceled I contacted them. It took a while, but I got a call. The number for their customer service is
844-489-3510
The agent said that they will send my information for processing (after I verified my billing address and "why I want the cards") so that transactions will go throiugh.
Likely no real need for me to get these for LP, but I may try anyway during the week to see.
Cheers.
844-489-3510
The agent said that they will send my information for processing (after I verified my billing address and "why I want the cards") so that transactions will go throiugh.
Likely no real need for me to get these for LP, but I may try anyway during the week to see.
Cheers.
Last edited by brp; Mar 13, 2022 at 11:38 am
Mar 13, 2022, 12:48 pm
#2912
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AA EXP, IHG Diamond, IC Amb
Posts: 5,511
Mods: Would it be possible to make a couple different threads related to Loyalty Points?
Might be easier to find what people are looking for if we separate by subject as this thread will only get longer and longer.
Might be easier to find what people are looking for if we separate by subject as this thread will only get longer and longer.
Mar 13, 2022, 4:09 pm
#2913
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,669
There is already a thread on AA hotels and rocket miles, and the bonsai tree thread. I think what we really need is a thread on tips and ways to get more LPs, or a specific one for the AAShopping portal and simplymiles....
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...seability.html
127 bonsai trees for EXP
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...seability.html
127 bonsai trees for EXP
Mar 14, 2022, 9:31 am
#2914
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: TPA/DFW/K15
Programs: AA EXP, Mar AMB, HH LT DIA
Posts: 1,653
There is already a thread on AA hotels and rocket miles, and the bonsai tree thread. I think what we really need is a thread on tips and ways to get more LPs, or a specific one for the AAShopping portal and simplymiles....
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...seability.html
127 bonsai trees for EXP
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...seability.html
127 bonsai trees for EXP
Mar 14, 2022, 10:03 am
#2915
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,389
Mar 14, 2022, 11:52 am
#2916
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
I had 3 purchases. 1 was cancelled, and tracked with the wrong purchase amount. 2 went through, and also tracked with the wrong purchase amount.
The cancelled one and the 2nd purchase that went through both had their purchase amounts corrected, and they both went to pending. The 1st one went to pending with the wrong amount (3x what I paid; essentially giving me 9x miles). This also puts me way over $2k for the month (in fictional spend) since it includes a cancelled order and a ~$768 order that tracked at over $2300.
Nothing has posted to AA yet. This will be interesting, indeed. I assume that it all gets fixed and clawed back in an audit eventually.
The cancelled one and the 2nd purchase that went through both had their purchase amounts corrected, and they both went to pending. The 1st one went to pending with the wrong amount (3x what I paid; essentially giving me 9x miles). This also puts me way over $2k for the month (in fictional spend) since it includes a cancelled order and a ~$768 order that tracked at over $2300.
Nothing has posted to AA yet. This will be interesting, indeed. I assume that it all gets fixed and clawed back in an audit eventually.
So now I have two orders in the pending state, both with the wrong dollar value. I expect this to get similarly fixed. Hopefully everything posts correctly.
As a side note, a purchase I made a few days ago also tracked with the wrong amount (it's not yet pending) but the purchase I made yesterday tracked with the correct amount. I made yesterday's using a different browser (I dusted off my Chromebook, charged it up, and used that instead of my phone). I'm not sure if that was causing my issue of the wrong posting amounts (there are suggestions that giftcards.com has issues with mobile browsers)
Mar 14, 2022, 2:49 pm
#2917
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,389
Just another update; these are still in the pending state and miles have not yet posted to my AA account. They fixed the cancelled order; they did not remove it but rather they posted a new transaction with negative miles (also pending).
So now I have two orders in the pending state, both with the wrong dollar value. I expect this to get similarly fixed. Hopefully everything posts correctly.
As a side note, a purchase I made a few days ago also tracked with the wrong amount (it's not yet pending) but the purchase I made yesterday tracked with the correct amount. I made yesterday's using a different browser (I dusted off my Chromebook, charged it up, and used that instead of my phone). I'm not sure if that was causing my issue of the wrong posting amounts (there are suggestions that giftcards.com has issues with mobile browsers)
So now I have two orders in the pending state, both with the wrong dollar value. I expect this to get similarly fixed. Hopefully everything posts correctly.
As a side note, a purchase I made a few days ago also tracked with the wrong amount (it's not yet pending) but the purchase I made yesterday tracked with the correct amount. I made yesterday's using a different browser (I dusted off my Chromebook, charged it up, and used that instead of my phone). I'm not sure if that was causing my issue of the wrong posting amounts (there are suggestions that giftcards.com has issues with mobile browsers)
Mar 15, 2022, 12:45 am
#2918
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Come on man, quitting is for quitters. You get rewards all the way up to 750k LP 🤣
Mar 15, 2022, 7:41 am
#2919
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,389
Mar 15, 2022, 8:50 am
#2920
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,535
We have 160K booked so far and two international trips to book in December/January, so we're done once we book those. Should give enough extra to repurpose two transcon AS flights to BA for silver status.
So far a little over 11K non-flight LP for me and 9500 for mrs. brp. May need 5K-10K more by end of the year.
Cheers.
Last edited by brp; Mar 15, 2022 at 9:10 am
Mar 15, 2022, 9:26 pm
#2921
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,669
All this incompetence and confusion with the LP partners and the hotels and shopping portals is breaking the booking and purchasing momentum and turning customers off...Why can't they get it together and process the transactions correctly and on time, how hard is it...geez...
Last edited by nk15; Mar 17, 2022 at 6:44 pm
Mar 16, 2022, 6:22 am
#2922
Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 256
All this incompetence and confusion with the LP partners and the hotels and shopping portals is breaking the booking and purchasing momentum and turning customers off...Why can't these losers get it together and process the transactions correctly and on time, how hard is it...geez...
When the cruise industry collapsed, I had like 20 cruises get cancelled or delayed and those tens of thousands of dollars in rebates got reverse, etc. BeFrugal tells me I owe THEM $3000, lol. Still arguing it out, what a mess.
Affiliate programs bank on folks FORGETTING to click the link -- or having conflicting software (Honey app, etc) that screws things up, or your browser (Safari 12) blocking the cookies, or whatever -- so they get the sale and don't have to pay. Make a nightmare for their customer service is the only way to get 100% of what you were promised.
Mar 16, 2022, 8:13 am
#2923
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,389
The giftcards.com saga continues ...
I just noticed that the miles that have moved to Pending are from the cancelled transaction, so it's been 14 days. This will be interesting.
Meanwhile they re-sent the GCs from the non-cancelled transaction with the headline "Your issue has been resolved" and the text "Sorry you didn't receive your GCs; we are re-sending them." I hadn't raised any issues with them. I tried to contact them but their chat service is not operational.
Really poor back-end processing.
Meanwhile they re-sent the GCs from the non-cancelled transaction with the headline "Your issue has been resolved" and the text "Sorry you didn't receive your GCs; we are re-sending them." I hadn't raised any issues with them. I tried to contact them but their chat service is not operational.
Really poor back-end processing.
The non-cancelled transaction has still not made it to "Pending".
Mar 16, 2022, 12:02 pm
#2924
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Honestly I think if you are impatient and check this every day (like I do) it's frustrating but if you take a longer-term view and just check it every month or so, it works just fine
Mar 16, 2022, 12:08 pm
#2925
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Affiliate programs bank on folks FORGETTING to click the link -- or having conflicting software (Honey app, etc) that screws things up, or your browser (Safari 12) blocking the cookies, or whatever -- so they get the sale and don't have to pay. Make a nightmare for their customer service is the only way to get 100% of what you were promised.
This is why Rakuten has an app which has a browser built in (so the tracking always works). I'm not sure why they don't have something similar for Cartera (since they are owned by Rakuten)