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 29, 2022, 12:46 pm
#2986
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: SAT
Programs: AA EXP/MM
Posts: 84
That's good to know. I've got some reward travel coming up later this year, so I can count on those segments (though I feel like business travel is going to get me to my 30). Has anyone found anything that actually shows how many segments you're sitting on, or are we just using fingers and toes at this point . . . ?
Mar 29, 2022, 12:55 pm
#2987
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,159
Mar 29, 2022, 12:59 pm
#2988
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: SAT
Programs: AA EXP/MM
Posts: 84
See this thread.
Mar 29, 2022, 3:36 pm
#2989
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,389
Yep, makes about as much sense as showing your MM balance on the Activity page.
Mar 29, 2022, 3:52 pm
#2990
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: SAT
Programs: AA EXP/MM
Posts: 84
Yes.
No, it wasn't. However, you could only receive the Elite Choice Rewards if you earned your status the old fashioned way (no extensions, waivers, promos, or challenges), although I believe there was one promo that was an exception.
Yep, makes about as much sense as showing your MM balance on the Activity page.
No, it wasn't. However, you could only receive the Elite Choice Rewards if you earned your status the old fashioned way (no extensions, waivers, promos, or challenges), although I believe there was one promo that was an exception.
Yep, makes about as much sense as showing your MM balance on the Activity page.
Those retaining Executive Platinum or Platinum Pro status through this promotion will not be eligible for 2022 elite choice rewards unless the member meets the 2021 elite qualification requirements for Executive Platinum or Platinum Pro.
Mar 30, 2022, 12:10 am
#2991
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP, Hyatt Glob, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, Total Wine & More Reserve
Posts: 4,519
Mar 30, 2022, 5:14 am
#2992
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,389
Mar 30, 2022, 9:59 am
#2993
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 668
Originally Posted by maxwellh;[url=tel:34118552
34118552[/url]]Man . . . I really need to get better at reading the fine print. Literally. Just posting this here in case anyone else stumbles upon this with the same question I had--it's the fine print from an email offer I received last June for status retention via cc spend:
Those retaining Executive Platinum or Platinum Pro status through this promotion will not be eligible for 2022 elite choice rewards unless the member meets the 2021 elite qualification requirements for Executive Platinum or Platinum Pro.
Those retaining Executive Platinum or Platinum Pro status through this promotion will not be eligible for 2022 elite choice rewards unless the member meets the 2021 elite qualification requirements for Executive Platinum or Platinum Pro.
Mar 30, 2022, 8:36 pm
#2994
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: in the vicinity of SFO
Programs: AA 2MM (LT-PLT, PPro for this year)
Posts: 19,781
That's exactly right. PPRO and EXP in my opinion now have very minimal value versus just Platinum. I mean, the only real benefit of EXP versus Platinum is a higher chance of an upgrade it seems (who cares about more bags) and upgrades on Alaska Air. That's very little add to ask one to earn an extra 125k LPs (75k versus 200k), unless you are earning those 30 segments which changes the calculus a lot.
Apr 2, 2022, 11:19 pm
#2995
Join Date: May 2008
Location: PHL (kinda, no airport is really close)
Programs: AA Exp, but not sure for how long. Enterprise Platinum woo-hoo!
Posts: 4,551
Just a little whine.
I used to be an MS whale, Over $1M a year in gift cards, made about $100K over 4 years, plus 1M Delta points from a promo back in 2013-14.
When I quit (I was kinda forced out by a number of factors) it was nice to be able to stop all the manipulation. But now I'm forced back into it.
I can't get an AA credit card as both Citi and Barclay's blacklisted me from my MS days. So I pretty much have to go to the well with GC's again for the LP's.
When I used to buy GC's from Simon Malls (both in person and online) it was smooth as silk. One mall even had a tray they kept in the closet marked "Redtop's Cards." Giftcards.com is as difficult to deal with as Simon was easy. What will work seems to vary day to day and hour to hour, and you're more likely to get a politician to say "Sure I'm gonna raise your taxes" as you are to get a straight answer to why orders don't work. (Yeah I know that one politician has said he's going to raise people's taxes, and everybody else in his party is running as far and as fast from that position as they can.)
But right now, every GC I buy reduces the amount I have to actually spend on AA tickets by about $75. That's something I can't ignore, even with all the work of buying, tracking, and redeeming them. Well, at least that avenue is there. (For how long though? Who knows?)
I used to be an MS whale, Over $1M a year in gift cards, made about $100K over 4 years, plus 1M Delta points from a promo back in 2013-14.
When I quit (I was kinda forced out by a number of factors) it was nice to be able to stop all the manipulation. But now I'm forced back into it.
I can't get an AA credit card as both Citi and Barclay's blacklisted me from my MS days. So I pretty much have to go to the well with GC's again for the LP's.
When I used to buy GC's from Simon Malls (both in person and online) it was smooth as silk. One mall even had a tray they kept in the closet marked "Redtop's Cards." Giftcards.com is as difficult to deal with as Simon was easy. What will work seems to vary day to day and hour to hour, and you're more likely to get a politician to say "Sure I'm gonna raise your taxes" as you are to get a straight answer to why orders don't work. (Yeah I know that one politician has said he's going to raise people's taxes, and everybody else in his party is running as far and as fast from that position as they can.)
But right now, every GC I buy reduces the amount I have to actually spend on AA tickets by about $75. That's something I can't ignore, even with all the work of buying, tracking, and redeeming them. Well, at least that avenue is there. (For how long though? Who knows?)
Apr 3, 2022, 7:44 am
#2996
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,389
This is assuming 3x, correct?
Apr 3, 2022, 7:53 am
#2997
Join Date: Sep 2020
Programs: AA EXP, BA Gold, VS Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,947
Just a little whine.
I used to be an MS whale, Over $1M a year in gift cards, made about $100K over 4 years, plus 1M Delta points from a promo back in 2013-14.
When I quit (I was kinda forced out by a number of factors) it was nice to be able to stop all the manipulation. But now I'm forced back into it.
I can't get an AA credit card as both Citi and Barclay's blacklisted me from my MS days. So I pretty much have to go to the well with GC's again for the LP's.
When I used to buy GC's from Simon Malls (both in person and online) it was smooth as silk. One mall even had a tray they kept in the closet marked "Redtop's Cards." Giftcards.com is as difficult to deal with as Simon was easy. What will work seems to vary day to day and hour to hour, and you're more likely to get a politician to say "Sure I'm gonna raise your taxes" as you are to get a straight answer to why orders don't work. (Yeah I know that one politician has said he's going to raise people's taxes, and everybody else in his party is running as far and as fast from that position as they can.)
But right now, every GC I buy reduces the amount I have to actually spend on AA tickets by about $75. That's something I can't ignore, even with all the work of buying, tracking, and redeeming them. Well, at least that avenue is there. (For how long though? Who knows?)
I used to be an MS whale, Over $1M a year in gift cards, made about $100K over 4 years, plus 1M Delta points from a promo back in 2013-14.
When I quit (I was kinda forced out by a number of factors) it was nice to be able to stop all the manipulation. But now I'm forced back into it.
I can't get an AA credit card as both Citi and Barclay's blacklisted me from my MS days. So I pretty much have to go to the well with GC's again for the LP's.
When I used to buy GC's from Simon Malls (both in person and online) it was smooth as silk. One mall even had a tray they kept in the closet marked "Redtop's Cards." Giftcards.com is as difficult to deal with as Simon was easy. What will work seems to vary day to day and hour to hour, and you're more likely to get a politician to say "Sure I'm gonna raise your taxes" as you are to get a straight answer to why orders don't work. (Yeah I know that one politician has said he's going to raise people's taxes, and everybody else in his party is running as far and as fast from that position as they can.)
But right now, every GC I buy reduces the amount I have to actually spend on AA tickets by about $75. That's something I can't ignore, even with all the work of buying, tracking, and redeeming them. Well, at least that avenue is there. (For how long though? Who knows?)
Apr 3, 2022, 7:55 am
#2998
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,389
Apr 3, 2022, 8:10 am
#2999
Join Date: Sep 2020
Programs: AA EXP, BA Gold, VS Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,947
So far I haven’t had issues with acquiring or getting credit for them. Just using them. I tried using one to load my Amazon gift card balance and got my Amazon account locked (which I was able to resolve, but it was still a pain). I’ve also tried paying various bills online and gotten straight up rejections. I guess my last resort for now is to use them to pay taxes, but that also doesn’t seem like a sure thing (plus it’s limited to two per payment processor, I believe).
Apr 3, 2022, 9:32 am
#3000
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
So far I haven’t had issues with acquiring or getting credit for them. Just using them. I tried using one to load my Amazon gift card balance and got my Amazon account locked (which I was able to resolve, but it was still a pain). I’ve also tried paying various bills online and gotten straight up rejections. I guess my last resort for now is to use them to pay taxes, but that also doesn’t seem like a sure thing (plus it’s limited to two per payment processor, I believe).
So far I've used them to pay my health insurance premiums, my electricity bill, my phone bill, my pool guy, my dentist, and various medical bills. I've also used them for purchases at Target.