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
Apr 11, 2022, 1:15 pm
#3031
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
I have seen some shortages in Loyalty Points. Flew RT to London in Club. Fare was over $3000 (before taxes), but instead of the expected 33,000+ LPs and RDMs, I got something like 24,000 LPs and RDMs. Also noticed that the account posting showed a calculation on distance.
Apr 11, 2022, 1:52 pm
#3032
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: TX
Programs: Alaska, AA, Marriott
Posts: 943
Apr 11, 2022, 8:19 pm
#3033
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: 4,550
Some years ago, I lived at a place that would let you pay rent with a CC, through a third party, $29.95 fee for up to $3K payment. I would pay $3K each time and let the excess carry over (rent was only about $1K) and it was extra convenient since a lot of SUB's require a $3K initial spend.
Apr 12, 2022, 5:09 am
#3034
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: US Airways, American Airlines, United
Posts: 224
Obviously, my seat did not shrink but I would have rather sat in coach than listen to the two passengers in front of me carrying on the entire flight about the flight attendant and the injustice of their companion being thrown off the plane. Their behavior was bad enough that the flight attendant had to warn them that the flight can land anywhere to remove them. I did not drink alcohol on the flight but the two in front of me did. On a the flight from DCA to EYW only snacks were served.
Apr 12, 2022, 8:48 am
#3035
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: TX
Programs: Alaska, AA, Marriott
Posts: 943
Obviously, my seat did not shrink but I would have rather sat in coach than listen to the two passengers in front of me carrying on the entire flight about the flight attendant and the injustice of their companion being thrown off the plane. Their behavior was bad enough that the flight attendant had to warn them that the flight can land anywhere to remove them. I did not drink alcohol on the flight but the two in front of me did. On a the flight from DCA to EYW only snacks were served.
Apr 12, 2022, 1:12 pm
#3038
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: SFO, CLT
Programs: AA Bonsai EXP (2.9 MM), AS MVPG
Posts: 1,393
Apr 15, 2022, 4:05 am
#3040
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: in the vicinity of SFO
Programs: AA 2MM (LT-PLT, PPro for this year)
Posts: 19,781
Same here, no change, except I've got almost 50 stickers because I haven't successfully used stickers in years.
I thought someone said it was going to be in May? At least that's what I've got in my spreadsheet showing expected LP.
I'm surprised to see they are still letting people buy stickers. A hair over 6 LP per dollar - I think it's a pretty terrible value, since there's NOTHING gained from it besides the LP - but people are weird, and I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.
I thought someone said it was going to be in May? At least that's what I've got in my spreadsheet showing expected LP.
I'm surprised to see they are still letting people buy stickers. A hair over 6 LP per dollar - I think it's a pretty terrible value, since there's NOTHING gained from it besides the LP - but people are weird, and I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.
Last edited by nkedel; Apr 19, 2022 at 9:26 pm
Apr 15, 2022, 10:45 am
#3041
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,900
If you're gold or platinum and want to upgrade a companion today, you still need 500-m upgrades.
The future of companion and 500-mile upgrades.
Later in 2022, all AAdvantage® status members will be able to enjoy a complimentary upgrade for 1 companion traveling on the same flight within North America. When that happens, we’ll convert all available 500-mile upgrades to 250 Loyalty Points each. This addition of Loyalty Points helps you reach AAdvantage® status faster.
Later in 2022, all AAdvantage® status members will be able to enjoy a complimentary upgrade for 1 companion traveling on the same flight within North America. When that happens, we’ll convert all available 500-mile upgrades to 250 Loyalty Points each. This addition of Loyalty Points helps you reach AAdvantage® status faster.
Apr 15, 2022, 2:19 pm
#3042
Join Date: Nov 2021
Location: DFW
Programs: AA PlatPro, AS
Posts: 142
Loyalty points have been posting fine for me. My wife had some issues flying to and from CZM with her sister so AA gave her, without solicitation, some bonus segments towards the 30 segment amount. I tried to find where segments are tracked in my wife's AA account to see how many bonus segments she received and discovered that AA does not provide segment tracking anymore. Also, the account summary does not count miles earned outside of loyalty points. By way of example, we flew to Key West and paid for first call tickets. A group of women got on the plane highly intoxicated and one was thrown off before our lift off. We had to fly with the 2 other women sitting right in front of us and it was the worst flight I can remember. In any event, I emailed AA about what I witnessed about the justified eviction of the one woman in case AA needed a witness. AA gave me and my wife 5,000 miles but that transaction does not show up on my account activity. As an side, I did not ask for anything from AA but AA should have given us vouchers rather than the mileage since our first class seats were devalued by the women sitting in front of us.
Apr 16, 2022, 11:30 am
#3043
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 9
I'm sure this switch to Loyalty Points makes sense for AA and some elite fliers, but in my case it really making me question my loyalty. I have been gold or platinum for the last 12 years, have about 800k with AA. Business travel nearly went away during the pandemic but it's coming back big time. But they just bumped me down from Gold to nothing. I flew from LAX to Florida twice in the last few weeks; spent about $1k total and got 5700 loyalty points. On two flights I got stuck in middle seats and couldn't even get an aisle or window. This year I figure I will spend $5-6k of company money for travel (and maybe $2k more of personal travel) and I don't feel like playing credit card gains. Seems like AA is making it awfully hard for me to get something positive out of that spend. I go to Europe for work a couple times a year and typically choose a less convenient option to get points. Not sure why I should go through that any longer. So I can get an upgrade on every other 2 hour flight?
Apr 16, 2022, 1:29 pm
#3044
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
I'm sure this switch to Loyalty Points makes sense for AA and some elite fliers, but in my case it really making me question my loyalty. I have been gold or platinum for the last 12 years, have about 800k with AA. Business travel nearly went away during the pandemic but it's coming back big time. But they just bumped me down from Gold to nothing. I flew from LAX to Florida twice in the last few weeks; spent about $1k total and got 5700 loyalty points. On two flights I got stuck in middle seats and couldn't even get an aisle or window. This year I figure I will spend $5-6k of company money for travel (and maybe $2k more of personal travel) and I don't feel like playing credit card gains. Seems like AA is making it awfully hard for me to get something positive out of that spend. I go to Europe for work a couple times a year and typically choose a less convenient option to get points. Not sure why I should go through that any longer. So I can get an upgrade on every other 2 hour flight?
The bottom line is that AA is encouraging you to do business with their partners, because it's profitable for them when you do so. If you choose not to do that, it's going to be a lot tougher. Every loyalty program rewards different behaviors differently. You need to decide if you want to do the things that are worth a lot in the new program.
