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
Jun 22, 2022, 6:54 am
#3331
Join Date: Dec 2019
Programs: AA: Exec Plat; AC: 75K; JX: Explorer; HH: Dia; Bonvoy: Gold; Wyndham: Dia
Posts: 299
Jun 23, 2022, 9:03 pm
#3333
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Vail, CO
Programs: AA EXP/1mm, Marriott Titanium/LT Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 626
Does anyone know if you hit higher rewards tiers does the timing matter when you can pick your awards? I am on pace to hit 350k LPs around the new year and want to go the SWU route but dont want to be forced to pick ones on 12.30.22 expiring in a year. Should I wait until after 1.1.23 to be safe or would the date to pick by be 12.30.23 regardless? Any help much appreciated!
Jun 23, 2022, 9:37 pm
#3334
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,159
Does anyone know if you hit higher rewards tiers does the timing matter when you can pick your awards? I am on pace to hit 350k LPs around the new year and want to go the SWU route but dont want to be forced to pick ones on 12.30.22 expiring in a year. Should I wait until after 1.1.23 to be safe or would the date to pick by be 12.30.23 regardless? Any help much appreciated!
Sorry, correct answer from VegasGambler below. AA has made the deadline earlier.
Last edited by FlyingEgghead; Jun 24, 2022 at 12:16 am
Jun 23, 2022, 10:19 pm
#3335
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Does anyone know if you hit higher rewards tiers does the timing matter when you can pick your awards? I am on pace to hit 350k LPs around the new year and want to go the SWU route but dont want to be forced to pick ones on 12.30.22 expiring in a year. Should I wait until after 1.1.23 to be safe or would the date to pick by be 12.30.23 regardless? Any help much appreciated!
Starting March 1, 2022, once you qualify for Loyalty Choice Rewards, you can choose your reward any time between the date you qualify and March 30, 2023. This gives you the flexibility to decide when to choose your reward, based on when you want to use it.
For example, if you qualify in May 2022, your membership year is valid through February 2024. That means you’ll have until March 30, 2023, to choose your reward. If you have more than one reward choice, you can choose one after qualifying and the other later, or both rewards later. It’s up to you.
Jun 24, 2022, 11:37 am
#3336
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Vail, CO
Programs: AA EXP/1mm, Marriott Titanium/LT Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 626
https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...ce-rewards.jsp.
Starting March 1, 2022, once you qualify for Loyalty Choice Rewards, you can choose your reward any time between the date you qualify and March 30, 2023. This gives you the flexibility to decide when to choose your reward, based on when you want to use it.
For example, if you qualify in May 2022, your membership year is valid through February 2024. That means you’ll have until March 30, 2023, to choose your reward. If you have more than one reward choice, you can choose one after qualifying and the other later, or both rewards later. It’s up to you.
Starting March 1, 2022, once you qualify for Loyalty Choice Rewards, you can choose your reward any time between the date you qualify and March 30, 2023. This gives you the flexibility to decide when to choose your reward, based on when you want to use it.
For example, if you qualify in May 2022, your membership year is valid through February 2024. That means you’ll have until March 30, 2023, to choose your reward. If you have more than one reward choice, you can choose one after qualifying and the other later, or both rewards later. It’s up to you.
Jun 24, 2022, 12:46 pm
#3337
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
I wonder what happens if, due to the backdating of some LPs, you reach a threshold after March 30 (but backdated before March 1)
For example, bAAh hotel stays get backdated to the booking date, but don't post until after your stay. And miles from the shopping portal get backdated to the purchase date but sometimes don't post until months later (either due to the terms of the offer, or due to a technical issue). So it's certainly possible that there are LPs that are dated in January or February but don't actually post until April or May (or later)
For example, bAAh hotel stays get backdated to the booking date, but don't post until after your stay. And miles from the shopping portal get backdated to the purchase date but sometimes don't post until months later (either due to the terms of the offer, or due to a technical issue). So it's certainly possible that there are LPs that are dated in January or February but don't actually post until April or May (or later)
Jun 24, 2022, 1:03 pm
#3338
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: SBA
Programs: AA EXP || AA Lifetime Plat closing in on 4MM
Posts: 165
For the life of me I can't find my segments flown on the website or the app. This is the first time I went to check on them since the program changed. Are we supposed to track them manually or are they hidden somewhere on the website?
Jun 24, 2022, 1:07 pm
#3339
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
I guess they consider the loyalty choice awards to be a promotion?? It seems like they could have put it on the activity page instead...
Jun 24, 2022, 1:19 pm
#3340
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: SBA
Programs: AA EXP || AA Lifetime Plat closing in on 4MM
Posts: 165
Thanks, that was driving me crazy! I knew they had to be somewhere.
Jun 24, 2022, 3:19 pm
#3341
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,666
Or they are in the promotion page so they can be slashed easily when the promotion ends...
Jul 3, 2022, 3:27 am
#3342
Join Date: May 2014
Location: LAX | BUR
Posts: 34
Jul 3, 2022, 3:55 pm
#3343
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 532
Home Depot is not worth it IMO; only 0.5 miles per dollar on all but one category ("home improvement"). There's no indication anywhere of what falls into what category.
Be sure to buy Lowe's or Home Depot gift cards on giftcards.com (no fee and 1% site credit). They are digital cards that can be used online or scanned at the register. So that's 3 miles + 1% in addition to whatever your credit card earns.
Additionally you can use those gift cards online after clicking through the portal. My experience is that they earn miles on Home Depot (again, only 0.5 per dollar though) despite warnings that purchases made with gift cards "may not" earn miles. Honestly for an extra 0.5 miles it's not worth the hassle IMO. Just show up at the store with a bunch of screenshots of GCs that you bought on giftscards.com
I have not tried this double dip for Lowe's; I only used their gcs in-store. I would try with a small purchase first if you are going to do it. And read the terms at the bottom of the page; it will tell you about any exclusions.
Be sure to buy Lowe's or Home Depot gift cards on giftcards.com (no fee and 1% site credit). They are digital cards that can be used online or scanned at the register. So that's 3 miles + 1% in addition to whatever your credit card earns.
Additionally you can use those gift cards online after clicking through the portal. My experience is that they earn miles on Home Depot (again, only 0.5 per dollar though) despite warnings that purchases made with gift cards "may not" earn miles. Honestly for an extra 0.5 miles it's not worth the hassle IMO. Just show up at the store with a bunch of screenshots of GCs that you bought on giftscards.com
I have not tried this double dip for Lowe's; I only used their gcs in-store. I would try with a small purchase first if you are going to do it. And read the terms at the bottom of the page; it will tell you about any exclusions.
Jul 3, 2022, 6:41 pm
#3344
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,388
AT&T is back up to 6200 miles. I had bought one at 3700; I bought another one at 6200.
I just noticed that the small print says the miles will be awarded 3 months after purchase.
Neither my Verizon nor my earlier AT&T purchase are tracking yet. Also not tracking is my Bright Cellars purchase. If nothing shows by Monday, I will send an email to customer service.
I just noticed that the small print says the miles will be awarded 3 months after purchase.
Neither my Verizon nor my earlier AT&T purchase are tracking yet. Also not tracking is my Bright Cellars purchase. If nothing shows by Monday, I will send an email to customer service.
Fortune favors the annoyingly pushy.
(The Verizon miles had already posted back in March.)
Jul 4, 2022, 8:11 am
#3345
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 706