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
Sep 21, 2022, 1:25 pm
#3601
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: District of Columbia
Programs: AA ExecPl, AT Gold, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Diamond, Hilton Diamond, National
Posts: 2,440
Apologies if this has been addressed ad nauseum – i searched this thread and didn't find reference but I might have missed it in the 1000s of posts.
I flew paid first (I fare) on Alaska LAX-SJC and credited to AAdvantage. I was surprised to receive only 709 LPs. It seems the LPs were based on the 308 miles actually flown (308 flown + 247 status[PRO] and 154 cabin) rather than on a 500-mile minimum. I had assumed that 500 mile minimum would apply and was expecting 1200 LPs. In the end, the segment is more important than an additional ~500 LPs since I'm going for Bonsai EXP this year and hitting 30 segments is looming, but still surprised.
If not for wanting easy segments on AA and already hitting MVP Gold for 2022, this would definitely be a strong reason for crediting to AS instead of AA as it would have been 750 EQM on Alaska versus only 709 LPs on AA.
I flew paid first (I fare) on Alaska LAX-SJC and credited to AAdvantage. I was surprised to receive only 709 LPs. It seems the LPs were based on the 308 miles actually flown (308 flown + 247 status[PRO] and 154 cabin) rather than on a 500-mile minimum. I had assumed that 500 mile minimum would apply and was expecting 1200 LPs. In the end, the segment is more important than an additional ~500 LPs since I'm going for Bonsai EXP this year and hitting 30 segments is looming, but still surprised.
If not for wanting easy segments on AA and already hitting MVP Gold for 2022, this would definitely be a strong reason for crediting to AS instead of AA as it would have been 750 EQM on Alaska versus only 709 LPs on AA.
Sep 22, 2022, 5:07 am
#3602
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: US Airways, American Airlines, United
Posts: 224
With respect to American Airlines hotels, if you pick a hotel to book that does not list the base miles earned then how to you determine beforehand how many loyalty points you will earn from the stay? I have already made EXP status this year so I do not need any more loyalty points through February 28, 2023, so I assume I should wait until next March to book AA hotels for 2023 stays. Is this assumption correct?
Sep 22, 2022, 8:14 am
#3603
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,645
With respect to American Airlines hotels, if you pick a hotel to book that does not list the base miles earned then how to you determine beforehand how many loyalty points you will earn from the stay? I have already made EXP status this year so I do not need any more loyalty points through February 28, 2023, so I assume I should wait until next March to book AA hotels for 2023 stays. Is this assumption correct?
Sep 22, 2022, 10:07 am
#3604
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: US Airways, American Airlines, United
Posts: 224
What is the incentive then to book hotels through the American Airlines Hotels portal if you it does not show base miles meaning you do not earn anything? Surely AA gets something if you book through this portal.
Sep 22, 2022, 12:31 pm
#3605
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,312
BookAAhotels shows you a mixture of hotels that earn and those that DON'T earn. That way you can pick the hotel you want whether or not it earns miles and LPS.
Sep 22, 2022, 1:24 pm
#3606
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Chicago
Programs: AAdvantage EXP | United Silver | HH Diamond | Bonvoy Platinum | Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 718
ITs through booking.com so I suspect that the agreement is that some hotels are flagged in booking's system as (provide offer) and booking works with multiple partners and translates the monetary offer into the incentive - in this case AA miles. AA likely only gets paid when someone books a booking with miles, but gets revenue from certain bookings it otherwise wouldn't have. Might be nice if they offered something for hotels not offering a bonus.
Sep 22, 2022, 1:30 pm
#3607
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Chicago
Programs: AAdvantage EXP | United Silver | HH Diamond | Bonvoy Platinum | Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 718
It looks like around this time of year last year they announced the LP program, do we think any big announcements/changes are coming for 2023?
Sep 22, 2022, 2:51 pm
#3608
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,312
ITs through booking.com so I suspect that the agreement is that some hotels are flagged in booking's system as (provide offer) and booking works with multiple partners and translates the monetary offer into the incentive - in this case AA miles. AA likely only gets paid when someone books a booking with miles, but gets revenue from certain bookings it otherwise wouldn't have. Might be nice if they offered something for hotels not offering a bonus.
I have no idea how many companies are all under the same umbrella. It's so weird.
Sep 22, 2022, 3:05 pm
#3609
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Chicago
Programs: AAdvantage EXP | United Silver | HH Diamond | Bonvoy Platinum | Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 718
my last checkin, the hotel front desk person confirmed my bookAAhotels reservation "has been prepaid from Agoda" which I've seen (Agoda) as yet *another* booking site besides booking.com, kayak, expedia, travelocity, priceline etc.
I have no idea how many companies are all under the same umbrella. It's so weird.
I have no idea how many companies are all under the same umbrella. It's so weird.
Sep 29, 2022, 6:23 am
#3610
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: CMH, West Coast
Programs: AA Executive Platinum, oneworld emerald
Posts: 2,741
How far over 200k do I go?
That is the question. Going to hit EXP next weekend after an Alaska trip, so I'll have almost 5 months to keep accumulating if I want. There is zero chance I can hit 350k. Something like 250k+ is possible.
I assume that there will be a group of EXPs that once they hit 200k, they'll stop--switch to accumulating status on another airline, use another credit card, etc. because there's no obvious value until 350k. Question is, how big is that number?
If I get to like 205 or 210 and stop, I'd be putting myself ahead of the 200ks in the upgrade list. Good enough? I'm sure this is overthinking it, but it's FT after all.
That is the question. Going to hit EXP next weekend after an Alaska trip, so I'll have almost 5 months to keep accumulating if I want. There is zero chance I can hit 350k. Something like 250k+ is possible.
I assume that there will be a group of EXPs that once they hit 200k, they'll stop--switch to accumulating status on another airline, use another credit card, etc. because there's no obvious value until 350k. Question is, how big is that number?
If I get to like 205 or 210 and stop, I'd be putting myself ahead of the 200ks in the upgrade list. Good enough? I'm sure this is overthinking it, but it's FT after all.
Sep 29, 2022, 6:29 am
#3611
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,645
I say use your judgement about what is the best deal/rewards on every case, but keep collecting AA miles periodically and somewhat regularly, especially if you don't have to go out of your way much to do so. You are also collecting RDMs with it and adding to your rolling LPs...I am in the same position and will keep this approach. I am also going for the segments now in a series of monthly fall/winter short vacation trips booked with miles, so I want to keep the miles coming in, to some extent.
I also seem myself ending with around 250k, and I am already locked in for *A top status as well.
I also seem myself ending with around 250k, and I am already locked in for *A top status as well.
Last edited by nk15; Sep 29, 2022 at 6:38 am
Sep 29, 2022, 6:42 am
#3612
Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 256
Rolling LPs is probably more important than just making a particular number, at least for upgrades -- so for me, I am aiming for around 20-25K per month in LPs. 250K-300K per year?
I've done the math and losing out on some cashback doesn't come close to covering what it costs to pay to be up front on every trip.
I've done the math and losing out on some cashback doesn't come close to covering what it costs to pay to be up front on every trip.
Sep 29, 2022, 6:57 am
#3613
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,645
I also say it depends where you live. If in a competitive hub, rolling LPs will matter more, so it makes sense to keep it up more steadily.
I live in a non-hub mostly connecting via minor hubs, and/or flying weekends or midweeks on leisurely routes, and choose flights carefully, so I am almost guaranteed 100% upgrades.
I live in a non-hub mostly connecting via minor hubs, and/or flying weekends or midweeks on leisurely routes, and choose flights carefully, so I am almost guaranteed 100% upgrades.
Sep 29, 2022, 8:02 am
#3615
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: ATL
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 113
Yes, through the shopping portal. Both WSJ and Barron's are on there for 500 miles each, but keep in mind they've gone up to 1000+ in the past (I snagged both earlier this year for 1000 each), so might want to keep an eye out.