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
Dec 29, 2023, 1:27 pm
#4246
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: PHL, NYC
Programs: AA PLT, DL SLV, UA SLV, MR LTT, HH DIA
Posts: 10,069
I have been AA Gold for quite a while. I have re-earned Gold for 2024 and will likely achieve Platinum in a few weeks. My question is about the duration of the status. My understanding is that you maintain your status for one year. In the case of AA, now ending in February. However, when I log into my account, it shows:
AAdvantage Gold®
Valid through Mar 31, 2027
Is this accurate? Will I maintain Gold status through 2027, regardless of how many Loyalty Points I earn?
Happy New Year!
AAdvantage Gold®
Valid through Mar 31, 2027
Is this accurate? Will I maintain Gold status through 2027, regardless of how many Loyalty Points I earn?
Happy New Year!
Dec 30, 2023, 12:22 am
#4247
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Everywhere
Programs: AA EXP - 3.7MM, Bonv LIFETIME Titan, HH Dmd, Hyatt Glob., Priority Clb Dmd, Ntnl Exec El., Sixt PLT
Posts: 1,680
If not hotels then shopping portal - this time of year lots of major retailers (eg Macy's, Best Buy) are periodically offering 10x LPs for a day, you need to monitor closely. There have also been a couple of "double dip" opportunities via Simply Miles lately. Finally, depending on how long ago you crossed the 100k threshold, all three of the above may have a 30% LP bonus attached.
Dec 30, 2023, 5:09 am
#4248
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Washington, D.C.
Programs: AA, but I play the field
Posts: 1,440
I gather the offers vary a lot among different people, but I currently see eg, lots of the wine clubs that are regularly on the portal, Stitch Fix, Harry&David, Best Buy just to name a few. The LPs don't always seem super high at first glance, but when you combine the SM and portal offers - and in my case a 30% bonus for each - the incremental earnings can be useful. Eg, I recently spent approx $180 on a gift subscription to Ancestry.com that yielded 2824 LPs from the portal plus 2,245 from SM.
Dec 30, 2023, 12:59 pm
#4249
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: TUS
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 489
I gather the offers vary a lot among different people, but I currently see eg, lots of the wine clubs that are regularly on the portal, Stitch Fix, Harry&David, Best Buy just to name a few. The LPs don't always seem super high at first glance, but when you combine the SM and portal offers - and in my case a 30% bonus for each - the incremental earnings can be useful. Eg, I recently spent approx $180 on a gift subscription to Ancestry.com that yielded 2824 LPs from the portal plus 2,245 from SM.
Jan 29, 2024, 2:15 pm
#4251
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Jamison, PA
Programs: AA Platinum Pro
Posts: 288
One leg in February and 2nd leg in March
From AA (this evening)....regarding credit cards:
What has changed?
The Loyalty Points you earn on AAdvantage® credit card* purchases between March 1 and the end of February of the following year count toward the current status qualification year.
This means you can earn Loyalty Points through February 29, 2024, instead of your last statement close date of the qualification year.
As an example, if your monthly AAdvantage® credit card statement closes on March 5 (which includes purchases posted to your credit card account between February 6 and March 5), all the Loyalty Points earned from purchases made between February 6 through 29 will count toward 2024 status. All Loyalty Points earned between March 1 and 5 count toward the 2025 qualification year.
What has changed?
The Loyalty Points you earn on AAdvantage® credit card* purchases between March 1 and the end of February of the following year count toward the current status qualification year.
This means you can earn Loyalty Points through February 29, 2024, instead of your last statement close date of the qualification year.
As an example, if your monthly AAdvantage® credit card statement closes on March 5 (which includes purchases posted to your credit card account between February 6 and March 5), all the Loyalty Points earned from purchases made between February 6 through 29 will count toward 2024 status. All Loyalty Points earned between March 1 and 5 count toward the 2025 qualification year.
thanks!
Jan 29, 2024, 2:17 pm
#4252
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: ORD/LHR
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K, 1MM, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,304
Just looking to confirm, I’m looking to book a flight in late February and one leg would be last week of February and return would be 1st week in March. Pretty sure it would credit to the 23/24 status since that’s when I purchased and started the flight. OR would one leg post for 23/24 and 2nd leg for next status year?
thanks!
thanks!
Feb 2, 2024, 3:52 pm
#4254
Join Date: Feb 2024
Posts: 1
Do LPs not posting until May 2024 count for 2023 250K LPR?
I'm new to chasing/optimizing LPs and new to this forum, so I hope I'm posting this in the right place.
I booked some Viator activities on 1/15/24 through Aadvantageeshopping, but it looks like the approx 12K of LPs won't post until after the Viator activities happen in May 2024. If it's true that the LPs will post with a January 2024 date, those LPs should be enough to get me to the 250K LPR threshold during the 2023 earning period ending on 2/29/24. Does anybody know if I would still be awarded the LPRs for the 250K threshold as late as May 2024 when these late-arriving LPs actually post? I'm trying to be strategic about my spend, and I don't want to waste any additional spend toward the 250K LPR threshold if those late-posting LPs from the Viator purchase won't count toward the current earning period. Would they maybe count for the 2024 LP earning period instead, or would they maybe just be lame-duck LPs in terms of status? Thanks for any insights!
I booked some Viator activities on 1/15/24 through Aadvantageeshopping, but it looks like the approx 12K of LPs won't post until after the Viator activities happen in May 2024. If it's true that the LPs will post with a January 2024 date, those LPs should be enough to get me to the 250K LPR threshold during the 2023 earning period ending on 2/29/24. Does anybody know if I would still be awarded the LPRs for the 250K threshold as late as May 2024 when these late-arriving LPs actually post? I'm trying to be strategic about my spend, and I don't want to waste any additional spend toward the 250K LPR threshold if those late-posting LPs from the Viator purchase won't count toward the current earning period. Would they maybe count for the 2024 LP earning period instead, or would they maybe just be lame-duck LPs in terms of status? Thanks for any insights!
Feb 6, 2024, 6:49 pm
#4255
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,028
Well I reached the 250K LP level yesterday by flying for work so I don't need my rocketmiles hotel res. Anyway I chose the SWU (2) and the other option I'm looking at choosing is either 30K Advantage miles or $250 trip credit. What do you think is more valuable?
Feb 6, 2024, 9:17 pm
#4257
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,314
I'm new to chasing/optimizing LPs and new to this forum, so I hope I'm posting this in the right place.
I booked some Viator activities on 1/15/24 through Aadvantageeshopping, but it looks like the approx 12K of LPs won't post until after the Viator activities happen in May 2024. If it's true that the LPs will post with a January 2024 date, those LPs should be enough to get me to the 250K LPR threshold during the 2023 earning period ending on 2/29/24. Does anybody know if I would still be awarded the LPRs for the 250K threshold as late as May 2024 when these late-arriving LPs actually post? I'm trying to be strategic about my spend, and I don't want to waste any additional spend toward the 250K LPR threshold if those late-posting LPs from the Viator purchase won't count toward the current earning period. Would they maybe count for the 2024 LP earning period instead, or would they maybe just be lame-duck LPs in terms of status? Thanks for any insights!
I booked some Viator activities on 1/15/24 through Aadvantageeshopping, but it looks like the approx 12K of LPs won't post until after the Viator activities happen in May 2024. If it's true that the LPs will post with a January 2024 date, those LPs should be enough to get me to the 250K LPR threshold during the 2023 earning period ending on 2/29/24. Does anybody know if I would still be awarded the LPRs for the 250K threshold as late as May 2024 when these late-arriving LPs actually post? I'm trying to be strategic about my spend, and I don't want to waste any additional spend toward the 250K LPR threshold if those late-posting LPs from the Viator purchase won't count toward the current earning period. Would they maybe count for the 2024 LP earning period instead, or would they maybe just be lame-duck LPs in terms of status? Thanks for any insights!
Feb 7, 2024, 4:25 am
#4258
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,483
Just being nitpicky but this is really a question for AAdvantage Customer Service, not the EXP Desk.
It will be interesting to see how AA handles the few cases where a delayed posting causes someone to cross over a rewards threshold after 3/31.
It will be interesting to see how AA handles the few cases where a delayed posting causes someone to cross over a rewards threshold after 3/31.
Feb 24, 2024, 4:42 pm
#4260
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 79
Very good question. Did anyone find out?