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
Feb 4, 2022, 7:04 am
#1921
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: DCA
Programs: UA LT 1K, AA EXP, Bonvoy LT Titan, Avis PC, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,658
I have a 2021 spreadsheet tracking through Feb 28, and a 2022 starting Jan 1.
Feb 4, 2022, 7:12 am
#1922
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,389
Verizon and AT&T
So I sent in a missing miles request for Verizon to eShopping. Let's see how they respond.
I also need them to look into the near-identical AT&T promo. Unfortunately I never received a receipt for either of my AT&T prepaid plan purchases; just an email saying "your order is being processed" with no details. Also I've been charged only for the SIM card but not for the plan. Anyone else having this issue? eShopping is requesting a copy of the receipt but there doesn't seem to be a way to get one.
I also need them to look into the near-identical AT&T promo. Unfortunately I never received a receipt for either of my AT&T prepaid plan purchases; just an email saying "your order is being processed" with no details. Also I've been charged only for the SIM card but not for the plan. Anyone else having this issue? eShopping is requesting a copy of the receipt but there doesn't seem to be a way to get one.
Feb 4, 2022, 7:32 am
#1923
Join Date: Dec 2019
Programs: AA: Exec Plat; AC: 75K; JX: Explorer; HH: Dia; Bonvoy: Gold; Wyndham: Dia
Posts: 299
Don't expect to see them on March 1. The 4Q20 EQD/EQM/EQS rollover into 2021 didn't post until 1/8/21 *and this was for the same scoring system*. Anyone taking bets as to when the Jan-Feb 22 LPs will actually post?
Feb 4, 2022, 7:52 am
#1924
Join Date: Sep 2020
Programs: AA EXP, BA Gold, VS Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,947
So I sent in a missing miles request for Verizon to eShopping. Let's see how they respond.
I also need them to look into the near-identical AT&T promo. Unfortunately I never received a receipt for either of my AT&T prepaid plan purchases; just an email saying "your order is being processed" with no details. Also I've been charged only for the SIM card but not for the plan. Anyone else having this issue? eShopping is requesting a copy of the receipt but there doesn't seem to be a way to get one.
I also need them to look into the near-identical AT&T promo. Unfortunately I never received a receipt for either of my AT&T prepaid plan purchases; just an email saying "your order is being processed" with no details. Also I've been charged only for the SIM card but not for the plan. Anyone else having this issue? eShopping is requesting a copy of the receipt but there doesn't seem to be a way to get one.
Feb 4, 2022, 7:59 am
#1925
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 343
Feb 4, 2022, 8:02 am
#1926
Join Date: Sep 2020
Programs: AA EXP, BA Gold, VS Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,947
Same. I went back to AA Shopping multiple times to try to explain. Each time they just said "send us the receipt or we can't help you".
Feb 4, 2022, 8:06 am
#1927
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 265
DP: Signed up for Motley Fool last year using the Amex offer (I forget but it was something like spend $100 at TMF, get $100 back, so it was effectively free) and got 7,400 points through the shopping portal. That year expired about a week ago so I just signed up again a few days ago using a new TMF account but the same shopping portal account. Also made sure to sign up for the SimplyMiles bonus and use a card linked to that. 7,400 miles from the shopping portal added to my AA account as of this morning. Still nothing from SimplyMiles, and from TMF's statement to FrequentMiler I'd be shocked if I got anything lol. Still, "only" getting 7,400 miles (and hopefully LP) for $100 isn't a bad deal.
I'm thinking it'll be a similar timeframe, about a week, maybe even a bit longer. Unless their system has been simultaneously tracking both EQD/EQM/EQS and LP since January 1st (which is extremely unlikely), they're going to want to wait at least a day or two for any 'pending' matters from the end of February to post, and then will likely need to run a database query and (if they're smart) double check it for any obvious errors and/or outliers (if it was me, the first thing I'd do is sort the new LP list and make sure no one is somehow getting like 1m+ LP lol since that almost certainly indicates an error somewhere). I've mentioned this before, but like that Q4 rollover, I also expect to see a single LP 'dump' into everyone's accounts as opposed to an itemized list. I'd love to be wrong on this because I want people to have a chance to audit their own data, but I'd be surprised if it happens.
I also had the clawback from Babylist. I'm curious to see what happens. I hadn't submitted a ticket myself because I saw Babylist had delisted themselves from the shopping portal so I assumed they had just given up and that the shopping portal CS wouldn't really be able to do anything, but I just checked and they've re-added themselves, though only giving 2 miles per $ instead of what was effectively a SUB. Maybe I will submit a ticket in a day or two and see what happens.
I also had the clawback from Babylist. I'm curious to see what happens. I hadn't submitted a ticket myself because I saw Babylist had delisted themselves from the shopping portal so I assumed they had just given up and that the shopping portal CS wouldn't really be able to do anything, but I just checked and they've re-added themselves, though only giving 2 miles per $ instead of what was effectively a SUB. Maybe I will submit a ticket in a day or two and see what happens.
Feb 4, 2022, 8:25 am
#1928
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,533
I'm thinking it'll be a similar timeframe, about a week, maybe even a bit longer. Unless their system has been simultaneously tracking both EQD/EQM/EQS and LP since January 1st (which is extremely unlikely), they're going to want to wait at least a day or two for any 'pending' matters from the end of February to post, and then will likely need to run a database query and (if they're smart) double check it for any obvious errors and/or outliers.
Cheers.
Feb 4, 2022, 8:37 am
#1929
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AA EXP, IHG Diamond, IC Amb
Posts: 5,510
Feb 4, 2022, 8:44 am
#1930
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 265
I'd like to think that they actually are tracking the LPs in parallel now and using this as a two month Beta test of the system in offline state to shake things out. It would be prudent software development practice. Well, I did say I'd like to think that they're doing this
Cheers.
Cheers.
Feb 4, 2022, 8:51 am
#1931
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: DCA
Programs: UA LT 1K, AA EXP, Bonvoy LT Titan, Avis PC, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,658
The total EQD value on Feb 28th, doesn't count or add anything to redeemable LP points on March 1st.
Dollars spend on Barclay card starting Jan 1st, 2022 through Feb 28, 2023- will be used for the $50K spend for the tiered 15K LP bonus.
Say you have 12K EQD on Feb 28th and have earned 20K LP from Jan 1 - Feb 28, 2022. Then your 12 month rolling LP on March 1 would be the sum for a start of 32K rolling LP. But your earned LP amount on March for RDM will only be 20K LP.
Some of us are hoping that there would be some kind of Elite bonus adjustment to the EQD balance on Feb 28 for the 12 month rolling LP for Upgrades (since LPs and rolling LPs will include the Elite bonus), but if you take the LP FAQs literally, it doesn't appear that it would.
Feb 4, 2022, 9:31 am
#1933
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,389
In the interest of science, I went ahead and wasted $75 to buy 2K AA miles at the exorbitant rate of 3.75¢/RDM (I tend to do stupid things like that just to satisfy my curiosity). I was expecting them to post as base miles as they did last year but they actually posted as bonus miles (although interestingly, the caption says "Buy Miles Base").
This gives me additional hope that everything that's posting as base miles will convert to LPs, as VegasGambler has steadfastly maintained.
Feb 4, 2022, 11:37 am
#1934
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: DCA
Programs: UA LT 1K, AA EXP, Bonvoy LT Titan, Avis PC, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,658
You called it.
In the interest of science, I went ahead and wasted $75 to buy 2K AA miles at the exorbitant rate of 3.75¢/RDM (I tend to do stupid things like that just to satisfy my curiosity). I was expecting them to post as base miles as they did last year but they actually posted as bonus miles (although interestingly, the caption says "Buy Miles Base").
This gives me additional hope that everything that's posting as base miles will convert to LPs, as VegasGambler has steadfastly maintained.
In the interest of science, I went ahead and wasted $75 to buy 2K AA miles at the exorbitant rate of 3.75¢/RDM (I tend to do stupid things like that just to satisfy my curiosity). I was expecting them to post as base miles as they did last year but they actually posted as bonus miles (although interestingly, the caption says "Buy Miles Base").
This gives me additional hope that everything that's posting as base miles will convert to LPs, as VegasGambler has steadfastly maintained.
Feb 4, 2022, 11:43 am
#1935
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
I'd like to think that they actually are tracking the LPs in parallel now and using this as a two month Beta test of the system in offline state to shake things out. It would be prudent software development practice. Well, I did say I'd like to think that they're doing this
Cheers.
Cheers.