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
Mar 26, 2022, 5:24 pm
#2971
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP, Hyatt Glob, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, Total Wine & More Reserve
Posts: 4,500
Not since AA switched to LPs. But prior to that I earned EQM/EQD according to the partner earning charts on partner-marketed segments, even on AA tickets.
Mar 26, 2022, 7:16 pm
#2972
Join Date: May 2019
Programs: AA
Posts: 343
Mar 27, 2022, 11:42 pm
#2973
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: SF, CA, US
Programs: AA Plat Pro, UA MM Gold, HHonors Silver, Marriott Bonvoy Plat, IHG Ambassador
Posts: 1,236
Mar 28, 2022, 2:49 pm
#2975
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
When did you purchase? If it's backdated before Mar 1 the LP earned are technically promotional and will be a separate line item, possibly a day later
Mar 28, 2022, 4:12 pm
#2976
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Programs: American Executive Platinum
Posts: 368
Mar 29, 2022, 11:27 am
#2977
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: USA
Programs: AA-EXP; UA-Silver; Bonvoy-Titanium
Posts: 472
So now that it's much easier to rack up LPs via other means than flying, I've found myself not caring at all about LPs when I fly. For example, I don't buy up to a premium cabin (no cabin bonus) or justify a higher fare or a longer route for miles purposes. Instead, I'm chasing segments (not miles) when I fly so that I can hit the 30 segment mark by EOY.
With that in mind, any tricks to rack up these segments? Here are some questions that come to mind:
1. Do mileage award tickets earn segments? (I know they don't earn miles)
2. Do you earn segments on all partner flights? (I noticed that my recent Alaska Air flight counted as a segment)
3. If a one-way flight has a layover, does that count as one segment or two?
- I'm assuming it's one - which opens up the question of if it's ever worth booking two flights (one for each leg) when the price isn't much higher.
Thanks all
With that in mind, any tricks to rack up these segments? Here are some questions that come to mind:
1. Do mileage award tickets earn segments? (I know they don't earn miles)
2. Do you earn segments on all partner flights? (I noticed that my recent Alaska Air flight counted as a segment)
3. If a one-way flight has a layover, does that count as one segment or two?
- I'm assuming it's one - which opens up the question of if it's ever worth booking two flights (one for each leg) when the price isn't much higher.
Thanks all
Mar 29, 2022, 11:30 am
#2978
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,387
So now that it's much easier to rack up LPs via other means than flying, I've found myself not caring at all about LPs when I fly. For example, I don't buy up to a premium cabin (no cabin bonus) or justify a higher fare or a longer route for miles purposes. Instead, I'm chasing segments (not miles) when I fly so that I can hit the 30 segment mark by EOY.
With that in mind, any tricks to rack up these segments? Here are some questions that come to mind:
1. Do mileage award tickets earn segments? (I know they don't earn miles)
2. Do you earn segments on all partner flights? (I noticed that my recent Alaska Air flight counted as a segment)
3. If a one-way flight has a layover, does that count as one segment or two?
1. Do mileage award tickets earn segments? (I know they don't earn miles)
2. Do you earn segments on all partner flights? (I noticed that my recent Alaska Air flight counted as a segment)
3. If a one-way flight has a layover, does that count as one segment or two?
2. Yes.
3. Two if different flight nos., 1 if the same flight no.
Mar 29, 2022, 11:37 am
#2979
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: SAT
Programs: AA EXP/MM
Posts: 82
So now that it's much easier to rack up LPs via other means than flying, I've found myself not caring at all about LPs when I fly. For example, I don't buy up to a premium cabin (no cabin bonus) or justify a higher fare or a longer route for miles purposes. Instead, I'm chasing segments (not miles) when I fly so that I can hit the 30 segment mark by EOY.
With that in mind, any tricks to rack up these segments? Here are some questions that come to mind:
1. Do mileage award tickets earn segments? (I know they don't earn miles)
2. Do you earn segments on all partner flights? (I noticed that my recent Alaska Air flight counted as a segment)
3. If a one-way flight has a layover, does that count as one segment or two?
- I'm assuming it's one - which opens up the question of if it's ever worth booking two flights (one for each leg) when the price isn't much higher.
Thanks all
With that in mind, any tricks to rack up these segments? Here are some questions that come to mind:
1. Do mileage award tickets earn segments? (I know they don't earn miles)
2. Do you earn segments on all partner flights? (I noticed that my recent Alaska Air flight counted as a segment)
3. If a one-way flight has a layover, does that count as one segment or two?
- I'm assuming it's one - which opens up the question of if it's ever worth booking two flights (one for each leg) when the price isn't much higher.
Thanks all
Mar 29, 2022, 11:39 am
#2980
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,387
You don't get the Elite Rewards (or Loyalty Choice Rewards or whatever the heck they're called now) for PPRO and EXP if you don't complete 30 segments.
Mar 29, 2022, 11:46 am
#2981
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: USA
Programs: AA-EXP; UA-Silver; Bonvoy-Titanium
Posts: 472
And thank you for the answers, great to know there's some room to play. To expand on my first one, I'm assuming no upgrades on award tickets unless you are EXP correct? Still, flying F on award tickets just got a lot more interesting for me so thank you!
Mar 29, 2022, 11:55 am
#2982
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Midwest USA
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 591
I have a few thousand Avios left so I’ll be looking to do some segment runs later on in the year if I don’t hit those 30 segments before. I’ve seen some award flights for 5k Avios in the past with 4 to 6 segments RT. Couple of those over 2 weekends should put me over the top if needed.
Mar 29, 2022, 12:21 pm
#2983
Join Date: Dec 2019
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 89
That's exactly right. PPRO and EXP in my opinion now have very minimal value versus just Platinum. I mean, the only real benefit of EXP versus Platinum is a higher chance of an upgrade it seems (who cares about more bags) and upgrades on Alaska Air. That's very little add to ask one to earn an extra 125k LPs (75k versus 200k), unless you are earning those 30 segments which changes the calculus a lot.
And thank you for the answers, great to know there's some room to play. To expand on my first one, I'm assuming no upgrades on award tickets unless you are EXP correct? Still, flying F on award tickets just got a lot more interesting for me so thank you!
And thank you for the answers, great to know there's some room to play. To expand on my first one, I'm assuming no upgrades on award tickets unless you are EXP correct? Still, flying F on award tickets just got a lot more interesting for me so thank you!
Mar 29, 2022, 12:40 pm
#2984
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
That's exactly right. PPRO and EXP in my opinion now have very minimal value versus just Platinum. I mean, the only real benefit of EXP versus Platinum is a higher chance of an upgrade it seems (who cares about more bags) and upgrades on Alaska Air. That's very little add to ask one to earn an extra 125k LPs (75k versus 200k), unless you are earning those 30 segments which changes the calculus a lot.
And thank you for the answers, great to know there's some room to play. To expand on my first one, I'm assuming no upgrades on award tickets unless you are EXP correct? Still, flying F on award tickets just got a lot more interesting for me so thank you!
And thank you for the answers, great to know there's some room to play. To expand on my first one, I'm assuming no upgrades on award tickets unless you are EXP correct? Still, flying F on award tickets just got a lot more interesting for me so thank you!
Mar 29, 2022, 12:44 pm
#2985
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: SAT
Programs: AA EXP/MM
Posts: 82
Was that rule in place for 2021 travel (for 2022 qualification)? I requalified EXP in July last year (via cc spend & bonuses) while only flying a dozen or so segments. I did not receive any additional SWUs in my account at that time (I was still sitting on 4 of them earned back in 2019 and extended through this year, which I just burned in March). I was expecting something about Loyalty Choice Rewards (since they'd been announced already at that point, I believe), but I'd had better things to do than follow up on it . . .