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
May 26, 2022, 12:53 pm
#3226
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP 1MM, DL PM, Bonvoy Titanium (Plat Life), HH G, Amtrak, B6, MR
Posts: 1,548
May 26, 2022, 12:59 pm
#3229
formerly DreAAmliner
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 419
May 26, 2022, 1:21 pm
#3230
Join Date: May 2008
Location: PHL (kinda, no airport is really close)
Programs: AA Exp, but not sure for how long. Enterprise Platinum woo-hoo!
Posts: 4,550
I don’t know how to MS virtual gift cards, but I buy them with an AA credit card to earn 1000 LP per $250, and then use them to pay utilities, insurance, or make online purchases that would normally be unbonused. They are also good for Amazon spend, which would normally earn 5 cents cashback from me. For now I’d rather have the points, at some point I may decide I have enough and switch back to cashback.
Unfortunately they can’t be used for recurring purchases on Chewy, so I can’t use them for my crazy-expensive cat food. And if you can’t split a charge the $250 max can be a pain. But in general it’s a free way to generate excess LPs. 4 LP per $ is better for me than the 2 MR per $ I normally earn on unbonused spend. It’s worse than a good signup bonus though, so I try to balance it.
Unfortunately they can’t be used for recurring purchases on Chewy, so I can’t use them for my crazy-expensive cat food. And if you can’t split a charge the $250 max can be a pain. But in general it’s a free way to generate excess LPs. 4 LP per $ is better for me than the 2 MR per $ I normally earn on unbonused spend. It’s worse than a good signup bonus though, so I try to balance it.
The problem with your method is losing the basic benefits from the bills you pay (not bonus categories but even a basic 2% CB) and having to track card balances and liquidate cards with small amounts.
One of the better suggestions I've seen is to buy AA gift cards with the eGC's. Of course then you lose the bonus points from the card you could otherwise use, which if an Amex Plat could be considerable.
My MS methods depend either on minor subtrefuge (buying MO's at a grocery store in a way that doesn't make them suspicious) or having a very friendly Walmart nearby.
If you have a minimum spend for a SUB, you can use the affected card to buy GC's. I just did that; I had to spend $10K in 3 months and probably half of that was CG purchases.
May 26, 2022, 2:13 pm
#3231
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
As for liqiidating small amounts, not letting them TOO small and then dumping into store gift cards is a good method. Target has a $5 minimum and can be bought for any amount, not limited to whole dollar amounts (so if you have $5.16 left on a card you can buy a $5.16 Target GC online and attach it to your account). I'm not sure what the Amazon minimum is; I usually use Target since I spend enough at Target that I know I'll use it, but not so much that it's worthwhile for me to get the red card (and so my target spend is unbonused)
May 26, 2022, 2:33 pm
#3232
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP 1MM, DL PM, Bonvoy Titanium (Plat Life), HH G, Amtrak, B6, MR
Posts: 1,548
If you value 2% CB over 1 LP & RDM you can just use the CB card to buy the GC. You get the portal miles and the giftcards.com site credit; the card you use for unbonused spend is an independent decision.
As for liqiidating small amounts, not letting them TOO small and then dumping into store gift cards is a good method. Target has a $5 minimum and can be bought for any amount, not limited to whole dollar amounts (so if you have $5.16 left on a card you can buy a $5.16 Target GC online and attach it to your account). I'm not sure what the Amazon minimum is; I usually use Target since I spend enough at Target that I know I'll use it, but not so much that it's worthwhile for me to get the red card (and so my target spend is unbonused)
As for liqiidating small amounts, not letting them TOO small and then dumping into store gift cards is a good method. Target has a $5 minimum and can be bought for any amount, not limited to whole dollar amounts (so if you have $5.16 left on a card you can buy a $5.16 Target GC online and attach it to your account). I'm not sure what the Amazon minimum is; I usually use Target since I spend enough at Target that I know I'll use it, but not so much that it's worthwhile for me to get the red card (and so my target spend is unbonused)
May 26, 2022, 3:45 pm
#3233
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: DCA
Programs: AA EXP 1MM, WOH Globalist
Posts: 1,160
In my experience, Amazon Reload is the best way to liquidate small balances on GCs with no fee. The minimum is $0.50. Yes, I tried to add a card with a $0.26 balance and spent 10 minutes of my life that I will never get back trying to make it work.
May 26, 2022, 4:17 pm
#3234
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2012
Programs: AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Delta Silver Medallion, Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador
Posts: 14,104
I just hit Platinum on AA (with spend on my Citi Exec card, where I have shifted most of our bills and spending to). We have flown one RT on AA this year, with two more scheduled. It's becoming our airline of choice, because we now live in AA territory, but it's funny how the change to LP made it possible to hit Platinum before doing much flying at all.
May 26, 2022, 6:30 pm
#3236
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
May 26, 2022, 6:31 pm
#3237
Join Date: May 2008
Location: PHL (kinda, no airport is really close)
Programs: AA Exp, but not sure for how long. Enterprise Platinum woo-hoo!
Posts: 4,550
Harvard has been described as a hedge fund with a university attached. AA can be descrbed at this point as a credit card company with an airline subsidiary.
May 26, 2022, 6:34 pm
#3238
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
May 26, 2022, 7:25 pm
#3239
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,666
Many bill options have that, too. Phone bills, cable/internet, electric, Starbucks, Uber, etc. Just load up your account funds for future payments....
May 27, 2022, 7:33 am
#3240
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,005