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
Oct 29, 2021, 2:01 pm
#766
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,533
- If I fly Iberia and work pays for the ticket, I don't know yet how many LPs I would earn (but if unchanged from current chart, might be 20% of distance for discount PE).
- If I bought an AA vacation, LPs might not yet be known, and may depend on whether the fare code has a * or not.
.
- If I bought an AA vacation, LPs might not yet be known, and may depend on whether the fare code has a * or not.
.
So, for the IB case, you'd earn flight miles + 80% flight miles as PlatPro tier bonus. No cabin multiplier in this case. So, 1.8 x miles flown.
Believed to be similar for special fares as well.
(I had this same answer ready to post and forgot to hit "Submit"
)Cheers.
Oct 29, 2021, 2:16 pm
#767
Join Date: Nov 2010
Programs: AA PLT 3MM
Posts: 1,135
Oct 29, 2021, 2:25 pm
#768
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: San Diego
Programs: Plat Pro AAdvantage, but defected to BAEC
Posts: 1,222
I can see the logic. I have some BA J booked to start the year, and all my EU flying is on BA. So I am brushing up on the BAEC program to see if there is more value for me there, before I have to decide on AA's. While I believe I can make the LP's required for EP going forward, there are still too many unknowns for me to just shrug and sally forth.
As well as planning DXB, I also have a couple of trips booked in TATL J for next Summer. (Booked on 125 stock, crediting to AA) Under the new plan, even earning as EXP, these trips and 1 more next Christmas probably wouldn’t get me back to my usual PPRO (unless partner bookings are LP lucrative -haven’t seen any info on that yet).
In the end I opted for a LAX-JFK-LHR-DXB and return in F on BA. Net result is instant OWE in 7 days for a ticket that came in at $5,800. Once I achieve BA GOLD, I’ll switch the other two booked itineraries to credit BA (I’ll get to keep my seat assignments on the BA flights, rather than having to pay as a current blue) One of the currently booked itineraries nets 760 TP points, so halfway to BAEC gold for the next year on a fare that came in at just $1,750.
OK, no more AA upgrades for me, but in 18/19, I got upgraded 3 out of 20+ domestic flights and 2 of those were SAN-LAX puddle jumps where even golds cleared at their window. In exchange I get pretty much 100% lounge access if my domestic business travel ever picks up again. I also gain lounge access on the last leg of a LHR-MIA-LAX-SEA trip as the SEA flight departs at 6:30AM next day, so no access as an EXP.
Paging @QueenOfCoach... Goodbye cruel airline frequent flyer program! 😝
Oct 29, 2021, 2:38 pm
#770
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: AA Gold AAdvantage Elite, Rapids Reward
Posts: 38,321
Who wants move back to Delta or United?? Because AA frequent flyers program has been change. I won't be on AA after all! You won't earned the miles anymore! This is very bad!
Please sign the petition now!
Please sign the petition now!
Oct 29, 2021, 2:43 pm
#771
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: TX
Programs: Alaska, AA, Marriott
Posts: 943
Apparently you do, and we wish you luck in your travels on those carriers. And, for the record, AA didn't stop awarding redeemable miles. You still earn miles every flight.
Oct 29, 2021, 2:57 pm
#772
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,666
I have a bunch of Avios booked domestic AA flights. They are all in BA ticket stock but all AA coded. There are no BA codes anywhere on the ticket. So, who knows what will happen.
Oct 29, 2021, 3:05 pm
#773
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Annapolis, MD
Posts: 483
The person above mentioned infrequent travelers. Most of them don't even know what the EXP line or same-day standby or any of that is. Buying EXP Lite via Bask Bank and/or CC spend would essentially cost $2,000 to $4,000. For that amount, an infrequent traveler could usually buy up to domestic F or J for less money.
Oct 29, 2021, 3:15 pm
#774
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: D/FW, TX
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 428
I’ve been looking at all this since news broke… I have no idea how I would ever requalify for PLT PRO, which I will easily qualified for this year. Work does not under any circumstances allow travel in anything but Y and most of the tickets aren’t more than $400 and are always domestic. I do have an AA credit card but most of my major expenses aren’t CC eligible. Guess we will see….
Oct 29, 2021, 3:24 pm
#775
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: TX
Programs: Alaska, AA, Marriott
Posts: 943
Why would it "cost" you money to park $200k at Bask where you get 1 mile per dollar on deposit, vice parking that same amount at any other bank where you will get something like .2 cents ($.002) per dollar on deposit? If you don't value an AA mile at more than $.002 than you probably aren't much of a frequent flier, so the whole point is moot.
Oct 29, 2021, 3:25 pm
#776
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: NYC/PHX
Programs: IATA, Sabre, AvgeekAgent
Posts: 1,958
BA-issued tickets for AA-coded flights would still be "AA marketed". Whether AA intends to extend the segment qualification to partner issued awards still remains to be seen.
Last edited by NYC Flyer; Oct 29, 2021 at 3:27 pm Reason: clarif/grammar
Oct 29, 2021, 3:26 pm
#777
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: TX
Programs: Alaska, AA, Marriott
Posts: 943
Oct 29, 2021, 3:28 pm
#778
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: TX
Programs: Alaska, AA, Marriott
Posts: 943
I’ve been looking at all this since news broke… I have no idea how I would ever requalify for PLT PRO, which I will easily qualified for this year. Work does not under any circumstances allow travel in anything but Y and most of the tickets aren’t more than $400 and are always domestic. I do have an AA credit card but most of my major expenses aren’t CC eligible. Guess we will see….
Oct 29, 2021, 3:31 pm
#779
Join Date: Oct 2015
Programs: AA: EXP, 1MM Marriott: Ambassador, LTT
Posts: 407
Partner Vs. AA Ticket Forumlas
FWIW, here are some quick formulas for determining if an AA ticket or a partner ticket provides the most loyalty points: (These examples are for EXPs)
FWIW, since the status bonus is highly correlated for both AA and Partner flights, the class of fare multiplier is typically the most important determinant in whether it makes sense to fly on a partner ticket. The higher the class of fare bonus, the more likely the partner flight generates more loyalty points than a AA ticket.
To find out the highest fare you should pay for a specific routing and still get more loyalty points on a partner ticket:
For an EXP in BA Discount J (25% bonus): Divide the route milage by 1122.45 and multiply by $250 or MILES/1122.45*250.
The result is the highest base fare + carrier fees you should pay for a partner ticket for a given distance. Anything lower generates more loyalty points flying on the partner than flying on an AA ticket, anything higher generates less loyalty points than flying on an AA ticket. For PE (10% class bonus), just use 1195.65 instead of 1122.45.
This formula is best to use when you know your route and want to see if you should fly a partner or AA on that route.
To find out the shortest distance you can fly for a given fare amount and still get more loyalty points on a partner ticket
For an EXP in BA Discount J (25% bonus): Divide the base fare + airline fees by 250 and then and multiply by 1122.45 or FARE/250*1122.45.
The result is the shortest distance you can fly at a given fare and still get more loyalty points than flying on an AA ticket. Anything longer generates more loyalty points on the partner ticket than flying on an AA ticket, anything shorter generates less loyalty points than flying on an AA ticket. For PE (10% class bonus), just use 1195.65 instead of 1122.45.
This formula would be used if you were trying to maximize the # of loyalty points per dollar spent.
Since both partner and AA loyalty points are generated by simple linear equations you can create similar simplified formulas for any combination of status/class of service (for example the coefficient for Platinum's flying PE is 1176.47) and a single equation for all possible scenarios although it would more complex than the ones listed here.For an EXP in BA Discount J (25% bonus): Divide the route milage by 1122.45 and multiply by $250 or MILES/1122.45*250.
The result is the highest base fare + carrier fees you should pay for a partner ticket for a given distance. Anything lower generates more loyalty points flying on the partner than flying on an AA ticket, anything higher generates less loyalty points than flying on an AA ticket. For PE (10% class bonus), just use 1195.65 instead of 1122.45.
This formula is best to use when you know your route and want to see if you should fly a partner or AA on that route.
To find out the shortest distance you can fly for a given fare amount and still get more loyalty points on a partner ticket
For an EXP in BA Discount J (25% bonus): Divide the base fare + airline fees by 250 and then and multiply by 1122.45 or FARE/250*1122.45.
The result is the shortest distance you can fly at a given fare and still get more loyalty points than flying on an AA ticket. Anything longer generates more loyalty points on the partner ticket than flying on an AA ticket, anything shorter generates less loyalty points than flying on an AA ticket. For PE (10% class bonus), just use 1195.65 instead of 1122.45.
This formula would be used if you were trying to maximize the # of loyalty points per dollar spent.
FWIW, since the status bonus is highly correlated for both AA and Partner flights, the class of fare multiplier is typically the most important determinant in whether it makes sense to fly on a partner ticket. The higher the class of fare bonus, the more likely the partner flight generates more loyalty points than a AA ticket.
Oct 29, 2021, 3:38 pm
#780
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: NYC/PHX
Programs: IATA, Sabre, AvgeekAgent
Posts: 1,958
It's simply not accurate to construe that BA writing a ticket for AA-coded services makes BA the marketing carrier in any way. You have purchased services of AA (for miles or money) regardless of the ticket stock it's issued on, code-share or not. AA is trying to simplify the explanation for the reader, not us the terms differently.
Ultimately, it's very likely the qualification terms will be enumarated to include AAdvantage tickets only, so I'm not sure this matters.