American Airlines AAdvantage
Overview
The American Airlines AAdvantage program benefits travelers based in cities throughout the United States, such as New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Charlotte, Chicago and Dallas, who fly to destinations around the world. AAdvantage members can earn Loyalty Points and base miles for every American Airlines, American Eagle and codeshare flight operated by other airlines like JetBlue and Hawaiian Airlines. You'll also earn miles for flights on affiliated partner carriers through American Airlines' extensive oneworld frequent flyer network, which includes Qantas, British Airways and Qatar Airways. What's more, you can collect miles for everyday purchases if you use any of the Citi / AAdvantage or Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Mastercards. And thanks to American Airlines' relationship with numerous car rental companies, hotel brands and cruise lines, you can also earn AAdvantage miles on a variety of travel expenses.
Pros & Cons
Miles can be collected and redeemed with more than 1,000 partner companies, including air travel, hotel stays, car rentals and vacation packages
Status is not tied to flight segment requirements
Loyalty Point Rewards offer new benefits between status levels
Program is revenue-based, meaning miles are awarded based on dollars spent rather than number of miles flown
Can only earn miles for one seat per flight
Not all miles count toward Loyalty Points or status qualification
Rankings
American Airlines AAdvantage is ranked No. 4 in the Best Airline Rewards Programs. U.S. News evaluated 10 frequent flyer programs offered by airlines based in the United States across several indicators of excellence. Read more about how we rank rewards.
American Airlines AAdvantage is ranked as:
Scorecard
- Network Coverage »5.0
- Ease of Earning Free Flight »2.5
- Award Flight Availability »4.6
- Additional Benefits »2.5
- Airline Quality »3.3
- No. of Daily Flights »More than 5,000
Points
As an AAdvantage member, you can earn and redeem award miles on American Airlines and American Eagle flights and for flights on oneworld partners and other affiliated carriers. You'll also earn award miles for everyday purchases made with your AAdvantage-affiliated credit card. Additionally, you can earn miles for hotel stays, car rentals, cruises and vacation packages with any American Airlines partner.
Points Can Expire
Can Earn Points On:
Hotel Stays
Air Travel
Credit Card
Can Use Points On:
Booking Flights
Cabin Upgrades
Hotel Stays
Membership Levels
The AAdvantage program features basic membership and elite status membership. Elite membership is divided into four classes: AAdvantage Gold, AAdvantage Platinum, AAdvantage Platinum Pro and AAdvantage Executive Platinum. An invitation-only program called ConciergeKey is also available for AAdvantage's most loyal customers. The number of Loyalty Points you earn determines your membership status. Loyalty Point Rewards also offer benefits at mileage intervals between status levels.
Membership period starts on March 1 of each year, or the day you qualify. To retain your status, you must meet minimum tier requirements during the 12-month period beginning March 1 through Feb. 28 (or Feb. 29) of the following year.
The Fine Print
- Miles expire after 24 months of account inactivity.
- You can request to reactivate miles for a fee, but these will not count toward AAdvantage status.
- You cannot change award flights, but you can cancel and reinstate your miles for free.
- AAdvantage miles do not cover taxes or fees.
- Miles can be transferred to another account (for a fee) with the program's "Transfer Miles" feature. Members cannot receive or transfer more than 200,000 miles in a calendar year.
- Certain AAdvantage miles do not count toward Loyalty Points, including bonus miles, gifted or transferred miles and credit card welcome bonuses.
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