American Airlines AAdvantage is a type of rewards point system that has features that will appeal to a wide range of travelers, such as frequent flyer perks and the fact that it operates thousands of flights per day.
On top of being able to earn quite a bit of value from their program, you can squeeze a lot more value out of it by using their co-branded cards. Continue reading our American Airlines AAdvantage guide to learn more!
American Airlines AAdvantage Quick Facts
Personal Credit Cards | The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard® Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp? Mastercard® AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard |
Business Credit Cards | CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® AAdvantage Aviator Business Mastercard |
Redemption Options | American Airlines flights Partner flights Seat upgrades Hotel & car awards Vacation packages Admirals Club memberships Magazines & newspapers Gift cards LifeLock memberships Transfer/gift miles Charitable donations |
Average Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Value | $0.014 |
AAdvantage Elite Status
A basic AAdvantage membership will allow you to earn miles, and that’s about it. The sweet VIP benefits only come when you earn elite status.
Elite Status Qualification
There are two ways to qualify for elite status during the calendar year:
- Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) + Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs)
- Elite Qualifying Segments (EQSs) + Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs)
Elite Qualifying Miles. EQMs are a fancy way of stating the actual miles you fly on American Airlines and its Oneworld partners. It is calculated by multiplying the mileage of the light by fare class.
Elite Qualifying Dollars. EQDs are earned based on how much you spend on American Airlines and Oneworld partner tickets. The number will change dramatically based on class of service and partner restrictions.
Elite Qualifying Segments. EQSs count how many takeoff-to-landing flight segments you take. For example, a non-stop flight from Dallas to Los Angeles would earn one EQS. However, a flight from Dallas to Los Angeles with a layover in Las Vegas would earn two EQSs.
Elite status qualifications for 2021:
Tier | EQMs | EQSs | EQDs |
Gold | 20,000 | 20 | $2,000 |
Platinum | 40,000 | 45 | $4,500 |
Platinum Pro | 60,000 | 70 | $7,000 |
Executive Platinum | 80,000 | 95 | $12,000 |
Elite Status Benefits
Benefit | Gold | Platinum | Platinum Pro | Executive Platinum |
Mileage bonus | 40% | 60% | 80% | 120% |
Upgrades for flights less than 500 miles |
Free Automatic |
Free Automatic |
Free Automatic |
Free Automatic |
Upgrades for flights more than 500 miles |
For purchase or use miles |
For purchase or use miles |
Free Automatic |
Free Automatic |
Upgrades confirmed (before departure) |
24 hours | 48 hours | 72 hours | 100 hours |
Priority seating (Preferred seats) |
Free | Free | Free | Free |
Priority seating (Main Cabin Extra) |
50% discount | Free | Free | Free |
Free checked bags | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Earning AAdvantage Miles: Co-Branded Credit Cards
- Ongoing Rewards/Benefits
- 2x miles on AA purchases
- 1x miles on all other purchases
- Annual Fee: $99
- Ongoing Rewards/Benefits
- 2x miles on AA purchases
- 2x miles on car rentals
- 2x miles on office supplies
- 2x miles on telecommunications
- 1x miles on all other purchases
- Annual Fee: $95
*View our list of the latest Citi credit card offers.*
Earning AAdvantage Miles: Other Ways
Earn AAdvantage miles by flying with American Airlines. The number of points you’ll earn depends on the cost of the ticket, the fare type and your status.
Status | Bonus | Miles Earned |
Basic | None | 5x miles |
Gold | 40% | 7x miles |
Platinum | 60% | 8x miles |
Platinum Pro | 80% | 9x miles |
Executive Platinum | 120% | 11x miles |
Hotel Partner | Miles Earned |
Hyatt | 500 miles each qualified stay |
Marriott Bonvoy | 2x miles on qualifying charges |
InterContinental Hotels | 2x miles on qualifying charges |
Rocketmiles | Up to 10,000 miles per night |
Earn AAdvantage Miles with the following travel partners.
Oneworld Alliance Airlines
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
- S7 Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
Other Partners
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Alaska Airlines
- Cape Air
- GOL Airlines
- China Southern Airlines
- Etihad Airways
- Fiji Airways
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Interjet
- Seaborne Virgin Islands
On top of earning points through flights and the partners we’ve listed before, you can also consider car rental partners. Here are some we recommend:
Car Rental partners
Earn AAdvantage miles when you shop at 950 stores via the AAdvantage eShopping mall. Save while you earn when you search for coupon codes, seasonal sales and free shipping deals.
Earn up to 5x AAdvantage miles when you dine at one of 11,000+ participating AAdvantage Dining restaurant, club or bar. Plus, earn 1,000 bonus miles by spending $25 in your first 30 days as a member.
In general, we do not recommend that you purchase AAdvantage Miles because it is an expensive way to collect them. Rates start at a staggering $29.50 for 1,000 miles, which means each AAdvantage mile will cost you $0.0295. This makes it way below the average redemption value of $0.014.
Redeeming AAdvantage Miles
You can start redeeming your AAdvantage Miles for award flights. Also, as long as you make a purchase through either American Airlines or one of their partners every 18 months, your points won’t expire.
- Award Flights
- MileSAAver awards. These amazing deals go for as little as 7,500 miles on one-way trips in North America. They’re available for all classes, but first and business class seats require more miles than economy ones. MileSAAver awards change from time to time with limited seats available on a given flight.
- AAnytime awards. These awards are available for most flights and are more expensive than MileSAAver awards. A 7,500-mile MileSAAver seat can cost as much as 40,000 for an AAnytime seat.
- Economy Web Special awards. Offered on select flights and dates for fewer miles than MileSAAver seats, but only for Main Cabin travel. Keep in mind, these tickets do not allow any changes. You can cancel and get your miles back, but fees will not be refunded (except for Executive Platinum members).
- Additional, you can use your AAdvantage miles for flights with any of their AAdvantage Partner Airlines mentioned in the above section.
- Other Options
- Seat Upgrades. You have the option of using your AAdvantage miles to upgrade to first or business class on American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia. Additionally, if you are an AAdvantage elite status holder, you can upgrade for free or for just 500 miles.
- Admirals Club. Exchange your AAdvantage miles for an Admirals Club annual membership. Rates depend on membership type as well as your AAdvantage status.
- Hotel stays and Rental Cars. Use your AAdvantage miles for hotel stays at more than 150,000 properties and car rentals in over 500 destinations worldwide. You can pay in miles or a combination of cash and miles (with as little as 1,000 miles).
- Vacation Packages. Redeem as little as 1,000 miles to pay for the non-flight (hotel and resort stays, car rentals, transfers, tours and activities) portion of your vacation package.
- Transfer miles. You can transfer your AAdvantage miles – up to 200,000 miles per calendar year – but it’ll cost you $15 per transfer.
- Gift miles. We recommend you “gift” your miles instead. There’s no fee to transfer your miles this way, but you are limited to gifting up to 150,000 AAdvantage miles per calendar year.
- Other options. Use your AAdvantage miles for magazine and newspaper subscriptions, gift cards, and charitable donations.
AAdvantage Tips & Tricks
- Good Redemptions
- International flights. You can get a lot of bank for your buck by using your AAdvantage miles for international flights, especially if you fly in First or Business class. In Economy, you will get slightly less value, so aim for higher-class fares.
- Domestic flights. Generally, AAdvantage miles will be worth around $0.01 for domestic flights. Therefore, anytime you can surpass this, you’re getting good value.
- Partner awards. Our favorite AAdvantage partners include Aer Lingus, Finnair and Iberia (57,500 miles to Europe on Business), Etihad and Royal Jordanian (70,000 miles to the Middle East on Business), as well as Air Tahiti Nui, Fiji Airways and Hawaiian Airlines.
- Reduced Mileage awards. These limited-time monthly deals for domestic flights are incredibly cheap. Reduced Mileage awards give you 2,500 to 3,750 miles off one-way travel, but only if you hold the following credit cards: The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®, Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® and CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®.
- Award Map Tool
- Trying to redeem your AAdvantage Miles for MileSAAver awards can be very difficult because they are so rare to come by. To see it easier, use the Award map tool. All you have to do is enter your origin, dates and the number of miles you wish to spend. The tool will come up with a map showing all the destination options that fit your criteria.
- Award Holds
- If you aren’t ready to pull the trigger on your award redemption, you are allowed to put your AA and partner award flight on hold for five days. Held flights must be more than two weeks from departure.
- Free Award Changes
- As long as your origin and destination remain the same, you can change your date, time, routing and airline without having to pay any fees. If you’re sure that you’re going to a destination, go ahead and book your spot. You can adjust your dates later if your plans change.
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Bottom Line
The American Airlines AAdvantage program is one of the most versatile travel programs for both experienced and new travelers. With a co-branded card, and plenty of ways to earn miles, you will be able to earn a free flight in no time.
Along with their flexibility, they also have a large number of airline partners taht also offer award flights. At an average value of $0.014 per mile, along with the tips and tricks we mentioned, you will be rewarded generously for your loyalty.
For more posts like this, check out our list of credit card bonuses and the latest American Airlines Promotions.