Here's How You Can Get American Airlines Elite Status Without Even Flying
KEY POINTS
- American Airlines’ AAdvantage program uses a system known as Loyalty Points to award elite status.
- Loyalty Points can be earned by flying, but there are several other ways to earn them as well.
- It’s entirely possible for many people to earn AAdvantage elite status before they take a single flight.
A couple of years ago, American Airlines significantly overhauled its AAdvantage program, which it admitted had become confusing to navigate. It now earns status through a single type of qualifying metric called Loyalty Points.
There are several different ways to earn Loyalty Points toward your AAdvantage status, and some don't involve flying at all. In fact, it's possible to earn elite status with American Airlines without leaving the ground. Here's how you can do it.
The AAdvantage Loyalty Point system
The short version is that Loyalty Points are designed to reward spending, as opposed to the amount of miles you fly, how many flights you take, or other qualifications that had previously been used.
To qualify for AAdvantage status, you'll need to reach the following Loyalty Point totals in an earning year, which runs from March through February:
- AAdvantage Gold: 40,000 Loyalty Points
- AAdvantage Platinum: 75,000 Loyalty Points
- AAdvantage Platinum Pro: 125,000 Loyalty Points
- AAdvantage Executive Platinum: 200,000 Loyalty Points
The primary way to earn Loyalty Points is by flying on American Airlines and its partners. AAdvantage members earn at least 5 Loyalty Points for every $1 they spend this way, and those with elite status earn even more. But it's far from the only way to earn Loyalty Points and achieve elite status.
Other ways to earn Loyalty Points
In addition to earning Loyalty Points for flying on American Airlines, there are a few ways to earn Loyalty Points without ever boarding a plane.
American Airlines credit cards
Several different American Airlines travel credit cards exist. Some are issued by Citi and some are issued by Barclays, and there are a variety of annual fees and benefits.
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®: Annual fee of $99, waived for first 12 months
- CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®: $0 intro fee
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®: $595 annual fee
- American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card: $0 annual fee
- AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard®: $95 annual fee
- AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard: $99 annual fee
With all of these credit cards, you can earn 1 Loyalty Point for every base mile you earn. So if you spend $20,000 on purchases, you can earn at least 20,000 Loyalty Points toward your American Airlines status.
Our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024
| Offer | Our Rating | Welcome Offer | Rewards Program | APR | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
On Bank of America's Secure Website. |
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5
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4 stars equals Excellent.
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= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = PoorBest for unlimited rewards on purchases
|
25,000 points 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases | 1.5-3 points per dollar Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through the Bank of America Travel Center. |
Intro: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers will apply. A 3% fee for 60 days from account opening, then 4% fee applies to all balance transfers. Balance transfers may not be used to pay any account provided by Bank of America. Purchases: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days Regular: 18.24% - 28.24% (Variable) |
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = PoorBest for unlimited rewards on purchases
|
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
|
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = PoorBest for travel and points transfers
|
60,000 bonus points Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more. |
Intro: N/A Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A Regular: 19.99% - 28.24% Variable |
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = PoorBest for travel and points transfers
|
Shopping and dining
All AAdvantage members would be wise to check out the AAdvantage eShopping portal, which allows you to earn miles and Loyalty Points for spending with partner retailers. Many brands you know (and already buy things from) are likely in the portal, and you might be surprised at how much you can earn. It isn't uncommon to see bonus deals for 4 to 10 Loyalty Points (or more) for every $1 you spend.
The AAdvantage Dining program allows you to earn up to 5 miles and Loyalty Points for every dollar you spend with restaurant partners on a linked credit card (it doesn't have to be an American Airlines travel credit card).
Hotels and rental cars
AAdvantage members can earn miles and Loyalty Points when staying at American's hotel partners, including Hyatt, Marriott, and IHG. The number of miles varies by partner.
With rental cars, you can earn miles and Loyalty Points for spending on Avis and Budget car rentals. Base (non-status) members earn 2 points per $1 on rentals, and elite status members earn even more.
Cruises and vacation packages
You can earn miles and Loyalty Points when booking cruises or vacation packages on American Airlines Cruises or American Airlines Vacations. Plus, there are often bonus offers, such as onboard spending credits on cruises.
It's also worth noting that this isn't necessarily an exhaustive list. There could be other ways to earn Loyalty Points without flying, including limited-time offers from American's partners.
What status can your everyday spending help you earn?
My closest airport is small and is only served by two major airlines: American and Delta. And while Delta offers some ways to earn status for everyday spending, American's AAdvantage program makes it much easier to get a significant status boost from non-flying methods. I can tell you firsthand that I wouldn't have been close to earning Executive Platinum status last year without my cobranded credit card, strategically using the e-shopping portal, getting Loyalty Points for hotel stays and rental cars, and more.
While it's possible to earn elite status without flying at all, it generally isn't worthwhile, as most of the benefits are flying-related. But the point is that all of the non-flying ways to earn Loyalty Points can certainly raise your elite status by a level (or more) compared to what you would earn by flying alone.
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