If you find yourself flying quite often, you should consider signing up for a frequent flyer program. However, picking the right one is important depending on the airlines you use and how often you fly. It’s not always the easiest decision to make, it will vary depending on several different factors.
Check out our list of the best credit card bonuses here.
Below, you’ll see what each status tier is worth in the American Airlines AAdvantage program.
American Airlines Elite Status Overview
Normally, American Airlines AAdvantage comes with 4 elite tiers: Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Executive Platinum. There are 2 ways for you to be eligible for the elite status during the calendar year:
Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) are real miles you fly on American Airlines and Oneworld partners. This is calculated by multiplying the mileage of the flight by fare class.
Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs) are gained based off of how much you’ve spent on American Airlines and Oneworld partner tickets. The amount will vary depending on class of service and partner restrictions.
Elite Qualifying Segments (EQSs) counts the amount of takeoff-to-landing flight segments you take. For example, a non-stop flight from San Francisco to Miami would earn you one EQS. However, a flight from San Francisco to Miami with a layover in Dallas will gain you 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 |
Usually, the higher your status, the more perks you get such as:
| Benefits | Gold | Platinum | Platinum Pro | Executive Platinum |
| Mileage Bonus | 40% | 60% | 80% | 120% |
| Upgrade on Flights < 500 miles | x | x | x | x |
| Upgrades on flights > 500 miles | x | x | ||
| Preferred/MCE seats | x | x | x | x |
| Checked bags | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Priority airport services | x | x | x | x |
| Drink & snack in Main Cabin | x | |||
| Same-day standby | x | x | x | x |
| Same-day confirmed | x | x | ||
| Waived award-processing charge | x | x | x | x |
| Waived award change & cancellation fees | x | |||
| Priority phone line | x | x | x | x |
| Partner benefits | x | x | x | x |
American Airlines Elite Status Value
This is the lowest tier in the American Airlines AAdvatnage program. It needs about 20,000 EQMs or 20 EQSs, and $2,000 EQDs. To calculate the value of AAdvantage Gold used 20,000 EQMs at a cost of $0.125 per mile. In other words, the total is $2,500. Here are some of the Gold perks with the estimated values:
- 40% mileage bonus ($70). Gain 7 miles for each dollar spent on flights. This is 2 more miles per $1 than members without status. Based on total spend of $2,500, you’ll earn an extra 5,000 miles.
- Upgrades on flights less than 500 miles ($50). Receive unlimited complimentary upgrades when you fly less than 500 miles. You won’t be able to get upgraded perks for that long. It’s better than no upgrade at all.
- Upgrades on flights over 500 miles ($200). Upgrade to First Class on flights over 500 miles in distance when you use “500-mile upgrades.” Receive 4 of these upgrades for each 12,500 EQMs you earn. With 20,000 EQMs, you’ll get four 500-mile upgrades.
- Preferred or Main Cabin Extra seats ($150). Access Preferred seats when you book or Main Cabin Extra (MCE) seats in 24 hours of departure. This perk applies to up to 8 companion travelers.
- Checked bags ($100). Check one bag for free on any American flight.
- Priority airport services ($100). Make use of priority check-in, security and boarding at the airport. It’s not the most valuable benefit, these services are helpful when you need time.
- Same-day standby ($75). Going on standby for an earlier or later flight, you don’t have to pay the $75 fee. This perk isn’t used too often, but if you change your plans a lot, you can upgrade the value of this benefit.
- Waived award-processing charge ($75). You will not have to pay the $75 processing charge on award tickets booked in 21 days of departure. This perk isn’t used too often.
- Priority phone line ($50). It’s not the best perk, but getting priority access to customer service can be helpful if you get weather problems.
- Partner benefits ($25). Enjoy Oneworld Ruby status, this gives priority check-in and standby on Oneworld partner flights.
This is the second tier in American Airlines AAdvantage program. It needs 40,000 EQMS or 45 EQSs, and $4,000 EQDs. To calculate the value of AAdvantage Platinum, we used 60,000 EQMs at a cost of $0.125 per mile. The total spend is $7,500. There are some perks with estimated values:
- 60% mileage bonus ($315). Gain 8 miles for each dollar spent on flights. This is 3 more miles per $1 than members without status. Based on a total spend of $7,500, you’ll earn an extra 22,500 miles.
- Upgrades on flights less than 500 miles ($125). Same perk as Gold, with 60,000 EQMs, you get sixteen 500-mile upgrades. You get priority over Gold members.
- Preferred or Main Cabin Extra seats ($350). Same perk as AAdvantage Gold, but it’s more frequent.
- Checked bags ($200). Check 2 bags for free on any domestic American flight. Limited to 50 lbs per bag.
- Priority airport services ($250). Same perk as Gold, but it’s used more often. Plus, Platinum phone agents are more knowledgeable.
- Partner benefits ($150). Get Oneworld Sapphire status, that gives priority check-in and standby (offered to Gold members) and priority boarding and lounge access when traveling internationally on Oneworld partner flights.
Third tier in American Airlines AAdvantage program that requires 60,000 EQMs or 70 EQSs. Plus, $7,000 EQDs, to calculate the value of AAdvantage Platinum Pro. We use 90,000 EQMs at a cost of $0.125 per mile. The total spend is $11,250. Here are some of the perks:
- 80% mileage bonus ($630). Gain 9 miles for each dollar spent on flights. This is 4 more miles per $1 than members without status. Based on total spend of $11,250, you gain an extra 45,000 miles.
- Upgrades on flights less than 500 miles ($250). Same perk as Platinum, but it’s more frequent utilization.
- Upgrades on flights over 500 miles ($800). Get unlimited, free upgrades on flights that are eligible for 500-mile upgrades.
- Preferred or Main Cabin Extra Seats ($525). Same perk as AAdvantage Platinum, but is used more frequently.
- Checked bags ($250). This perk is the same as Platinum but is used more.
- Same-day standby and flight change ($225). Same perk as Platinum but you can make free same-day flight changes.
- Waived award-processing charge ($150). Same perk as Platinum but is used more.
- Priority phone line ($150). Perk is same as Platinum, but is used frequent utilization.
- Partner benefits ($225). This perk as Platinum but is calculated frequent utilization.
Top tier in American Airlines AAdvantage program that needs 80,000 EQMs or 95 EQSs, plus $12,000 EQDs. To calculate the value, we used 120,000 EQMs at a cost of $0.125 per mile. Total spend is $15,000. Here are some perks and estimated values:
- 120% mileage bonus ($1,260). Gain 11 miles for each dollar spent on flights. This is 6 more miles per $1 than members without status. Based on total spend of $15,000, earn an extra 90,000 miles.
- Upgrades on all short and medium-haul flights ($1,500). Get unlimited, free upgrades, including award tickets. Get priority on upgrade list.
- System-wide upgrades ($1,400). Get 4 system-wide upgrades (SWUs) when you get Executive Platinum status. Upgrade any paid ticket (not including Basic Economy) on American for up to 3 segments. Can be transferred to friends and family members even if they don’t travel with you.
- Preferred or Main Cabin Extra seats ($625). Same perk as Platinum Pro but calculated more frequent utilization.
- Checked bags ($350). Check 3 bags for free on all American flights. Limited to 70 lbs per bag.
- Priority airport services ($500). Same perk as Platinum Pro but used more often.
- Same-day standby and flight change ($450). Perk is same as Platinum Pro but calculated more frequent utilization.
- Drink and snack in Main Cabin ($50). If you don’t get the upgrade, you get to enjoy a drink and snack for free in the Main Cabin.
- Waived award-processing charge ($150). Same perk as Platinum Pro.
- Waived award change and cancellation fee ($300). Don’t pay the $150 fee when you change airlines, award type, origin or destination on an award ticket. This fee is waived if you need to cancel the award and redeposit your miles.
- Priority phone line ($250). Same perk as Platinum Pro but more personalized support.
- Partner benefits ($350). Get Oneworld Emerald status with access to First and Business class lounges. And extra baggage allowance and same benefits as Platinum Pro members.
Is American Airlines Elite Status Worth It?
With the value estimates above, is the American Airlines elite status worth pursuing? This is up to you. Here are some questions that might help you with your decision:
- Does American Airlines fly to where you want to go? Elite status isn’t worth it if you don’t fly with this airline or any of their partners regularly. Check out American’s service from your home airport to see how easy it is for you to get your choice destinations.
- Do the benefits matter to you? It doesn’t make sense to push forward to the next status tier unless the perks are worth the effort.
- How often do you travel? If you aren’t a frequent flyer, then going for a higher status won’t be worth it for you. The status benefits apply when you travel. If you don’t use these perks, the value of your status won’t matter a lot.
- Do you prioritize price and convenience? Will you use your preferred airline even when it’s not the cheapest? If you book an American flight with one top over a cheaper, nonstop flight with Delta? If you don’t want to trade in price and convenience for loyalty benefits, American Airlines elite status isn’t for you.
- Could you get the same perks with a credit card? When you use the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard that comes with your first checked bag free on domestic flights. Preferred boarding and a 25% discount on inflight food and beverages. The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard comes with Admirals Club membership and perks you’d get from the Platinum Select card.
Our Methodology
The analysis on the value of American Airlines elite status is just one way to calculate status worth. Every person puts their own value on each perk. Feel free to mess around with the numbers that are mentioned until they make sense to you. The value estimates are based off of the benefits you might want to enjoy after getting status. However, if you’re new to the AAdvantage program, you won’t receive any perks from the first 25,000 miles before you unlock Gold Status.
To get values to status benefits, you need to determine a certain amount of flying and a corresponding amount of spending. Here are some of our estimates based off of the analysis:
- Earn 20% more elite-qualifying miles than the minimum required for that status level.
- You spend an average of $0.125 per elite-qualifying mile.
As mentioned before, feel free to adjust the numbers to match your travel needs. If you only travel domestically, you’re most likely spending less than $0.125 per mile. However, if you’re paying for international First Class travel on a normal basis. You’re most likely spending more.
For this analysis, the value of AAdvantage miles is based on the most recent evaluations which is about $0.14 per mile.
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Conclusion
Overall, the elite status is a great way for you to improve your travel experiences and make the most out of the perks that come with it. However, if these benefits don’t line up with your travel habits, then it wouldn’t be a good idea for you to sign up with their loyalty programs.
