Founded in 1930, American Airlines is one of America’s most popular airline brands. In 2015, it combined with US Airways to be the world’s largest carrier in terms of destinations served, revenue and fleet size.
Based in: Dallas, Fort Worth, American Airlines, Charlotte, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. It comes with hundreds of cities of across lots of countries and operates thousands of flights a day.
Check out our best credit card bonuses here.
If American Airlines flies from your home airport, you’ll want to take a closer look at its frequent flyer program. American Airlines AAdvantage makes it easier for a variety of travelers to get free flights.
AAdvantage Quick Facts
| Personal Credit Cards | Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard
Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard |
| Business Credit Cards | CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select 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 Mile Value | $0.014 |
AAdvantage Elite Status
Basic AAdvantage membership will allow you to earn miles, and that’s about it. The sweet VIP perks only come when you earn elite status.
Elite Status Qualification
There are two ways to be eligible 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 the actual miles you fly on American Airlines and their Oneworld partners. It’s calculated by multiplying the mileage of the flight by fare class.
Elite Qualifying Dollars. EQDs are earned based off of how much you spend on American Airines and Oneworld partner tickets. The amount will vary 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 San Francisco to Miami will gain one EQS. However, a flight from San Francisco to Miami with a layover in Dallas 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
| Benefits | 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 | 3 | 3 |
Earning AAdvantage Miles: Co-Branded Credit Cards
Because of their merger with U.S. Airways, American Airlines has two different credit card issuers: Citi and Carclaycard. Here you will find more information on the personal credit cards that earn AAdvantage miles.
The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard:
| Welcome Bonus | Get 50k miles when you spend $5k in 3 months |
| Bonus Value | $700 |
| Ongoing Rewards | 2x miles on AA purchases 1x miles on all other purchases |
| Spend Bonus | Get 10k EQMs when you spend $40k in one year. |
| Annual Fee | $450 |
Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard:
| Welcome Bonus | Get 50k miles when you spend $2.5k in 3 months. |
| Bonus Value | $700 |
| Ongoing Rewards | 2x miles on AA purchases 2x miles on dining purchases 2x miles at gas stations 1x miles on all other purchases |
| Spend Bonus | Get $125 for an AA flight when you spend $20k in one year. |
| Annual Fee | $99, waived your first year. |
American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard:
| Welcome Bonus | Get 10k miles + $50 when you spend $500 in 3 months. |
| Bonus Value | $190 |
| Ongoing Rewards | 2x miles on AA purchases 2x miles on groceries 1x miles on all other purchases |
| Spend Bonus | None |
| Annual Fee | $0 |
AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard:
| Welcome Bonus | Get 50k miles when you make 1 purchase in 90 days. |
| Bonus Value | $700 |
| Ongoing Rewards | 2x miles on AA purchases 1x miles on all other purchases |
| Spend Bonus | Get a Companion Certificate when you spend $20k within one year. |
| Annual Fee | $99 |
CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard:
| Welcome Bonus | Get 65k miles when you spend $4k in 4 months. |
| Bonus Value | $840 |
| Ongoing Rewards | 2x miles on AA purchases 2x on car rentals 2x at gas stations 2x on cable & satellite 2x on telecommunications 1x on everything else |
| Spend Bonus | Get a Companion Certificate when you spend $30k |
| Annual Fee | $99, waived your first 12 months. |
AAdvantage Aviator Business Mastercard:
| Welcome Bonus | Get 65k miles when you spend $1k in 90 days. Get another 10k miles with your first employee card purchase. |
| Bonus Value | $1,050 |
| Ongoing Rewards | 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 |
| Spend Bonus | Get a 5% mileage bonus + $3k EQDs when you spend $25k. Get a Companion Certificate when you spend $30k. |
| Annual Fee | $95 |
Earning AAdvantage Miles: Other Ways
Gain AAdvantage miles when you fly with American Airlines. How many miles you get will depend on the amount you spend. If you have elite status, you’ll earn bonus miles for your trip.
| Status | Bonus Rate | Miles Earned |
| Basic | None | 5x miles |
| Gold | 40% | 7x miles |
| Platinum | 60% | 8x miles |
| Platinum Pro | 80% | 9x miles |
| Executive Platinum | 120% | 11x miles |
Gain AAdvantage miles when you fly with Oneworld and other partner airlines. The amount of miles you earn depends on fare class and varies from partner to partner. Remember, not all routes and flights are eligible.
Oneworld airline partners are:
| American Airlines | British Airways | Cathay Pacific |
| Finnair | Iberia | Japan Airlines |
| Malaysia Airlines | Qantas | Qatar |
| Royal Air Maroc | Royal Jordanian | S7 Airlines |
| SriKankan Airlines |
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Alaska Airlines
- Cape Air
- GOL Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Interjet
- Seaborne Virgin Islands
- China Southern Airlines
- Etihad Airways
- Fiji Airways
Gain AAdvantage miles when you stay with the following American Airlines hotel partners:
| 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 when you rent with American Airlines car rental partners:
| Car Rental Partner | Miles Earned |
| Avis/Budget | 500 miles – AAdvantage® members 750 miles – Citi® / AAdvantage® cardholders and AAdvantage® Aviator® MasterCard® cardholders 1,000 miles – Platinum Pro, Platinum and Gold members 1,250 miles – Executive Platinum members |
| Payless | 500 miles per rental |
| Alamo | 50 miles per rental day |
| National | 50 miles per rental day |
| Dollar | 50 miles per rental day |
| Hertz | 1x miles + special savings on base rate |
Gain AAdvantage miles when you make transactions with various other partners such FTD flowers & gifts, Vinesse Wines, NRG home energy supplies, etc. These bonuses change frequently so be sure to stay up to date.
Earn AAdvantage miles when you shop at 950 stores at the AAdvantage eShopping mall. Save while you earn when you look for coupon codes, seasonal sales, and free shipping deals.
Gain no more than 5x AAdvantage miles when you dine at one of 11,000+ participating AAdvantage Dining restaurant, club or bar. Additionally, gain 1,000 bonus miles by spending $25 in your first 30 days as a member.
Normally, it’s better if you avoid buying AAdvantage miles, since it’s an expensive way to “gain” them. The rates will start at $29.50 for 1,000 miles, in other words AAdvantage miles will cost you $0.0295. Now, this is more than the average redemption value of $0.014.
Redeeming AAdvantage Miles
AAdvantage miles will expire after 18 months of being inactive. Gain or burn miles regularly to reset the clock.
Pick from three kinds of American Airlines award redemptions:
- MileSAAver awards. Super deals go for about 7,5000 miles on one-way trips in North America. They are available for all classes. However, first and business class seats need more miles than economy ones. MileSAAver awards change from time to time with limited seats available on a given flights.
- AAnytime Awards. Awards are available for most flights an are much more expensive than MileSAAver awards. A 7,500-mile MileSAAver seat can be around 40,000 for an AAnytime seat.
- Economy Web Special awards. This is offered on specific flights and dates for less miles than MileSAAver seats. However, for Main Cabin travel only. Remember, these tickets do not allow any changes. You’ll be able to cancel and get your miles back. But, fees are not refunded (except for Executive Platinum members).
Additionally, you’ll be able to use your AAdvantage miles for flights with the following American Airlines partners:
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian Airlines
- S7 Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air
- Cape Air
- China Southern Airlines
- Etihad Airways
- Fiji Airways
- GOL Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Interjet
- Seaborne Virgin Islands
Use your AAdvantage miles to upgrade to first or business class on American Airlines, British Airways, and Iberia. If you hold AAdvantage elite status, you’ll be able to upgrade for free or for 500 miles.
Use your AAdvantage miles towards Admirals Club annual membership. Rates will vary depending on membership type as well as your AAdvantage status.
| Individual (new) Individual (renew) |
Household (new) Household (renew) |
|
| Basic | 65,000 miles 60,000 miles |
125,000 miles 120,000 miles |
| Gold | 62,500 miles 57,500 miles |
122,500 miles 117,500 miles |
| Platinum | 60,000 miles 55,000 miles |
120,000 miles 115,000 miles |
| Platinum Pro |
57,500 miles 52,500 miles |
117,500 miles 112,500 miles |
| Executive Platinum |
55,000 miles 50,000 miles |
115,000 miles 110,000 miles |
Hotel & Car Awards. Use your AAdvantage miles for hotel stays at more than 150,000 properties and car rentals in more than 500 locations around the world. You’ll be able to pay in miles or a combination of cash and miles (as little as 1,000 miles).
Vacation packages. You can redeem as little as 1,000 miles to pay for non-flight (hotel and resort stays, car rentals, transfers, tours, and activities) portion of your vacation package.
Transfer miles. You’ll be able to transfer your AAdvantage miles for no more than 200,000 miles a calendar year. However, this will cost you $15 per transfer.
Gift miles. We recommend you to “gift” your miles instead. This comes with no fee to transfer your miles this way. However, you are limited to gifting no more than 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
International Flights. Look for great value for your AAdvantage miles on international flights, especially if you fly in First or Business Class. In Economy, you’ll receive an average of about $0.05 per mile. In other words, you should expect around that much and more for a higher class fare.
Domestic Flights. The value of every AAdvantage mile at $0.01 for domestic flights. So if you can go over that number, it’s a good redemption. There are many great deals on transcontinental award flights between New York and the West Coast.
Partner awards. Some of the best AAdvantage partners are Aer Lingus, Finnair, and Iberia (57,000 miles to Europe on Business), Etihad, and Royal Jordanian (70,000 miles to the Middle East on Business). Plus, Air Tahiti Nui, Fiji Airways, and Hawaiian Airlines.
Reduced Mileage Awards. The limited-time monthly deals for domestic flights are super cheap. These awards will give you around 1,500 to 3,750 miles off one-day travel. However, you must have one of the credit cards:
The amount of seats for MileSAAver awards are few and far between. To see the availability, use the Award Map tool and put in your origin, dates, and the number of miles you want to spend. Furthermore, this utensil will devise a map showing you the destination options that match your requirements.
If you found award availability you want to book but aren’t necessarily ready, AAdvantage will let you hold AA and award flights for about 5 days. However, held flights have to be more than 2 weeks from departure.
Keeping your origin and destination the same, you’ll be able to change the date, time, routing, and airline without paying extra charges. If you know that you’re going to a specific location, you can book your flight and change the dates for it later.
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Conclusion
Using the American Airlines AAdvantage program will come with many great features and options for many travelers. Additionally, when you use an AAdvantage credit card, you’ll be able to earn more bonus miles and gain rewards for them.
Furthermore, AAdvantage miles are super flexible and easy to work around since they have many airline partners. Normally, the average is $0.014 a mile, and if you follow our pointers, you can get more rewards.
