How to Get Elite Status on American Airlines

Getting elite airline status can make every flight more comfortable. The best frequent flyer programs offer valuable benefits to their "elite" (most loyal) customers, like free upgrades, priority boarding, free checked bags, airline lounge access, and more.

But figuring out how to get elite status on airlines isn't always easy. Some airlines have recently changed their rules in customer-unfriendly ways, like cutting down on free lounge access or upping the requirements for how much you need to spend to qualify. Delta Air Lines sparked controversy in 2023 when it announced that starting in 2024, customers could only earn frequent flyer points by spending money, not by actually flying.

Fortunately, the American Airlines AAdvantage® elite status program is relatively easy to understand. And American Airlines makes it easy to earn AAdvantage® Loyalty Points that help you get elite status. The AAdvantage® program is well-regarded in the travel industry; it won the 2023 Freddie Award for Best Elite Program.

Let's look at a few rules and guidelines for how to get elite status on American Airlines in 2024.

American Airlines AAdvantage®: It's all about Loyalty Points

If you want to earn elite status on American Airlines, you need to earn "Loyalty Points." That's the catchall name for all the frequent flyer miles and all the points you earn on approved American Airlines credit cards.

Here are the tiers of American Airlines elite status, and how many Loyalty Points you need to get there:

• 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

Earn Loyalty Points in flexible ways -- fly or buy

The first step in understanding how to get elite status on American Airlines: Loyalty Points are the same as "frequent flyer miles." One Loyalty Point = one mile.

You can earn American Airlines Loyalty Points every time you fly on American Airlines (or partner airlines), use an American Airlines credit card (or partner travel rewards credit card), or earn miles with other companies that partner with AAdvantage®. Keep flying and buying, and you can earn elite status on American Airlines.

How to get elite status: Flying

When you first sign up for the AAdvantage frequent flyer program, without elite status, you earn 5 miles for every $1 you spend on qualifying flights on American Airlines (or partner airlines). The 5x miles only count for full-fare tickets in Economy class or higher; if you want to save money on airfare by buying a Basic Economy ticket, you'll only earn 2 miles for every $1.

For example, if you buy a roundtrip ticket on American Airlines, in Economy class, from Chicago to London for $1,200, you'll earn 6,000 miles -- and 6,000 Loyalty Points. With the 5x miles multiplier, if you spend $8,000 on eligible American Airlines flights in one year, you'd get 40,000 Loyalty Points -- enough to qualify for AAdvantage Gold® elite status.

How to get elite status: Buying

Another way to get elite status on American Airlines is to use travel rewards credit cards. You can earn 1 Loyalty Point for every mile you earn with your AAdvantage® credit card. Some of the best credit cards can help you earn elite status faster, before your first flight even leaves the runway.

For example, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® gives you a sign-up bonus of 75,000 miles when you spend $2,500 within the first three months. Unfortunately, sign-up bonus miles don't count as Loyalty Points, but they can help you get cheap flights and other frequent flyer perks. And when you use this card for everyday spending, you get 1 mile (and 1 Loyalty Point) for every $1 you spend.

Want to get elite status fast? You need to shift more of your everyday spending onto your American Airlines credit card. For example, if you spend $40,000 in a year ($3,333 per month) on an American Airlines card that pays 1 Loyalty Point per $1 spent, you'll have 40,000 Loyalty Points -- enough to get AAdvantage Gold® status.

Bottom line: The American Airlines AAdvantage® elite status program is flexible and straightforward. You can earn status on American Airlines by taking qualifying flights (5 miles per $1 spent) and earning Loyalty Points from eligible spending on approved American Airlines credit cards (1 Loyalty Point per $1 spent). Even if you don't want to use a travel rewards credit card, if you buy eight roundtrip flights per year at $1,000 each, you will earn enough Loyalty Points for AAdvantage Gold® elite status.