American Airlines AAdvantage
Overview

The American Airlines AAdvantage program benefits travelers based in cities throughout the United States, such as New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and Dallas, who fly to destinations around the world. As an AAdvantage member, you'll earn miles and Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs) for every American Airlines, American Eagle and codeshare flight operated by other airlines like Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. You'll also earn award miles and EQDs for flights on affiliated partner carriers through American Airlines' extensive oneworld frequent flyer network, which includes Qantas Airways, British Airways and Qatar Airways. Additionally, members will accrue Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) and Elite Qualifying Segments (EQSs) to apply toward achieving elite status. What's more, you can collect miles for everyday purchases if you use any of the Citi / AAdvantage credit cards or AAdvantage Aviator Mastercards. And thanks to American Airlines' relationship with numerous car rental companies, hotel brands and cruise lines, you can also earn AAdvantage miles on a variety of travel expenses.

Pros & Cons
Can earn miles with more than 1,000 partner companies
Miles can be redeemed for air travel, hotel stays, car rentals, vacation packages and retail gift cards
Miles can be collected and redeemed on all AAdvantage-affiliated oneworld carriers
Program is revenue-based, meaning miles are awarded based on dollars spent rather than number of miles flown
Mileage credit for American and AAdvantage-affiliated partners will be forfeited if your account is inactive for 18 months
Can only earn miles for one seat per flight
Rankings
American Airlines AAdvantage is ranked as:
Scorecard
- 5.0Network Coverage »
- 3.0Ease of Earning Free Flight »
- 4.0Award Flight Availability »
- 4.5Additional Benefits »
- 3.3Airline Quality »
- > 2,000No. of Daily Flights »
Points
As an AAdvantage member, you can earn and redeem award miles and qualifying dollars, miles and flight segments on American Airlines and American Eagle flights and for flights on oneworld partners and other affiliated carriers. You'll also earn award miles (and in some cases, EQMs and EQDs) for everyday purchases made with your AAdvantage-affiliated Mastercard or Citi credit card. Additionally, you can earn miles for hotel stays, car rentals, cruises and vacation packages with any American Airlines partner.
Points Can Expire
Can Earn Points On:
Air Travel
Hotel Stays
Credit Card
Can Use Points On:
Booking Flights
Cabin Upgrades
Hotel Stays
Membership Levels
The AAdvantage program features basic membership and elite status membership. Elite membership is divided into four classes: AAdvantage Gold, AAdvantage Platinum, AAdvantage Platinum Pro and AAdvantage Executive Platinum. An invitation-only program called ConciergeKey is also available for AAdvantage's most loyal customers. The number of EQSs or EQMs you accrue, in addition to the EQDs you earn, determines your membership status.
The Fine Print
- You can request to reinstate miles for a fee, but expired or partially used tickets will not be reissued.
- All elite members receive complimentary cabin upgrades on flights 500 miles or less.
- If you change your award reservations prior to ticketing, you will not be charged; however, if your tickets are reissued, service fees may apply.
- AAdvantage miles do not cover taxes or fees (with the exception of waived ticketing service fees, a privilege for ConciergeKey and Executive Platinum members).
- Miles can be transferred to another account (for a fee) with the program's "Share Miles" feature, but transferred miles will not count toward elite status qualification.
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