American Airlines (AA) Loyalty Points Calculator

How many Loyalty points do you need for status?

There two types of rewards you'll earn as you climb the ranks in the Loyalty Points Rewards program: AAdvantage elite status and Loyalty Choice Rewards.

AAdvantage Elite Status

Here are the Loyalty Point requirements for earning AAdvantage elite status:

• 40,000 Loyalty Points for AAdvantage Gold.
• 75,000 Loyalty Points for AAdvantage Platinum.
• 125,000 Loyalty Points for AAdvantage Platinum Pro.
• 200,000 Loyalty Points for AAdvantage Executive Platinum.

Loyalty Choice Rewards

Along with earning status, you'll also receive additional rewards when earning Loyalty Points throughout the year. Here's the breakdown of those rewards:

How do you earn AAdvantage Loyalty Points?

For every 1 eligible AAdvantage Mile you earn, you'll earn 1 Loyalty Point. While that is pretty simple, you'll need to know what qualifies as "eligible".

Eligible AAdvantage Miles that will earn you AAdvantage Loyalty Points come from flying American Airlines and their partners, spending on American Airlines credit cards, and spending with AAdvantage partners.

Flying American Airlines and their partners

Just about all AAdvantage miles earned from flying American Airlines and their airline partners will qualify as Loyalty Points. This includes:

• Air Tahiti Nui
• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cape Air
• Cathay Pacific
• Finnair
• GOL Airlines
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• JetBlue
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas Airways
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian Airlines
• Silver Airways
• SriLankan Airlines

When flying these airlines, you'll earn Loyalty Points based on the base points earned from the flight, the bonus miles from elite status in the AAdvantage program, and the bonus you'll receive when booking different cabins (Premium, First, Business, etc.).

There are only four airlines in which you will not receive Loyalty Points for:

• China Southern Airlines
• Etihad Airways
• Fiji Airways
• Hawaiian Airlines

Any flights marketed by these four airlines will only earn you AAdvantage miles.

Using American Airlines credit cards

For every $1 spent on U.S.-issued American Airlines credit cards, you'll earn 1 Loyalty Point. Do note that this does not include bonus categories (unless there is an active promotion stating otherwise).

Here are the credit cards you can use to earn Loyalty points on your purchases:

Credit Card	Highlights
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® Best For Admirals Club Lounge Access Card Value & Miles Calculator	2X miles on American Airlines purchases Complimentary Admirals Club membership First checked bag free for yourself and up to 8 others traveling with you Up to $100 towards a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application $595 annual fee
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Best For No Annual Fee Card Value & Miles Calculator	2X miles on American Airlines and restaurant purchases 25% off in-flight purchases of food and beverage $0 annual fee
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® Card Value & Miles Calculator	Earn 2X AAdvantage Miles on American Airlines purchases and on gas station and restaurant purchases Earn 1X AAdvantage Miles on all other purchases Receive the first checked bag free for yourself and up to 4 others when you use the card to pay for your flight Enjoy priority perks which includes priority check-in, screening, and boarding privileges Receive a $125 discount when you spend $20,000 or more on your card during the membership year $95 annual fee
CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® Card Value & Miles Calculator	Earn 2X AAdvantage Miles on American Airlines purchases and on telecommunications, rental car, and gas station purchases. Earn 1X AAdvantage Miles on all other purchases Receive the first checked bag free for yourself and up to 4 others when you use the card to pay for your flight Enjoy priority perks which includes priority check-in, screening, and boarding privileges Receive a $99 Domestic Economy Fare Companion Certificate when you spend $30,000 or more on the card during the membership year $0 annual fee the first year, then $99 thereafter
AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® Card Value & Miles Calculator	Earn 2X AAdvantage Miles on American Airlines purchases Earn 1X AAdvantage Miles on all other purchases First checked bag free for yourself and up to 4 companions traveling on the same reservation $99 companion certificate after spending $20,000 or more on your Aviator Red Mastercard during the year Receive $25 back in statement credits annually for Wi-Fi purchases on AA operated flights $95 annual fee
AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard® Card Value & Miles Calculator	Earn 2X AAdvantage Miles on America Airlines, office supply store, telecommunications, and car rentals purchases Earn 1X AAdvantage Miles on all other purchases 5% mileage bonus on your card anniversary First checked bag free for yourself and up to 4 companions traveling on the same reservation $99 annual companion certificate after spending $30,000 or more on the card during the calendar year $95 annual fee

In my opinion, this is one of the best changes to the program as you can pretty much spend your way to a higher status. This can make AAdvantage credit cards a great option if you don't fly a lot, but still want a chance at obtaining higher status through annual spending.

Just as a data point, here are the amounts you would need to spend on U.S.-issued American Express credit cards for each tier:

• $40,000/year or $3,334/month in credit card spend for AAdvantage Gold.
• $75,000/year or $6,250/month in credit card spend for AAdvantage Platinum.
• $125,000/year or $10,417/month in credit card spend for AAdvantage Platinum Pro.
• $200,000/year or $16,666/month in credit card spend for AAdvantage Executive.

These are of course very high spend amounts

Spending with AAdvantage partners

Loyalty points can be earned spending with qualifying partners. This includes hotels, car rentals, cruises, retail, and various AA portals such as AAdvantage eShopping and American Airlines Vacations.

The amount of points you earn will vary from partner to partner, but it will typically be based on the base miles earned. Bonuses and promotions offered by partners and through AA portals will usually not earn you Loyalty Points.

What does not earn Loyalty Points?

There's a large amount of exclusions that can be found in the fine print when it comes to the Loyalty Points Rewards program. In summary, you will not earn Loyalty Points:

• Bonus miles and promotions from American Airlines and their partners (e.g. Earn "X" bonus miles when you spend $Y).
• AAdvantage credit card multipliers (all cards earn up to 1 Loyalty Point per $1).
• Credit card welcome/intro bonuses.
• Taxes, fees, and other charges when buying flight tickets.
• Buying and gifting AAdvantage miles.
• Transferring AAdvantage miles to other AAdvantage members.
• Transferring rewards to American Airlines AAdvantage from partner programs (e.g. Marriott to AAdvantage).

There's a small handful more that can be found in the FAQs, but these are the most common activities for most AA flyers.

American Airlines Loyalty Points Calculator

Use our AAdvantage Loyalty Points Calculator to estimate how many Loyalty points you can earn based on qualifying flights, AAdvantage credit card purchases, and eligible spending with AA partners.