The Different Ways To Earn American Airlines AAdvantage Miles

Earning miles is at the heart of any airline loyalty program. The American Airlines AAdvantage program is one of the leading programs globally – valuable not just for American Airlines’ flyers but also for those flying across oneworld airlines and other partners. Earning miles from air travel is, of course, central to the program. However, there are several other earning sources, as well.

The AAdvantage program has changed a lot in recent years. It has started to switch from a distance-based to a revenue-based mileage- and status-earning system (along with other major US airlines). So far, this is only applicable to American Airlines, British Airways, and Iberia flights. There are also future changes planned that will limit which ticket booking sources earn miles – a largely new change for the industry.

Earning miles on American Airlines flights

Earning miles from flying remains the traditional bedrock of frequent flyer programs. There are more opportunities these days to earn from credit cards and elsewhere, but flying is still likely to be a big part of earning.

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Since the switch to revenue-based earning, all American Airlines flights earn miles based on the ticket price. Miles are earned on part of the fare paid – including the base fare and carrier-imposed charges, but not on government fees and taxes. With low-priced economy flights, these taxes can be a significant part of the fare.

The earning rate per US dollar depends on your status in the AAdvantage program. There is no limit to the number of miles that can be earned from one ticket (prior to 2023, there was a limit of 75,000 miles, but this is now gone).

For all fares apart from the lowest Basic Economy, earnings are as follows:

• Basic AAdvantage member: 5 miles per dollar
• AAdvantage Gold: 7 miles per dollar
• AAdvantage Platinum: 8 miles per dollar
• AAdvantage Platinum Pro: 9 miles per dollar
• AAdvantage Executive Platinum: 11 miles per dollar

 Photo: American Airlines

The lowest Basic Economy tickets earn just 2 miles per dollar – plus the same percentage bonus for status members.

Changes to booking source eligibility

There have been repeated announcements and discussions about major changes being introduced by AAdvantage to limit which tickets are eligible for earning miles (and Loyalty Points). These changes were originally planned to come into effect in May 2024. They were later delayed to July and then postponed indefinitely. AAdvantage has now stated that it will instead review its relationship with travel agencies and corporate markets (after seeing a decline in bookings).

Photo: David Tran Photo | Shutterstock

The aim here has been to encourage more direct bookings and less from third-party agencies. It was initially planned that only the following booking sources would be eligible to earn:

• Bookings made directly with American Airlines (including bookings on the American Airlines website, apps, and through agents).
• Other eligible airlines (likely including all oneworld airlines).
• Preferred travel agencies (as defined by the airline)
• There would be exceptions in place for AAdvantage Business members and for bookings made part of a contracted corporate agreement with American Airlines.

If this ever goes ahead, it will be a major change for the loyalty sector, and other airlines could well follow. Up to now, it does not matter whether the ticket was booked directly with American Airlines, through any other airline, or through any online or traditional travel agent.

Earning miles with partner airlines – British Airways and Iberia

From October 2023, flights booked on British Airways and Iberia also earn miles (and Loyalty Points) based on the ticket price. This aligns with the changes made to those airlines’ own loyalty programs to earn based on ticket price – and closes any loophole in earning under the different programs.

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All flights with these two airlines (in eligible booking codes as published on the AAdvanateg website) now earn miles at the same rate as American Airlines flights:

• Basic AAdvantage member: 5 miles per dollar
• AAdvantage Gold: 7 miles per dollar
• AAdvantage Platinum: 8 miles per dollar
• AAdvantage Platinum Pro: 9 miles per dollar
• AAdvantage Executive Platinum: 11 miles per dollar

Read more about the alignment of AAdvantage and other loyalty programs with this switch to revenue-earning

Earning miles with other partner airlines

The distance-based earning method applies to all other partner airlines, including all oneworld alliance airline members (except British Airways and Iberia) plus several other airlines. – including Hawaiian Airlines, Etihad Airways, and GOL Linhas Aéreas.

Note that the ability to earn miles on JetBlue flights ended in January 2024.

Photo: Benthemouse / Shutterstock

Flights with these airlines earn miles based on the distance flown and the booking/inventory code of the ticket. The total miles earned are made up of:

• Base miles are based on the inventory booking code. This can be from 25% to 100% of the point-to-point miles flown. Some of the lowest booking codes earn nothing.
• Cabin bonus. Additional miles for booking in premium economy, business, or first class with some airlines. This ranges from 10% to 200%.
• AAdvantage status bonus. This applies to oneworld airlines and some other partners. AAdvantage Gold members earn a 40% bonus; AAdvantage Platinum earns 60%; AAdvantage Platinum Pro earns 80%; and AAdvantage Executive Platinum earns 120%.

 Photo: British Airways

For full, up-to-date details of how these earnings work for each airline, it is best to check the listing on the AAdvantage website. Note that earnings can differ significantly between airlines. For example, discount economy fares at 25% or 50% with many airlines, but will earn nothing will Cathay Pacifc.

As examples, we include the earning tables (as of March 2024) for oneworld partners Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways below.

Photo: American Airlines

Photo: American Airlines

Credit card earning

Another common way to earn miles is through spending on credit cards. There are several American Airlines co-branded credit cards available in a number of countries. In the US, the main cards are the Citi AAdvantage cards and the AAdvantage Aviator Mastercards (each with a range of card options). There are also specific cards available in particular countries, including Canada, Mexico, and several Latin American locations. There are no longer any AAdvantage credit cards issued in the UK or Europe.

These cards earn AAdvantage miles on all spending, with differing bonuses for certain categories and types of purchases (usually including bonuses for American Airlines purchases). Premium paid-for cards usually include additional benefits, such as free checked bags, priority boarding, inflight discounts, or Admirals Club membership.

Other earning opportunities

There are also a number of non-flying ways to earn AAdvantage miles. These include:

• AAdvantage shopping portal. AAdvantage offers an eShopping portal where you can earn variable miles based on tracked spending at many online retailers. There are also regular bonuses and offers for cumulative spending.
• Hotel stays. Most major hotel chains offer the opportunity to earn AAdvantage miles. This is usually in lieu of points in their own programs.
• Car hire. AAdvantage has partnerships with several major car hire firms. With Avis and Budget, you earn a fixed amount per rental depending on your AAdvantage status (up to 1,250 miles for AAdvantage Executive Platinum members). Others (including Hertz) offer a fixed amount per rental day or dollar spent.
• Dining program. By registering your AAdvantage account and credit card, you can earn 1 to 5 miles per dollar spent at thousands of US restaurants.
• Buying AAdvantage miles. This is not usually a great value way to accrue miles (although there are frequent promotions that improve the value). It can be useful, though, if you need to top up your balance for a specific reward target.

Photo: Tupungato | Shutterstock

Once you’ve begun building up a stash of AAdvantage points, next comes the fun of spending. Read on to find out the best ways to spend AAdvantage points.