Name: American Express® Gold Card
Brand: American Express

American Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world, and its American Airlines AAdvantage loyalty program is popular with many travelers.

You can get a ton of value from the program, which is why the AAdvantage program won the Best U.S. Airline Loyalty Program title at the 2026 TPG Awards.

Here's what you need to know about American Airlines AAdvantage.

American Airlines AAdvantage program partners

American Airlines is part of the Oneworld alliance. American Airlines elite members get some perks when flying Oneworld airlines, but all AAdvantage members can earn and redeem miles when flying with the following Oneworld alliance airlines:

Alaska Airlines
British Airways
Cathay Pacific
Fiji Airways
Finnair
Hawaiian Airlines
Iberia
Japan Airlines
Malaysia Airlines
Oman Air
Qantas
Qatar Airways
Royal Air Maroc
Royal Jordanian Airlines
SriLankan Airlines
S7 Airlines (currently suspended)

American Airlines AAdvantage also partners at various levels with a handful of airlines outside of Oneworld, including:

Aer Lingus
Air Tahiti Nui
China Southern Airlines
Etihad Airways
Gol Airlines
IndiGo
JetSmart
Level
Porter Airlines

Review the specific partner airline page for full details.

American Airlines AAdvantage elite status

American Airlines AAdvantage elite status has four tiers with published qualification metrics — AAdvantage Gold, AAdvantage Platinum, AAdvantage Platinum Pro and AAdvantage Executive Platinum — plus an invitation-only tier called ConciergeKey.

You can earn American Airlines status when you accrue a specific number of Loyalty Points during the 12-month qualification period from the beginning of March to the end of February each year.

How to earn Loyalty Points

Loyalty Points are the metric that AAdvantage members must accrue to earn elite status.

Here are some ways you can earn base miles that are Loyalty Point-eligible:

Take flights marketed by American Airlines, other Oneworld airlines and Gol Airlines.
Spend with eligible partners, including American Airlines Vacations, AAdvantage eShopping, AAdvantage Dining, SimplyMiles and AAdvantage Hotels.
Make eligible purchases with an AAdvantage credit card.

Elite status requirements and benefits

Here’s the number of Loyalty Points you must earn during the current qualification period for each American Airlines elite status tier:

AAdvantage Gold (Oneworld Ruby): This tier requires earning 40,000 Loyalty Points. You'll receive a 40% mileage bonus, complimentary Main Cabin Extra seats at check-in, complimentary Preferred seats at booking, Priority check-in, Group 4 boarding and a first checked bag free on itineraries marketed and operated by American Airlines.
AAdvantage Platinum (Oneworld Sapphire): This tier requires earning 75,000 Loyalty Points. You'll receive a 60% mileage bonus, complimentary Preferred or Main Cabin Extra seats at booking, Group 3 boarding, Priority baggage handling and a first and second checked bag free on itineraries marketed and operated by American Airlines.
AAdvantage Platinum Pro (Oneworld Emerald): This tier requires earning 125,000 Loyalty Points. You'll receive an 80% mileage bonus, Group 2 boarding, free same-day flight changes (on eligible routes) and a first, second and third checked bag free on itineraries marketed and operated by American Airlines.
AAdvantage Executive Platinum (Oneworld Emerald): This tier requires earning 200,000 Loyalty Points. You'll receive a 120% mileage bonus, Group 1 boarding, complimentary food and drinks when traveling in the main cabin and guaranteed availability in the main cabin on sold-out American Airlines flights when you buy a full-fare ticket at least 24 hours in advance.

American Airlines exit row — ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Loyalty Point Rewards

As you earn Loyalty Points each qualification period, you’ll earn Loyalty Point Rewards that are distinct from elite status tiers as you reach the following milestones:

15,000 Loyalty Points: Group 5 boarding for the membership year and one choice of a personalized luggage tag, 1,000 Loyalty Points, five Preferred Seat coupons, priority privileges and Group 4 boarding for a trip or two inflight food and beverage coupons for use on flights where service is offered
60,000 Loyalty Points: Avis Preferred Plus status and a 25% Loyalty Point bonus when you spend with American Airlines Vacations, SimplyMiles, AAdvantage eShopping, AAdvantage Cruises, AAdvantage Dining and AAdvantage Hotels within six months after qualifying
100,000 Loyalty Points: Avis President’s Club status and World of Hyatt Discoverist status
175,000 Loyalty Points: One choice of World of Hyatt Explorist status, 5,000 Loyalty Points, two systemwide upgrades, 20,000 bonus miles (25,000 bonus miles if you’re an AAdvantage credit card member), a $200 trip credit ($250 if you’re an AAdvantage credit card member), a $250 credit toward American Airlines Vacations packages, a 75-gallon sustainable aviation fuel allocation, a $250 donation to select nonprofit organizations, two gifts of AAdvantage Gold status, one AAdvantage Exchange gift or 35,000 AAdvantage miles toward a Mastercard Priceless Experience (only available to AAdvantage credit card members)
250,000 Loyalty Points: Two choices of World of Hyatt Explorist status, 15,000 Loyalty Points, two systemwide upgrades, 20,000 bonus miles (30,000 bonus miles if you’re an AAdvantage credit card member), an Admirals Club membership (requires two choices), a $200 trip credit ($250 if you’re an AAdvantage credit card member), a $500 credit toward American Airlines Vacations packages, a 100-gallon sustainable aviation fuel allocation, a $250 donation to select nonprofit organizations, two gifts of AAdvantage Gold status, one AAdvantage Exchange gift, one AAdvantage Exchange premium gift (requires two choices), one Flagship Lounge single-visit pass (two Flagship Lounge single-visit passes if you’re an AAdvantage credit card member) or 35,000 AAdvantage miles toward a Mastercard Priceless Experience (only available to AAdvantage credit card members)
400,000, 550,000 and 750,000 Loyalty Points: Two choices of one World of Hyatt Category 1-4 free night award, one systemwide upgrade, 25,000 bonus miles, an Admirals Club membership (requires two choices), a $200 trip credit ($250 if you’re an AAdvantage credit card member), a $500 credit toward American Airlines Vacations packages, a 100-gallon sustainable aviation fuel allocation, one gift of AAdvantage Platinum status, one AAdvantage Exchange gift, one AAdvantage Exchange premium gift (requires two choices), two Flagship Lounge single-visit passes, one Flagship First dining pass or 40,000 AAdvantage miles toward a Mastercard Priceless Experience (only available to AAdvantage credit card members)

american planes — SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

How to earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles

When you fly on a flight marketed by American Airlines, Aer Lingus, British Airways, Fiji Airways, Iberia or JetSmart, you’ll earn 5 base miles per dollar spent on the ticket (excluding government-imposed taxes and fees). However, basic economy fares purchased on or after Dec. 17, 2025, no longer earn miles or Loyalty Points.

You’ll earn more base miles with AAdvantage elite status as described in the status section above.

You can also earn AAdvantage miles on most flights marketed by American’s partners. You’ll usually earn miles based on the flight distance and the ticket fare class, which vary by partner. Keep in mind that AAdvantage miles expire if there is no qualifying account activity within 24 consecutive months.

American Airlines credit cards

One of the easiest ways to earn miles is through American Airlines credit cards. Here’s a look at the current welcome offers and earning rates on some popular American Airlines credit cards.

Card	Annual fee	Welcome offer	Earning rates
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard® (see )	$695	For a limited time, earn 125,000 bonus miles after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first five months of account opening.	12 miles per dollar spent on eligible hotels booked through aadvantagehotels.com and eligible car rentals booked through aadvantagecars.com 4 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases 1 mile per dollar spent on other purchases
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® (see )	$99, waived for the first 12 months	For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,500 on purchases in the first four months from account opening.	2 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, restaurants and gas stations 1 mile per dollar spent on other purchases
Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® (see )	$350	Earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.	6 miles per dollar spent on eligible AAdvantage Hotels bookings 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases 2 miles per dollar spent at restaurants, including takeout and delivery, and on eligible "Rides and Rails" purchases, including taxis, ride-hailing services and public transit 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card	No annual fee

The information for the AAdvantage MileUp Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Transfer credit card points

You can also transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to the AAdvantage program at a 1:1 ratio.

To transfer your Citi ThankYou Rewards points to AAdvantage, you must first go to thankyou.com and sign in just as you would for your Citi credit card account.

Next, scroll down to "Ways to Redeem" and select "Points Transfer."

Then, select American Airlines AAdvantage from the list of transfer partners (it should appear first in the list) and click "Start Transfer."

You must transfer in increments of 1,000 ThankYou Rewards points, but you cannot transfer more than 500,000 points in a single transaction.

Use the slider to select the desired number of Citi points you wish to transfer to AAdvantage at a 1:1 rate. Then, click through until your transaction is complete.

Although transfers to most partners are instant, some may take longer.

It's also important to note that the name on your loyalty account must match the name on your Citi card. Additionally, keep in mind that transfers are irreversible.

Other ways to earn AAdvantage miles

Online shopping: When you click through the AAdvantage eShopping portal, you can earn AAdvantage miles on your purchases with select online merchants.
SimplyMiles: This lets you earn miles when shopping online or in-store with select merchants. All that's required is to log in to SimplyMiles using your normal American Airlines AAdvantage credentials, link one or more Mastercards to your profile and enroll in offers.
AAdvantage Dining: This program lets you earn AAdvantage miles when dining at participating local restaurants.
Rentals cars: American Airlines partners with major car rental companies so its members can earn miles on car rentals.
Hotel stays: Book your stay through the AAdvantage Hotels platform, or book a qualifying stay with IHG, Marriott or Hyatt.
AAdvantage Cruises and American Airlines Vacations: Book a cruise or vacation package through American's respective platform to earn miles on these purchases.
Bask Bank: Earn miles just by having a Bask Bank savings account.
Buy miles: Watch for promotions that allow you to buy AAdvantage miles with a bonus or discount.

Woman holding a credit card and using her laptop — FG TRADE/GETTY IMAGES

How to redeem American Airlines AAdvantage miles

Redeeming American Airlines AAdvantage miles for flights usually provides the best value. According to TPG’s September 2026 valuations, AAdvantage miles are worth 1.45 cents each, so try to get at least that value when redeeming miles. Here’s a look at some of the best ways to redeem American Airlines miles.

Flights

American Airlines publishes award charts with starting rates. You’ll find different charts for American- and partner-operated flights. However, the charts for American-operated award flights aren’t all that helpful since, in practice, you’ll find widely varying rates that change frequently based on your routing, when you book and when you’re traveling.

The partner award charts are much more useful, providing terrific rates across all cabins where saver availability exists on some of the world's leading airlines.

Watch our American Airlines Flagship Suites review below:

Upgrades

On some itineraries, you can also redeem AAdvantage miles for an upgrade to the next cabin of service.

American allows you to buy an instant upgrade online or via the airline's app. You can use cash or miles for these instant upgrades, which the airline prices dynamically. Based on our tests, redeeming AAdvantage miles for these upgrades will yield about 1 cent per mile in value. If your itinerary is eligible, you should see upgrade options when you open your itinerary on the American Airlines website or app.

Admirals Club membership

You can redeem AAdvantage miles for an Admirals Club membership, but you’ll only get a value of 1 cent per mile, which isn't stellar, especially when you can get membership as a perk of the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard.

American Airlines Admirals Club at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). — ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Share or gift miles

American also allows you to share your miles with others or purchase them for another AAdvantage member. Simply go to the carrier's "Buy, Gift and Transfer Miles" page, sign into your account, click the "Transfer" or "Gift" tab at the top, enter the other AAdvantage member's details (name, email and AAdvantage membership number), fill out the number of miles you wish to transfer or gift, and complete the follow-up prompts to submit your order.

Keep in mind that any miles shared or gifted to other members don't count toward meeting elite status requirements.

Bottom line

The American Airlines AAdvantage program isn't perfect, but if you know how to make it work and can be flexible when booking award flights, there’s still plenty of value to be found, especially in the fantastic partner redemption rates.

Having an American Airlines credit card has become increasingly important for earning AAdvantage elite status. It’s also worth using the AAdvantage eShopping portal and SimplyMiles, whether you’re interested in earning AAdvantage miles, trying to qualify for American Airlines elite status or both.

TPG featured card

American Express® Gold Card

TPG editor's rating

Pros + cons

Pros

Valuable dining and food-related credits
Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
Multiple travel and purchase protections
No foreign transaction fees
Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)

Cons

Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits

More details

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Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
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No Foreign Transaction Fees.
Annual Fee is $325.
Terms Apply.