You can now finally earn miles, Loyalty Points from paid American Airlines upgrades
The day is finally here.
At long last, you can now earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points from upgrades purchased on American Airlines flights. This feature was first teased by the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier earlier this year, with the promise that it would launch by the end of 2024.
Going forward, any paid upgrades purchased on or after Aug. 14 will be eligible to earn miles and Loyalty Points.
Value check: Are airline credit cards worth it anymore?
The mileage earning rates will mimic those from traditional paid tickets. You'll earn miles based on how much the upgrade costs, with tiered bonuses for elite members, as shown below.
- AAdvantage member: 5 miles per dollar
- Gold member: 7 miles per dollar
- Platinum member: 8 miles per dollar
- Platinum Pro member: 9 miles per dollar
- Executive Platinum member: 11 miles per dollar
- Concierge Key member: 11 miles per dollar
For example, if the upgrade costs $75, you'll earn between 375 and 825 AAdvantage miles for the upgrade, depending on your status level. According to TPG's August 2024 valuations, American miles are worth 1.7 cents a piece, so this translates to a rebate of between $6.38 and $14.03 toward future travel from a $75 upgrade.
Miles and status: Your ultimate guide to American Airlines AAdvantage
In addition to redeemable miles, travelers looking to elevate their status will earn Loyalty Points on upgrade purchases just like they would a traditional paid ticket. The number of Loyalty Points you'll earn from an upgrade will equal the number of redeemable miles earned.
For example, an Executive Platinum member would earn 825 AAdvantage miles for a $75 upgrade, as well as 825 Loyalty Points for this purchase.
After completing travel, the miles and Loyalty Points from an upgrade purchase will be posted to each individual traveler's account.
Adding the ability to earn miles and Loyalty Points from paid upgrades is undoubtedly a welcome improvement to the AAdvantage loyalty program.
In recent years, American carriers have been more aggressive about selling paid upgrades after booking your flight. These upgrade offers are priced dynamically based on real-time availability and can sometimes represent a great deal relative to outright purchasing a premium cabin.
While this upgrade buy-up has translated to fewer complimentary upgrades for elite members, it does make sense for American to capture as much premium cabin demand as it can.
Until now, the airline hasn't allowed loyalty members to earn miles and status credits from upgrades. For me, that's been a reason to generally avoid these buy-up offers and instead change my ticket to a business- or first-class fare if it becomes more reasonable over time.
But now, I will be more tempted to buy an upgrade with American the next time I find a reasonable offer.
Beach, please: American adds new routes, flights in biggest-ever Caribbean boost
American's other major competitors, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, also sell post-booking upgrades on select flights. With Delta, upgraded tickets are eligible for additional mileage and elite qualifying accruals tied to the upgraded seat. On United, purchasing a post-booking upgrade will accrue more status credits (Premier qualifying points), but it won't earn you any more redeemable miles.
As such, with this change, American will join Delta in offering the most comprehensive loyalty benefits for travelers who purchase upgrades.
In addition to earning miles and status credits from upgrades, American promised other improvements to its loyalty program are coming later this year. These include the ability to request systemwide upgrades online and redeem miles for upgrades with more airline partners.
This functionality is still on track to debut later this year at an undisclosed date.
Related reading:
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees