Registered for American Airlines status using Hyatt? Here's why you may want to wait until March to earn Loyalty Points

Last week, American Airlines made waves when it announced that it would provide instant status to mid- and upper-tier Hyatt elites.

As a Hyatt Globalist member, I promptly registered for this promotion and enjoyed the instant gratification of seeing my American status bumped up to Platinum Pro. When you register for your status match, you have 120 days to earn the Loyalty Points needed to extend your status. If you don't earn the Loyalty Points needed for American's Instant Status Pass, you could drop out of the status challenge and fall into American's standard Loyalty Point qualification requirements.

Here's why I'm waiting until March to earn the bulk of my Loyalty Points — and why you should consider doing the same.

120 days to earn Loyalty Points from the day you register

At the time of writing, Hyatt elites can still register for American Airlines status. First, if you haven't already, you must link your Hyatt and American loyalty accounts by Dec. 12. Then, you'll need to register for American's Instant Status Pass by Dec. 28.

While the news was covered last week, remember that American's Instant Status Pass divides the calendar into Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3. Each phase is 120 days long. You'll need to accrue a certain number of Loyalty Points every four months (or within one phase) to extend your status.

Here's how many Loyalty Points you need each phase using American's Instant Status Pass:

• Gold: 10,000 Loyalty Points.
• Platinum: 25,000 Loyalty Points.
• Platinum Pro: 42,000 Loyalty Points.
• Executive Platinum: 67,000 Loyalty Points.

To extend my Platinum Pro status into Phase 2, I must earn 42,000 Loyalty Points within 120 days of registering for status.

Here's a breakdown of what that means for me:

As you can see, the normal AAdvantage elite status schedule resets on March 1, 2023. Consequently, you might consider deferring Loyalty Point activities until March. That way, if you drop out of Instant Status Pass, you're earnings up to that point will apply toward qualifying for status in 2024.

Related: Chasing American Airlines elite status? Here are 14 ways to earn Loyalty Points

How I plan to earn 42,000 Loyalty Points between March 1-28, 2022

Again, I plan to earn my Loyalty Points for Phase 1 once next year's normal AAdvantage elite status schedule kicks off on March 1, 2023. Doing so will ensure I've already made significant progress toward the standard route to American Airlines status by Feb. 29, 2024, if I end up dropping out of Instant Status Pass. Should that happen, status requirements will be as follows:

• Gold: 30,000 Loyalty Points.
• Platinum: 75,000 Loyalty Points.
• Platinum Pro: 125,000 Loyalty Points.
• Executive Platinum: 200,000 Loyalty Points.

However, I won't need to worry about these regular elite status qualification thresholds, as I have a plan to keep my elevated status through Instant Status Pass.

Earn 35,527 Loyalty Points on British Airways

After finding a heavily discounted multicity business-class fare on British Airways, one of American's partners, I booked a trip across the Atlantic in March. Since I bought my ticket directly with British Airways, here's what I'll earn on this itinerary as a Platinum Pro member:

• San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to London's Heathrow Airport (LHR): I fare with 150% mileage credit, 12,345 Loyalty Points.
• LHR to Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO): J fare with 250% mileage credit, 2,968 Loyalty Points.
• Dubai International Airport (DXB) to LHR: I fare with 150% mileage credit, 7,869 Loyalty Points.
• LHR to SFO: I-fare with 150% mileage credit, 12,345 Loyalty Points.

When I look for partner fares, I search for three primary criteria:

1. A good deal (to earn more than the 9 Loyalty Points per dollar [only base fare + carrier imposed fee(s)] that Platinum Pro members earn on AA-issued tickets).
2. A long flight distance (since partner-issued tickets are earned by flight distance).
3. A premium fare (since discounted premium economy, business- and first-class tickets generally earn significantly more than discounted economy fares).

Related: Quick Points: Earn American AAdvantage status and Loyalty Points quickly with Oneworld partner flights

Earn 6,473 Loyalty Points on non-flight activity

It's no secret that you can earn Loyalty Points through non-flight activities like online shopping and dining. I also recently opened the AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard®, which earns 1 Loyalty Point per dollar spent on everyday purchases.

I'm aiming to earn the remaining 6,473 Loyalty Points needed to extend me to Phase 2 without stepping on a plane.

The information for the AAdvantage Aviator World Elite Business Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: Be careful: 9 times you won't earn American Airlines Loyalty Points, even if you earn miles

Bottom line

Since Phase 1 (your 120 days to earn the Loyalty Points needed to extend your status and advance to Phase 2) begins the day you register for status, you might consider waiting until closer to Dec. 28, the last day to register for this promotion if you've already linked your Hyatt and American accounts.

By waiting until March to earn the Loyalty Points needed for Phase 2, you'll be well on your way to earning AAdvantage status in 2023 using the standard requirements if you drop out of the Instant Status Match in Phase 2 or Phase 3.