American Airlines redesigns and relaunches AAdvantage loyalty program
American Airlines continues to lead the industry in terms of customer loyalty rewards, today announcing that it has officially relaunched its reimagined AAdvantage program. The redesigned program is intended to provide members with enhanced benefits, more ways to level up their status and offer the easiest way to unlock premier experiences.
From March 1, American is doing away with its complex system of elite-level qualifications, instead relying on one simple metric for determining status: Loyalty Points. With the program’s relaunch, members earn one Loyalty point for every qualifying AAdvantage mile earned. The straightforward system means members only need to track one metric when it comes to elevating their status.
With this new program format, AAdvantage becomes the world’s largest airline loyalty program that compels members to keep track of their miles, dollars and/or flight segments to determine their status.
Additionally, the program now offers members more ways to earn miles and Loyalty Points, and thereby boost their membership status: by flying, dining and shopping using their AAdvantage credit card. Once members unlock a certain status level, it will be considered valid (and themselves eligible for the accompanying travel enhancements) through March 31 of the following year.
Miles and points can be earned by flying with American, oneworld Alliance carriers or other eligible airlines, such as JetBlue. Members can also earn miles from everyday expenditures through the AAdvantage eShopping, SimplyMiles and AAdvantage Dining programs; by booking rental cars or hotel stays with AAdvantage partner businesses; and on purchases made using their AAdvantage credit card.
“The past few years have taught us that loyalty is not one-size-fits all—it comes in different forms,” Alison Taylor, American’s Chief Customer Officer, said in a news release. “We recognize the path to earning status is different for each individual, which is why we’re giving members more ways to earn Loyalty Points—whether by flying, shopping or using an AAdvantage credit card. We want to make it easier for our customers to achieve status wherever they may be in their travel journey.”
From March 1, AAdvantage members will be able to access an upgraded online status estimator tool, which will help them approximate their future status qualifications based on points earned by flying, shopping and dining. Their progress toward a higher status tier will also be displayed within their AAdvantage account on aa.com and the American Airlines app.
American is elevating the travel experience for all status members by offering perks like free checked bags, priority check-in, priority security screening and priority boarding when they fly with American or its oneworld Alliance partner airlines.
Starting March 2, access to complimentary upgrades is being extended to AAdvantage Gold and Platinum members flying with American Airlines to any destination and any distance within North America. If everyone in the flight reservation is eligible for a free upgrade, the system will automatically request one. Qualifying members can use 500-mile upgrades if they wish to upgrade their travel companions who don’t hold similar AAdvantage status.
Later this year, American also plans on extending a complimentary upgrade to one companion for each status member, provided they’re traveling together aboard the same flight. When the change takes effect, all 500-mile upgrades remaining in member accounts will be converted to 250 Loyalty Points, to count toward their 2022 status qualification period.