Why I rely on credit cards to earn American Airlines elite status

Ever since American AAdvantage switched to using Loyalty Points as its sole metric for earning elite status, it’s been possible to earn status without taking any flights. You can even earn all the Loyalty Points you need for any published elite status tier — including top-tier Executive Platinum status — solely via spending on an AAdvantage credit card.

But in practice, many AAdvantage members (myself included) combine spending on an AAdvantage card with other ways to earn Loyalty Points. So, in this article, I’ll discuss earning American Airlines elite status solely through credit card spending, and then explain how my AAdvantage credit cards fit into my broader elite status strategy.

How to earn Loyalty Points with an American Airlines credit card

You can earn Loyalty Points when you spend on AAdvantage credit cards. All U.S.-issued AAdvantage cards earn 1 Loyalty Point per dollar spent on eligible purchases. Bonus-category miles, welcome-offer miles and other mileage accelerators don’t earn additional Loyalty Points.

Here’s a look at how you can earn Loyalty Points on American Airlines credit cards issued within the U.S.:

Additionally, if you had an AAdvantage® Aviator® Silver World Elite Mastercard® that was converted to a Citi / AAdvantage Globe Mastercard when Citi became the sole issuer of AAdvantage cards in the U.S., you can still earn Loyalty Points as follows during the status qualification year ending Feb. 28, 2027:

• Earn an additional 5,000 Loyalty Points after spending $20,000 on net purchases with the card during the status qualification period.
• You can earn an additional 5,000 Loyalty Points after spending $40,000 on net purchases with the card during the same status qualification period.
• Plus, you can earn an additional 5,000 Loyalty Points after spending $50,000 on net purchases with the card during the same status qualification period.

The information for the Citi AAdvantage Business Mastercard, Citi / AAdvantage Gold Mastercard, AAdvantage MileUp Card and AAdvantage Aviator Silver 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: American AAdvantage miles vs. Loyalty Points: What’s the difference?

AAdvantage elite status requirements

Here’s a look at the American Airlines elite status tiers and the number of Loyalty Points you must accrue each qualification year (March 1 to Feb. 28 or 29) for each tier:

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• Gold: 40,000 Loyalty Points
• Platinum: 75,000 Loyalty Points
• Platinum Pro: 125,000 Loyalty Points
• Executive Platinum: 200,000 Loyalty Points

For U.S.-issued AAdvantage cards, eligible purchases count toward the qualification year based on the transaction date. So, eligible transactions dated no later than the final day of February count toward the qualification year that is ending, even if your credit card statement closes in March.

Once you earn an AAdvantage elite status, you’ll keep it for the qualification year in which you earned it, plus 13 months. So, if you earn status during the qualification year that ends on Feb. 28, 2027, you’ll keep the status through March 31, 2028.

In addition to elite status, you can earn other perks as you accrue Loyalty Points through the Loyalty Point Rewards program. You can even choose 1,000 Loyalty Points at the 15,000-point Loyalty Point Rewards milestone and 5,000 Loyalty Points at the 175,000-point milestone.

Related: How I earned 29,000 Loyalty Points and 23,000 AAdvantage miles on a single $800 hotel stay

Earning AAdvantage elite status solely via credit card spending

Earning any published American Airlines elite status tier is possible via spending on one or more AAdvantage credit cards. In this section, I’ll discuss the spending levels you’d need to earn each American Airlines elite status tier with just one or more AAdvantage credit cards.

I assume you select 1,000 Loyalty Points at the 15,000-point Loyalty Point Rewards milestone and 5,000 Loyalty Points at the 175,000-point milestone by the final day of February, so the Loyalty Points count toward the same qualification year. However, several other options at the 175,000-point milestone would likely provide more value.

These are theoretical minimum spending requirements. If you’re relying on the AAdvantage Executive card’s bonus Loyalty Points, the $164,000 theoretical minimum assumes the bonuses post soon enough to unlock the 175,000-point milestone and let you select 5,000 Loyalty Points before March 1.

But, as you can see, having (and using) an Aviator Silver that converted to an AAdvantage Globe cuts down the amount you’d need to spend for each American Airlines elite status. Unfortunately, new applicants to the AAdvantage Globe card don’t get access to these additional Loyalty Points at specific spending thresholds, though, and converted cardmembers will only keep this option during the qualification year ending Feb. 28, 2027.

Still, under these assumptions, you could add the AAdvantage Executive card to your wallet and earn top-tier Executive Platinum status with as little as $164,000 in card spending per qualification year. But, as I’ll discuss in the next section, the amount you’ll need to spend on your cards will decrease if you also earn Loyalty Points through other methods.

Related: Which AAdvantage card is right for you? Here are 3 options you should consider

How I use AAdvantage credit cards to earn elite status

Platinum Pro has historically been my sweet spot within the AAdvantage program because I highly value Oneworld Emerald status for the international first-class lounge access it provides. However, since my husband will secure Atmos Rewards Platinum status this year, which will give him Oneworld Emerald status, I’m not going to push for the 125,000 Loyalty Points I’d need for Platinum Pro status.

However, I am still striving to earn at least 75,000 Loyalty Points this qualification year to qualify for Platinum status. AAdvantage Platinum status still gives me Oneworld Sapphire status, which provides access to business-class lounges on qualifying international trips. Plus, Platinum status will still give me useful perks on American Airlines flights, including two free checked bags, Main Cabin Extra seats at booking on eligible fares and Group 3 boarding.

Earning 75,000 Loyalty Points within a qualification year still requires planning, though. This qualification year, I’m spending at least $50,000 on my Aviator Silver that converted to an AAdvantage Globe. By doing so, I’ll get 65,000 of the 75,000 Loyalty Points I need for Platinum status.

Earning over 86% of my Loyalty Points from card spending might seem ridiculous. But I often redeem points or miles for long-haul flights and expensive short-haul flights. This leaves me crediting only inexpensive, relatively short flights to AAdvantage, so I don’t earn much on flights and usually don’t fly enough paid American flights to benefit from the AAdvantage Globe’s Flight Streak bonus.

I’ll earn at least 10,000 Loyalty Points through AAdvantage Hotels, the AAdvantage eShopping portal, SimplyMiles and flights this qualification year. But these earnings are relatively minor compared to what I earn from spending on my AAdvantage card.

Related: Best time to apply for AAdvantage cards based on offer history

Bottom line

AAdvantage credit cards are a compelling way to earn Loyalty Points. And as I showed in this post, under the current program, it’s possible to earn top-tier Executive Platinum status with $164,000 in spending on the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard if you select the 1,000- and 5,000-point milestone rewards for the same qualification year and allow enough time for the card’s bonus Loyalty Points to post.

For most travelers, combining card spending with flights, AAdvantage Hotels, the AAdvantage eShopping portal and other eligible activities may be a more practical way to reach AAdvantage status.

Apply here: Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard
Apply here: Citi / AAdvantage Globe Mastercard
Apply here: Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thepointsguy.com