Glossary

What Are AAdvantage Loyalty Points?

Loyalty Points are American Airlines' single measure of elite status. What makes them unusual is their source: you earn one Loyalty Point for nearly every AAdvantage mile you collect — not just from flying, but also from co-branded credit card spend and from partners. That makes AAdvantage one of the few major programmes where you can build airline status meaningfully from the ground without leaving home.

One mile, one Loyalty Point

When you fly American or a partner, you earn redeemable AAdvantage miles based on your spend and status. Almost all of those miles also count as Loyalty Points. The base earning rate on AA flights rises with your status:

StatusMiles & Loyalty Points per $1
General member5
Gold7
Platinum8
Platinum Pro9
Executive Platinum11

What does not count

Bonus miles from promotions and certain award-related miles generally do not earn Loyalty Points — it is the base earning that counts. Government taxes and fees are excluded from "eligible spend".

Status thresholds

Loyalty Points are counted over a 1 March–28 February qualification year. The 2026 thresholds are Gold 40,000, Platinum 75,000, Platinum Pro 125,000 and Executive Platinum 200,000.

Related reading