How Much is American Elite Status Worth in 2025?
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Earning elite status with an airline unlocks a world of extra perks for frequent flyers. If you’re a loyal traveler with American Airlines, you might wonder: Is American Airlines elite status worth it? Here’s a detailed breakdown to help you decide.
American Airlines elite status has four tiers:
AAdvantage Gold.
AAdvantage Platinum.
AAdvantage Platinum Pro.
AAdvantage Executive Platinum.
Each tier provides increasing benefits, from priority boarding to complimentary upgrades. Below, we’ll explore the estimated value of each level based on NerdWallet’s analysis.
AAdvantage Gold: Estimated value of $2,440
To become an AAdvantage Gold member, you need to earn 40,000 Loyalty Points within twelve months starting on March 1 of each year. Below are a few of the most valuable benefits of AAdvantage Gold:
Priority check-in, security and boarding.
Complimentary Main Cabin Extra seats at check-in, when available.
Complimentary Preferred seats, when available.
Complimentary upgrades within North America as early as 24 hours before departure (including award tickets).
Earn 40% more miles.
One free checked bag.
Oneworld Ruby benefits.
AAdvantage Platinum: Estimated value of $5,942
To become an AAdvantage Platinum member, you need to earn 75,000 Loyalty Points within twelve months starting on March 1 of each year. Below are a few of the most valuable Platinum benefits:
Priority check-in, security and boarding.
Complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats, when available.
Complimentary upgrades within North America as early as 48 hours before departure (including award tickets).
Earn 60% more miles.
Two free checked bags.
Oneworld Sapphire benefits.
AAdvantage Platinum Pro: Estimated value of $12,509
To become an AAdvantage Platinum Pro member, you need to earn 125,000 Loyalty Points within twelve months starting on March 1 of each year. Below are a few of the most valuable benefits of AAdvantage Platinum Pro:
Priority check-in, security and boarding.
Complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats.
Complimentary upgrades within North America as early as 72 before departure (including award tickets).
Earn 80% more miles.
Three free checked bags.
Oneworld Emerald benefits.
AAdvantage Executive Platinum: Estimated value of $24,304
To become an AAdvantage Executive Platinum member, you need to earn 200,000 Loyalty Points within twelve months starting on March 1 of each year.
Below are a few of the most valuable benefits of AAdvantage Executive Platinum:
Priority check-in, security and boarding.
Complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats.
Complimentary upgrades within North America as early as 100 hours before departure (including award tickets).
Earn 120% more miles.
Three free checked bags.
Oneworld Emerald benefits.
The value of American miles
If you plan to pursue American status, you might be wondering how much American miles are worth. According to a recent analysis from NerdWallet, AAdvantage miles are worth approximately 1.6 cents each toward main cabin travel.
How the value of American elite status compares with competitors
Based on a separate NerdWallet analysis that compares the cost and value of each airline's elite status, American Airlines received a perfect rating of 5 out of 5.
American's elite status even beat out the airline with the best rewards program, Alaska Airlines, as well as other big players such as United Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
Should I earn elite status with American Airlines this year?
Frequent American Airlines flyers may wonder if achieving elite status is worthwhile. Since American Airlines flies to more than 350 destinations around the globe and has many partner airlines travel partners, there are plenty of opportunities to earn miles and Loyalty Points.
Travelers living near one of American's hubs who are willing to get an American Airlines credit card may find it worthwhile to achieve elite status. More plentiful flight routes means more opportunity to take advantage of high-value elite status perks.
» Learn more: Is the American Airlines credit card worth it?
What's the best way to earn American Airlines status?
American Airlines offers several ways to earn Loyalty Points, which are required to achieve elite status. As you earn AAdvantage American miles, you’ll also earn Loyalty Points. Here are a few of the best ways to earn American Airlines status:
Earn elite status by flying with American Airlines
When flying on American Airlines-operated flights, you can earn Loyalty Points as you work toward achieving elite status. The amount of Loyalty Points earned depends on your AAdvantage status level. Here is a breakdown of how many points you'll earn for every dollar spent on your flight:
General member: 5 Loyalty Points per dollar spent.
AAdvantage Gold member: 7 Loyalty Points per dollar spent.
AAdvantage Platinum member: 8 Loyalty Points per dollar spent.
AAdvantage Executive Platinum member: 9 Loyalty Points per dollar spent.
AAdvantage Executive Platinum member: 11 Loyalty Points per dollar spent.
Luckily, American Airlines has numerous travel partners, largely due to its membership in the Onewold alliance.
Earn elite status by flying with a Oneworld airline
American Airlines is part of the Oneworld Alliance. If flying with a Oneworld partner or one of American’s other travel partners, American Airlines status holders earn the same number of points as they would when flying American with their given status level.
Below is a list of Oneworld partner airlines:
Earn elite status by flying with other partner airlines
In addition to earning Loyalty Points when flying on American Airlines or Oneworld partner flights, you can earn Loyalty Points by flying with other partner airlines as well.
Below is a list of American Airlines' other airline partners:
Earn elite status by spending with American Airlines credit cards
Using an American Airlines co-branded credit card is an easy way to rack up Loyalty Points. For every mile earned, you’ll gain one Loyalty Point. Eligible cards include:
» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now
Earn elite status through other travel partners
Booking with American’s hotel and car rental partners also earns Loyalty Points. Popular partners include Hyatt Hotels and Avis and Budget rental cars.
» Learn more: The guide to American Airlines partners
Is achieving American Airlines elite status worth It?
For frequent American Airlines flyers, elite status can significantly enhance the travel experience. American Airlines elite status offers valuable perks like free upgrades, lounge access and priority services.
If you live near an American Airlines hub or frequently travel to its 350+ global destinations, the benefits may outweigh the effort to achieve elite status. Pairing your flights with a co-branded credit card or utilizing travel partners can also accelerate your progress.
Methodology
Value of each tier
To determine the value of each elite status tier, we considered those perks that carry a clear value, and we omitted luxury benefits (like dedicated phone lines) that don't. Specifically, we considered:
Bonus miles earned.
Bag fee offsets.
Premium seating upgrades.
First class upgrades.
Upgrade certificates.
Fee waivers.
Other individual program perks with clear value.
The table below explains these benefits as well as the assumptions we made in calculating their value.
Elite benefit | Explanation | Assumptions |
|---|---|---|
Bonus miles | The number of extra miles or points earned for this status tier. For example, Alaska MVP members receive 50% bonus miles. | The traveler will fly the number of miles needed to achieve this status tier, and the miles are worth the value that we estimate here. |
Bag fee offsets | The value of offset bag fees. | The traveler takes advantage of these offset bag fees every 10,000 miles flown. |
Premium seating upgrades | Complimentary upgrades to economy plus, economy comfort, etc. | The traveler is upgraded once every 2,500 miles, discounting those times they are upgraded to first class. We estimate the value of these upgrades at $50 apiece. |
First-class upgrades | Complimentary upgrades to first and business class. | We assume that higher elite tiers within a given program are more likely to be upgraded, with a maximum upgrade rate of 75% across all programs. We estimate the value of these upgrades at $200 apiece. |
Upgrade certificates | Complimentary upgrade certificates, such as American Airlines systemwide upgrades. | Since members can pick which flights receive upgrades for these, we peg them at a slightly higher value of $300 apiece. |
Fee waivers | The value of change/cancel fees that are offset from holding the status. | Travelers change or cancel one flight per 5,000 miles flown (i.e., 10 times for 50,000 miles flown). |
Other perks with clear value | Includes lounge membership, mile bonuses, etc. | — |
(Featured image courtesy of American Airlines)
The information related to the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
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