I received an email yesterday that AA is changing it's AAdvantage program model to earn status. I didn't see this posted in the AA Business thread, so here is the link to their press release: https://news.aa.com/news/news-details/2021/American-Airlines-Reimagines-Its-AAdvantage-Loyalty-Program-Giving-Members-More-Ways-to-Earn-Status-AADV-10/default.aspx. Given changes in other carrier's programs in the past few years, this doesn't really come as a surprise.
At first the program looks to be more streamlined where you simply earn Loyalty Points for various AA-related activities. 1 mile flown = 1 Loyalty Point. $1 spent on an AA-branded credit card = 1 Loyalty Point. There are also other options to earn Points, such as with hotel and dinning partners, and it looks like there will be bonus Points for current elite members. This would replace the current method of earning status which is a blend of airfare spend + elite qualifying miles or segments. However, the thresholds for earning elite status have jumped. For example, typically, EXP members needed $15,000 in spend and 100,000 miles (I realize there was a reduction in qualifying thresholds in 2021). Now that threshold is 200,000 Loyalty Points. It will be interesting to see if there are as many elite members in the future once this model takes hold beginning in March 2022. It seems that unless you are using an AA credit card or living in the air, you are not going to make the highest tier AAdvantage levels. I guess we'll wait and see.
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Re: American AAdvantage Program Overhaul
vjzalb wrote:It seems that unless you are using an AA credit card or living in the air, you are not going to make the highest tier AAdvantage levels. I guess we'll wait and see.
As it should be. The highest FF tier should always be only for those completely dedicated to the airline. For years airlines have made reaching upper tiers way to easy completely devaluing the point of them and the perks of lower statuses.
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