Summary
- Earn up to 11 AAdvantage miles and loyalty points per dollar spent on upgrades, depending on your elite status.
- Members can also use miles for flight upgrades, starting at 5,000 miles on select airlines.
- More benefits coming soon: Upgrade with miles on additional partner airlines and the ability to manage upgrades online.
US airline 
American Airlines has introduced the latest enhancement to its frequent flyer program. Starting today, August 14, members of the loyalty program can earn miles and loyalty points for upgrade purchases.
How many points do you get?
The airline confirmed today on its website that members of its An advantage Loyalty program members can earn miles and loyalty points when purchasing upgrades for cash. The standard earning rate is based on the points earned when purchasing airline tickets and varies depending on the member’s elite status as follows:
- AAdvantage Basic members earn 5 AAdvantage miles and loyalty points per dollar spent
- AAdvantage Gold status holders earn 7 AAdvantage miles and loyalty points per dollar spent.
- AAdvantage Platinum status holders earn 8 AAdvantage miles and loyalty points per dollar spent
- AAdvantage Platinum Pro status holders earn 9x AAdvantage miles and loyalty points per dollar spent
- AAdvantage Executive Platinum status holders earn 11x AAdvantage miles and loyalty points per dollar spent
Related
The different levels of American Airlines’ AAdvantage program
For frequent flyers, earning rewards status is an important part of the AAdvantage program.
The airline regularly offers passengers the option of paying to upgrade to first or business class. The price and value of such upgrades can vary considerably. The new changes may help passengers find a cheaper way to the front of the plane, while also allowing the airline to generate revenue for a seat that could otherwise remain empty or be offered as a free upgrade to another passenger with elite status.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Easy flying
The miles you earn are in addition to any miles or bonus points you earn by paying for the upgrade with an American Airlines credit card.
How can you use miles for upgrades?
Passengers have long been able to upgrade flights with miles, but this is the first time they’ll be able to earn miles and loyalty points with the upgrades. Members of Delta Air Lines’ SkyMiles program have long been offered the opportunity to earn miles and status points with upgrades, as have United Airlines MileagePlus frequent flyers.
How to upgrade your next American Airlines flight with frequent flyer miles
Perhaps the most direct, although not the easiest, way to get an upgrade is to collect miles and use them towards the upgrade.
Passengers who wish to use miles for upgrades can find the full chart with the cost of each upgrade. For those who purchased a full-fare economy ticket, upgrading to a single cabin starts at 5,000 miles. In comparison, passengers with basic economy travel plans will need to shell out at least 15,000 miles to advance on domestic flights. The full chart for flights within the U.S. can be found below:
Photo: American Airlines
The airline confirmed today that it remains on track to introduce more upgrade perks by the end of the year. The main change is an expansion of the number of partner airlines where members can upgrade using miles. Currently, Qantas, British Airways and Iberia allow members to use miles to upgrade selected fares to a higher cabin.
Later this year, AAdvantage members will also be able to request and manage system-wide upgrades online.
