The day has finally arrived.
Finally, you can now earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles and loyalty points for upgrades you purchase on American Airlines flights. This feature was first teased by the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline earlier this year, with promises that it would roll out by the end of 2024.
In the future, miles and loyalty points can be collected for all paid upgrades purchased on or after August 14.
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Mileage earning rates are the same as regular paid tickets. You earn miles based on the upgrade cost, with tiered bonuses for elite members as shown below.
- AAdvantage member: 5 miles per dollar
- Gold member: 7 miles per dollar
- Platinum member: 8 miles per dollar
- Platinum Pro Member: 9 miles per dollar
- Executive Platinum member: 11 miles per dollar
- Concierge Key member: 11 miles per dollar
For example, if the upgrade costs $75, you’ll earn between 375 and 825 AAdvantage miles for the upgrade, depending on your status level. According to TPG’s August 2024 valuation, American miles are worth 1.7 cents each, which translates to between $6.38 and $14.03 off future travel on a $75 upgrade.
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In addition to redeemable miles, travelers who want to improve their status will earn loyalty points when purchasing upgrades, just like with a traditional ticket. The number of loyalty points you receive by upgrading is equal to the number of redeemable miles you have earned.
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For example, an Executive Platinum member would receive 825 AAdvantage miles for a $75 upgrade, plus 825 loyalty points for that purchase.
After the trip is completed, the miles and loyalty points from an upgrade purchase are credited to each individual traveler’s account.
The new ability to earn miles and loyalty points through paid upgrades is undoubtedly a welcome improvement to the AAdvantage loyalty program.
In recent years, American airlines have increasingly offered paid upgrades after booking your flight. These upgrade offers are dynamically calculated based on real-time availability and can sometimes represent a good deal compared to purchasing a premium cabin outright.
While this upgrade buyout has resulted in fewer free upgrades for elite members, it still makes sense for American to meet as much demand for premium cabins as possible.
Previously, the airline did not allow its loyalty program members to earn miles and status credits through upgrades. For me, this was a reason to avoid these buy-out offers altogether and instead exchange my ticket for a business or first class fare if it becomes cheaper over time.
But now I’m more inclined to purchase an upgrade with American the next time I find a reasonable deal.
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American’s other major competitors, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, also sell upgrades after booking on select flights. On Delta, upgrade tickets are eligible for additional miles and elite qualifying points tied to the upgraded seat. On United, purchasing an upgrade after booking earns you more status credits (Premier qualifying points), but you don’t get more redeemable miles.
With this change, American Airlines will join Delta in offering the most comprehensive loyalty benefits for travelers who purchase upgrades.
In addition to earning miles and status credits through upgrades, American has promised that there will be other enhancements to its loyalty program later this year, including the ability to request system-wide upgrades online and redeem miles for upgrades on additional partner airlines.
This functionality is still planned to be introduced later this year at an undisclosed date.
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