AAdvantage is the frequent flyer program of oneworld member, American Airlines, which may be of interest to some Australians who travel to (and within) the United States. There are sometimes good deals with buying Aadvantage miles at a discount and using it for oneworld member flights.
Given that AAdvantage is based in the States, other earning opportunities for Australians are limited. This guide is ground zero for those who are just starting off or have some passing interest in how the program works.
How do I join American Airlines AAdvantage?
Signing up to the AAdvantage program is free. You can sign up using this link.
- Go to the AAdvantage enrolment page
- Enter your name and other personal details
- Create an account password
- Click ‘Continue’ to finalise your registration
How do I earn AAdvantage miles?
AAdvantage miles can be earned across a wide variety of partners, though most are based in the US.
The primary way to earn AAdvantage miles is by flying on American Airlines and partner airlines including Qantas and Cathay Pacific.
Members will earn between 5 to 11 miles per US$1 spent on American Airlines-marketed flights, whereas most partner airline flights will earn 25-100% of the actual mileage flown, before other bonuses (such as premium cabin travel) are applied. Here’s Qantas’ earning table as an example.
You could also:
- Earn AAdvantage miles from hotel stays with chains such as World of Hyatt and IHG Rewards Club
- Shop online at AAdvantage eShopping with over 950 stores and earn miles for every dollar spent
- Dine and pay with your linked credit or debit card to earn miles for eligible spend at restaurants with AAdvantage Dining.
(Note that most of these non-flight options won’t be accessible for those living in Australia. Buying miles and taking eligible flights are the easiest ways to earn AAdvantage miles in Australia).
How do I use AAdvantage miles?
AAdvantage miles are best used on reward seats, hands down. The more premium the cabin class booked, the better value you can expect from those miles.
The AAdvantage award chart for Australian redemptions is a simple flat-rate for any oneworld-operated domestic flight in Australia — of course, Qantas is the only airline that fits the bill.
- 10,000 miles: Economy Class one-way
- 20,000 miles: Business Class one-way
For short hops, this is poor value — but for longer routings, such as Perth to Sydney, it’s great value in comparison to Qantas Frequent Flyer.
Here are some of the rates for flights from Australia and New Zealand (termed the ‘South Pacific’) to various destinations:
| AAdvantage miles one-way travel from South Pacific | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First |
| to Europe | 35,000 | 52,500 | 75,000 | 80,000 |
| to the continental USA and Canada | 35,000 | 50,000 | 60,000 | 90,000 |
| to Asia (excl. Japan, South Korea) | 12,500 | 17,500 | 20,000 | 30,000 |
| to Asia (Japan and South Korea only) | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 40,000 |
Want to read deeper into this? Check out our guide to flying to Europe with AAdvantage miles, including with Etihad.
How do I earn AAdvantage elite status?
American Airlines AAdvantage has four main status levels above the basic membership: AAdvantage Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum
These tiers are earned with a mix of Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQD), along with either Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM) or Elite Qualifying Segments (EQS).
Oneworld Ruby benefits apply to AAdvantage Gold tier, while oneworld Sapphire comes with Platinum and Platinum Pro. Top-tier Executive Platinum members have access to oneworld Emerald.
In 2021, the thresholds to achieve elite status qualification have been lowered by roughly 20% due to the effects of COVID-19 on travel. This is reflected in the sections below.
AAdvantage Gold
Achieve/Maintain (usually): $3,000 EQDs + 25,000 EQMS or 30 EQSs
Achieve/Maintain (2021): $2,000 EQDs + 20,000 EQMS or 20 EQSs
Oneworld equivalent: Ruby
Some major benefits of AAdvantage Gold status include:
- 1x free checked bag on fares
- Complimentary preferred seats
- Complimentary Main Cabin Extra seats on check-in
- 40% elite mileage bonus
- 24-hour upgrade window
- Complimentary auto-requested upgrades on US domestic and short-haul international flights 500 miles or less
- Priority check-in, security and boarding
AAdvantage Platinum
Achieve/Maintain (usually): $6,000 EQDs + 50,000 EQMS or 60 EQSs
Achieve/Maintain (2021): $4,500 EQDs + 40,000 EQMS or 45 EQSs
Oneworld equivalent: Sapphire
In addition to Gold benefits, Platinum members get:
- 2x free checked bag on fares
- Priority baggage delivery
- Complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats
- 60% elite mileage bonus
- 48-hour upgrade window
- Complimentary auto-requested upgrades on US domestic and short-haul international flights 500 miles or less
- Oneworld Business Class lounge access (except for AAdvantage member access to American Airlines lounges within North America or to selected destinations, which is always excluded)
AAdvantage Platinum Pro
Achieve/Maintain (usually): $9,000 EQDs + 75,000 EQMS or 90 EQSs
Achieve/Maintain (2021): $7,000 EQDs + 60,000 EQMS or 70 EQSs
Oneworld equivalent: Sapphire
New perks over Gold and Platinum include:
- 72-hour upgrade window
- 80% elite mileage bonus
- Unlimited, auto-requested complimentary upgrades on all US domestic and short-haul international flights, regardless of length
AAdvantage Executive Platinum
Achieve/Maintain (usually): $15,000 EQDs + 100,000 EQMS or 120 EQSs
Achieve/Maintain (2021): $12,000 EQDs + 80,000 EQMS or 95 EQSs
Oneworld equivalent: Emerald
As the top tier available, Executive Platinums can enjoy:
- 4x one-way systemwide upgrades that can be used on any American Airlines-marketed and operated flights of any length, including international long-haul. Each upgrade covers up to 3 segments of a one-way journey. This can be gifted to other people.
- Unlimited, auto-requested complimentary upgrades on all US domestic and short-haul international flights, regardless of length
- Complimentary upgrades on award tickets
- 100-hour upgrade window
- 120% elite mileage bonus
- 3x free checked bags on fares
- Waived ticketing service charge and award change/cancel fees
- Complimentary alcoholic beverage and snack in Economy
- Guaranteed seat availability in Economy
- Expanded award seat availability
- Oneworld First Class lounge access (except for AAdvantage member access to American Airlines lounges within North America or to selected destinations, which is always excluded)
How do I contact American Airlines AAdvantage
To get in touch with AAdvantage about a membership enquiry or flight redemption, try:
- calling 800-882-8880 from the US or (02) 9101 1948 from Australia (charges may apply)
- sending them a direct message on Twitter or Facebook
While the call centre might be the quickest way to resolve your issue, try the social media channels if the line is busy or you’re not able to call overseas numbers.
Summing up
AAdvantage is a program that Australian users might consider for buying miles on sale then using it for award redemptions. There are frequent promos to get deals on miles, and the rates to redeem it are quite reasonably, including for intra-Australia.
One of the biggest disadvantages of AAdvantage status is that it does not include access to American Airlines-operated lounges when you’re travelling on a US domestic or selected short-haul international itinerary, whereas all other oneworld elite members do.
This post first appeared on Point Hacks - The Best Frequent Flyer Deals & Offers In Australia., please read the originial post: here
