AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Travel mostly returned to normal in 2023, but perhaps you got a late start at playing the Loyalty Points game last year. Whatever your reason for not qualifying for your intended elite status level for 2024, American Airlines just sent another round of emails offering revised AA status boost offers. These give travelers a shortcut to secure AAdvantage® elite status through March 2025.
While certainly overpriced, some travelers may want to consider upgrading their elite status — especially if they're planning on flying a lot more this elite status year.
How To Check Your American Airlines Status Boost Offer
Each year, American Airlines emails AAdvantage members — at least those who haven't already hit top-tier Executive Platinum elite status — with an offer to buy a higher tier of elite status. To see your current offer, go to the American Airlines status page.
Once you log in, you'll see whether or not you have an AAdvantage elite status buy-up offer available. These buy-up offers can be purchased with either cash or AAdvantage miles (at just a 1 cent per mile valuation). The purchased AAdvantage elite status will be valid through March 31, 2025.
AAdvantage members are generally able to buy up to the elite status directly above the one they qualified for during the 2023-2024 elite status qualification period. However, some travelers are seeing offers for the next two tiers.
The tiers offered — and amounts charged — are based on the number of AAdvantage Loyalty Points earned through the end of the elite qualification year which just ended on February 29, 2024.
In many cases, the prices are much more than travelers will want to pay. Let's show you some examples.
Example AAdvantage Elite Status Buy-Up Offers
American Airlines' buy-up offers are different for each member. And it's possible that some members won't receive a buy-up offer at all. Here are some examples of offers received by the AwardWallet team.
Buy-up to Executive Platinum status for $2,029 or 203,000 miles
One current AAdvantage Executive Platinum elite received an offer to pay $2,029 or 203k AAdvantage miles to renew Executive Platinum for another year. This AAdvantage member had earned 162,148 Loyalty Points through the end of the elite qualification year.
Earlier this spring, this same member received an offer to “lock in your AAdvantage Platinum Pro status” for $2,059 or 206k AAdvantage miles. At the time of the offer, they had earned 111,175 Loyalty Points—13,825 pointsshy of qualifying for Platinum Pro elite status.
Buy-up to Gold status for $1,279 or 128,000 AAdvantage miles
Through the end of the last qualification year, AwardWallet Editor Ryan Smith earned 23,507 Loyalty Points — just over halfway to earning AAdvantage Gold status. If he wanted to lock in that status for 2024, American Airlines is offering it to him for $1,079 or 108,000 AAdvantage miles:
For reference, Ryan seems to have earned a slight discount by earning a couple thousand more Loyalty Points. Earlier this spring, American Airlines offered him the option to buy the same AAdvantage Gold status for a whopping $1,279 or 128,000 AAdvantage miles:
Buy-up to Gold status for $675 or 67,500 AAdvantage miles
After earning high-tier AAdvantage elite status each year since 2015, AwardWallet Editor-in-Chief JT Genter is giving up on American Airlines elite status. Upgrades are the key benefit of earning AAdvantage elite status — instead of elite status through another Oneworld airline — and American Airlines has gone to great lengths to avoid honoring this key elite benefit.
His Platinum Pro elite status will expire on March 31, 2024. As he's been crediting flights to the British Airways Executive Club, JT only earned 13,417 Loyalty Points last year. American Airlines is offering him Gold elite status for a much-discounted cost (at least compared to Ryan) of $675 or 67,500 AAdvantage miles:
Buy-up to Platinum status for $1,299 or 130,000 AAdvantage miles
Alternatively, JT can boost his 13k Loyalty Points all the way up to AAdvantage Platinum elite status for $1,299 or 130,000 AAdvantage miles.
Terms on these AAdvantage elite status buy-up offers
- Members can buy up with either cash or miles.
- AAdvantage elite status purchased with a buy-up offer will be credited within three days.
- All AAdvantage elite status buy-up purchases are non-refundable.
- Elite statuses purchased through this offer will be valid through March 31, 2025.
- Buy-up cash purchases do not accrue Loyalty Points unless purchased using an eligible AAdvantage credit card.
Final Thoughts
American Airlines buy-up offers generally require an enormous cash or miles purchase. AAdvantage members will have to decide individually whether the amount needed for the buy-up is equivalent to the benefits received by that higher status.
If you do want to buy up with cash, consider using an eligible AAdvantage credit card to earn AAdvantage miles on the purchase. Just keep in mind that American Airlines recently changed how Loyalty Points are earned on credit card purchases, meaning the Loyalty Points earned on this purchase won't help you start earning toward next year's elite status.
Will you be taking advantage of your American Airlines buy-up offer?
Share this:
AwardWallet Tip of The Day
Did you know that AwardWallet may not be able to update some accounts automatically? You can update those accounts by selecting accounts using an account filter (e.g. 'Updated more than 7 days ago') and clicking the update button. Show me how
Hide image
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
