Check your account: Earn American Airlines Loyalty Points on award flights (targeted)

23.09.2024 - 21:25 / thepointsguy.com / Zach Griff / Clint Henderson

Attention, American Airlines members: If you're chasing elite status with the carrier, you should check your American Airlines AAdvantage account, as you may be targeted for an end-of-the-year promotion. A few TPG staff members were targeted with a new American Airlines promotion to earn Loyalty Points on award flights.

The offers:

The offer terms:

To check, log in to your AAdvantage account. Under "Rewards hub," click on "Promotions" to see if your account has the offer available. Unfortunately, if you were not targeted for this offer, you will not be able to register for the promotion.

Related: Chasing American Airlines elite status? Here are 15 ways to earn Loyalty Points

It seems American Airlines made this a very targeted promotion, as most TPG staff members did not have this offer in their accounts. However, Clint Henderson, TPG's managing editor of news and a current AAdvantage Executive Platinum member, and Eric Rosen, TPG's director of travel content and a current AAdvantage Gold member, were targeted.

American's loyalty program has undergone some changes within the last year, and it seems like the airline is targeting a select few to test if earning Loyalty Points on award flights will affect how consumers plan, book and spend with the carrier.

In August, American implemented the opportunity for AAdvantage members to finally earn miles and Loyalty Points on upgrades purchased on American-operated flights.

"Until now, the airline hasn't allowed loyalty members to earn miles and status credits from upgrades. For me, that's been a reason to generally avoid these buy-up offers and instead change my ticket to a business- or first-class fare if it becomes more reasonable over time," Zach Griff, a senior reporter at TPG, noted in his article. "But now, I will be more tempted to buy an upgrade with American the next time I find a reasonable offer."

Related: Best uses of American Airlines AAdvantage miles

So, could this September targeted promotion be a potential kickoff to a larger program implementation?

As of now, AAdvantage members earn Loyalty Points by flying on American-operated flights (and with American's partners), via credit card spending, through the AAdvantage Dining program, by making purchases via the AAdvantage online shopping portal and from partnerships through hotel brands, car rentals, cruises and more.

However, when members book an award flight and redeem their AAdvantage miles, they do not earn Loyalty Points. Will American make this a permanent program change in 2025?

In 2022, Delta Air Lines officially implemented the awarding of Medallion Qualification Dollars on award flights. On your award tickets, you'll earn 1 MQD per 100 SkyMiles redeemed.

Additionally, fellow