Great news for Santander AAdvantage credit card customers! The American Airlines program has changed its rules so that cardholders can now earn miles that qualify for elite status and more travel benefits in the program.
The accumulation is 1 qualified mile (or loyalty point, as the program calls it) for each mile generated with the card. Until then, upgrades in the US program will only be possible with the accumulation of miles on flights or flight segments, in addition to the minimum annual flight fee.
How many qualifying miles do I need to earn AAdvantage elite status?
Qualifying miles (loyalty points) vary by elite status:
- Gold: 30,000 miles
- Platinum: 75,000 miles
- Platinum Pro: 125,000 miles
- Executive Platinum: 200,000 miles
In other words, for example, when using the Santander AAdvantage card to accumulate 75,000 miles in one year (from January to December), the customer will receive an upgrade to the Platinum category.
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How much do I need to spend on my credit card to earn AAdvantage elite status?
The amount of purchases required to earn each category varies depending on your card version and the dollar exchange rate, after all card fees are converted to dollars to calculate points.
Check how many points each card provides per dollar spent:
- Santander AAdvantage Mastercard Black: 2 miles for domestic purchases, 3 miles for purchases in foreign currency;
- Santander AAdvantage Mastercard Platinum: 1.5 miles for domestic purchases, 2.5 miles for purchases in foreign currency;
- Santander AAdvantage Mastercard Gold: 1 mile on domestic purchases.
For calculation purposes, we will only consider the rate in reais, the exchange rate is 1 USD = 5.30 reais. See how much it will cost per year for you to achieve the elite categories of the program:
| ADVANTAGE | MASTERCARD BLACK | MASTERCARD PLATINUM | MASTERCARD GOLD |
| gold | R$ 79,500 (R$ 6,625/month) | R$ 106,000 (R$ 8,833/month) | R$ 159,000 (R$ 13,250/month) |
| Platinum | R$ 198,750 (R$ 16,562/month) | R$ 265,000 (R$ 22,083/month) | R$ 397,500 (R$ 33,125/month) |
| Platinum Pro | R$ 331,250 (R$ 27,604/month) | R$ 441,667 (R$ 36,805/month) | R$ 662,500 (R$ 55,208/month) |
| Executive Platinum | R$ 530,000 (R$ 44,166/month) | R$ 706,667 (R$ 58,888/month) | R$ 1,060,000 (R$ 88,333/month) |
What are the benefits of having elite status with AAdvantage?
Having elite status in the program offers many benefits to frequent flyers of American Airlines or its Oneworld alliance partners. Key benefits include free checked bags, cabin upgrades, award miles, and more. Here are a few examples:
- AAdvantage Gold: One free checked bag, free assigned seat, 40% bonus miles, 24-hour cabin upgrade confirmation and Oneword Ruby status;
- AAdvantage Platinum: two free checked bags, preferred seating and more free seats, 60% bonus miles, cabin upgrades confirmed 48 hours before flight departure and oneworld Sapphire status;
- AAdvantage Platinum Pro: three free checked bags, free preferred seating and more space seats, 80% bonus miles, cabin upgrades confirmed 72 hours before flight departure and oneworld Emerald status;
- AAdvantage Executive Platinum: Three free checked bags, free Preferred and More Space seats, 120% bonus miles, confirmed cabin upgrades 100 hours before flight, and oneworld Emerald status.
