Back in June of 2022, I made the decision to work towards earning American Airlines AAdvantage® Gold elite status. Utilizing all of the strategies documented in my “Going For AAdvantage Gold Status” article, I was able to blow past the 30,000 Loyalty Points required in only three months.
I’ve never had status with any airline prior to this, so part of my desire to achieve status was experimental. I was mostly just curious to see what value airline elite status could provide.
Before I get into how I used my new elite status, let’s review some of the key pieces to American Airlines’ loyalty program.
Elite Status Requirements
American AAdvantage members can earn Loyalty Points on American Airlines flights, using AAdvantage credit cards and with a long list of AAdvantage partners. As points are earned, members earn various levels of status, starting with Gold at the 30,000 point level. I earned Gold status by mid-September and as of mid-January, I have Platinum status through March 2024.
Benefits of Gold Status
Earning Gold elite status comes with the following benefits:
- 40% status mileage bonus
- Priority check-in and boarding
- One free checked bag
- Same-day standby priority
- Priority phone line
- Complimentary access to Preferred Seats at booking, if available
- Complimentary access to Main Cabin Extra Seats at check-in, if available
- Complimentary upgrades on American Airlines domestic and short-haul international flights, if available
- 24-hour upgrade window
- Automatic OneWorld Ruby status and additional elite benefits with Alaska Airlines and JetBlue
How I Earned Gold Status
One of the best things about American Airlines’ new loyalty program is that there are so many ways to earn Loyalty Points. You don’t even need to fly on American Airlines to earn status. I earned Loyalty Points across six categories, with the most coming from the AAdvantage eShopping portal, followed by everyday spending on AAdvantage credit cards.
| Category | Loyalty Points |
|---|---|
| Online Shopping (AAdvantage eShopping) | 30,868 |
| Everyday Spending | 20,996 |
| Simply Miles | 12,665 |
| Flights | 3,873 |
| Surveys (Miles for Opinions) | 3,411 |
| Partners/Dining | 3,194 |
| TOTAL | 75,007 |
Benefits I’ve Received with Gold Status
Preferred Seats
As soon as I earned Gold elite status, I selected preferred seats on all flights already booked on American Airlines. Preferred seats are the same as standard economy seats, they’re just in better locations of the Main Cabin. That typically means being closer to the front of the plane, which allows for quicker access to your seat when boarding and being able to exit more quickly as well.
Note: Preferred Seats do not include extra legroom.
It’s really hard to value this benefit. I’ve seen American Airlines charge anywhere from $9 to $49 for preferred seats. But, without status, I’d never fork out cash for these seats. Yet, with status in tow, I took advantage of the perk and moved up far as possible. I had four flights booked on American Airlines and was able to select preferred seats for myself and everyone else on the same reservations.
Main Cabin Extra Seats at Check-in
While preferred seats are nice, the real fun began at check-in. That’s when Gold members can book Main Cabin Extra seats, if available. The main benefit to being in Main Cain Extra is the additional legroom. American Airlines says these seats start at $20, but I typically see them going for between $50 to $100.
To have the best chance to move into Main Cabin Extra seats, I made it a point to check-in as close to 24 hours in advance as possible. All in all, I had mixed results, as I wasn’t successful in securing them on every flight. However, I did learn something useful along the way. Even after the initial check-in, it pays to check the app every so often. People are constantly changing flights and moving seats, so seats that were taken before can always open up.
My Results
- ORD to DCA – no Main Cabin Extra seats were available, so I stayed in my preferred seat near the front of the Main Cabin
- DCA to ORD – only one Main Cabin Extra seat was available; since I was traveling with two other people, I stayed in my original preferred seat
- PHX to ORD – I was traveling with my entire family and there weren’t four Main Cabin Extra seats available so we stayed in our preferred seats
- SNA to ORD – at check-in there weren’t any Main Cabin Extra seats; however, later in the day, two seats in the first row of Main Cabin Extra opened up and I snagged them
Priority Check-in, Security and Boarding
Originally I didn’t think I’d value or even use these benefits that much. However, after traveling over both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, I have new appreciation for these perks.
Priority Check-in
AAdvantage Gold members can check in at any Business Class lane. In airports without Business Class check-in, First Class check-in lanes can be used. Those lanes are usually much faster since the total number of people eligible to use them is way less. On our flight to Orange County on Christmas Eve, we took full advantage of priority check-in and it was a lifesaver!
The flight to Orange County was on United Airlines, not American. Luckily I had requested a status match prior to the trip, which gave me the equivalent status on United. That allowed us to use United’s priority check-in lanes.
There had been a major winter storm that caused thousands of delays and cancellations for two days prior to our flight. So when we entered the terminal at O’Hare, we didn’t walk more than five feet before slamming into a wall of people. It was pretty much total chaos! People didn’t know where lines were forming, as they stretched well beyond their normal lengths. My first thought was “Our we going to make our flight?”
Even though we arrived between two and three hours early, it seemed like we could end up in an airport horror story full of frustration and missed flights. After the initial anxiety of the situation subsided, we were able to find our way to the priority check-in area. That line stretched well beyond the ropes too, but miraculously, we got through it in less than fifteen minutes. I have no idea how long it would’ve taken us in the regular check-in lines, but I’m glad we didn’t have to find out!
In addition to quick check-in, our checked baggage was tagged as priority and among the first to be delivered once we landed in Orange County.
Priority Security and Screening
At select airports, Gold members are able to use priority security screening lanes. We never had to utilize this perk because both Annie and I have TSA PreCheck®, so we used those security lines instead.
Priority Boarding
With Gold status, we got to board our flights in boarding group 4, ahead of most other passengers. This perk is particularly helpful when you only have carry-on bags because you’re basically guaranteed to find available overhead space. This wasn’t hugely valuable to me, however, because as an American AAdvantage credit cardholder, I already had group 5 boarding.
Complimentary Upgrades
The most exciting benefit of Gold status is the possibility of receiving complimentary upgrades on domestic and short-haul international flights. I just wouldn’t hold your breath! Gold members are the lowest level elite members, so all the other elite tiers have first dibs. I’ve heard of Gold members getting complimentary upgrades, so while possible, it’s unlikely.
In my case, my name was added to the upgrade list automatically, but there were always at least twenty people ahead of me. Oh well!
Bottom Line
Overall, I’ve enjoyed my Gold status perks. I like sitting towards the front of the plane and it’s nice to have a shot at extra legroom too. The biggest surprise so far, is how much I now value priority check-in. I didn’t pay too much attention to that perk when I decided to earn status, but it’s one that can be quite important when trying to get through security quickly.
We’ll see what other uses I get from status as it will remain in effective until the end of March 2024. I have a feeling it’ll be hard to go from having status to not having status, so I may make earning Gold an annual event.
