If you checked your American Airlines account recently, you’ve probably seen two numbers: miles and loyalty points. Although loyalty points and American Airlines Advantage Miles are related, they differ greatly, and since loyalty points reset to zero each year on March 1, it’s important to know the difference.
So, here’s what you need to know.
American Airlines Miles vs. Loyalty Points
When you open the American Airlines mobile app or log into your online account, you’ll see two numbers highlighted: award miles and loyalty points.
In short, award miles are what you can redeem for flights, upgrades, and seats, while loyalty points are the metric by which American Airlines awards elite status and loyalty point rewards. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
Related: Why American Airlines AAdvantage has become my most valuable rewards currency
What are American miles?
You earn award miles, also called American miles or AAdvantage miles, when you credit paid flights on American Airlines and select airline partners (including unmundo alliance partners such as Alaska Airlines and British Airways) to the AAdvantage program. you can too earn american miles through other means, including the use of AAdvantage e-procurement portal and taking advantage SimplyMiles Shopping Offers.
Can redeem american miles for flights, upgrades, seats and more. Award miles do not reset to zero or expire as long as you are the primary cardholder on an open AAdvantage credit card, are under 21 years of age, or earn or redeem miles at American or with an AAdvantage partner at least once every 24 months.
What are loyalty points?
Loyalty points, on the other hand, are the metric by which you earn American Airlines elite status and loyalty point rewards. Some, but not all, award miles you earn earn you loyalty points. You can also occasionally earn loyalty points through promotions or by having select AAdvantage credit cards and meeting specific spending limits or loyalty points.
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You cannot redeem loyalty points for award flights; They only serve to make money American Airlines Elite Status and loyalty point rewards. As a reminder, loyalty point rewards are additional benefits you earn as you reach specific amounts of loyalty points during your qualification period.
Each year, you must re-qualify for American Airlines elite status and work to earn new loyalty point rewards during the airline’s elite qualification period. Instead of the calendar year qualification period used by most other programs, American AAdvantage uses a period from March 1 to February 28 (or February 29 in leap years). So just as your Marriott elite night credits reset to zero on January 1 every year, loyalty points reset to zero every March 1.
Related: How I Earned 29,000 Loyalty Points and 23,000 AAdvantage Miles on a Single $800 Hotel Stay
In a nutshell
Your loyalty points balance (the metric American Airlines uses to qualify for Elite status and loyalty point rewards) will reset on March 1. But your award miles (which you can redeem to book flights) No reset then. You’ll keep your American Airlines miles as long as your account is active, you’re under 21, or you’re the primary cardholder on an AAdvantage credit card.
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