Revealed: American AAdvantage Elite Choice Rewards

A couple of months ago we learned about some changes coming to the American AAdvantage program in 2021, including the introduction of elite choice rewards.

The full details of this program have now been published, and the changes are wholly positive, as all eligible members will be getting more rewards than before. This is in addition to the other good news, which is that Platinum Pro members are getting oneworld Emerald status as of 2021.

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American’s new elite choice rewards program

With the new elite choice rewards program (coming in 2021), AAdvantage Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum members will be able to select rewards when they qualify for status.

Platinum Pro members will be able to select one benefit, while Executive Platinum members will be able to select two benefits (this means that someone qualifying for Executive Platinum can select three benefits total).

The intent is that this reward members more, and also give them more flexibility:

• Platinum Pro members didn’t previously get any tangible rewards when qualifying for status, but they now will
• Executive Platinum members previously automatically received four systemwide upgrades; while they can still select systemwide upgrades, they now have alternatives as well

Platinum Pro elite choice rewards

Members who qualify for Platinum Pro in 2021 (which requires 60,000 EQMs or 70 EQSs, plus 7,000 EQDs) can select one of the following:

• One systemwide upgrade
• 20,000 AAdvantage bonus miles (25,000 AAdvantage bonus miles if you have an AAdvantage co-brand credit card)
• One-time 15% AAdvantage award savings (applies to a roundtrip award for up to two travelers on any oneworld airline in any cabin, and the rebate will be applied after travel)
• $200 American Airlines travel voucher
• Six Admirals Club one-day passes
• Carbon emissions offset
• $200 donation to one of 10 partner charities

Let me once again emphasize that even Executive Platinum members will be able to select this. In other words, if you qualify or requalify for Executive Platinum status in 2021, you’ll be able to select both the Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum elite choice rewards.

Save on the cost of a Qatar Airways Qsuites award

Executive Platinum elite choice rewards

Members who qualify for Executive Platinum in 2021 (which requires 80,000 EQMs or 95 EQSs, plus 12,000 EQDs) can select two sets of elite choice rewards, with the following being the choices:

• Two systemwide upgrades
• 25,000 AAdvantage bonus miles (30,000 AAdvantage bonus miles if you have an AAdvantage co-brand credit card)
• Gift of AAdvantage Gold status
• Admirals Club membership (this requires two choices)
• 10,000 bonus elite qualifying miles (this can only be selected once)
• Choice of Bang & Olufsen products (this includes headphones, speakers, and earbuds)
• Carbon emissions offset
• $200 donation to one of 10 partner charities
• $200 American Airlines travel voucher

Select an Admirals Club membership as your elite choice rewards

Elite choice rewards are valid for 12 months

Here’s another positive aspect of this. You can (but don’t have to) choose your elite choice rewards as soon as you qualify for status — you’ll be contacted to do so, or you can do so through your account.

However, when you qualify for status in 2021, you’ll have until December 30, 2022, to select your elite choice rewards, and they’re then valid for 12 months. This is awesome:

• You don’t have to decide right away which choice makes the most sense for you, as you can see how your travel patterns evolve
• This means that you could potentially choose systemwide upgrades on December 30, 2022, and have them be valid through December 30, 2023; we’ve never seen this much flexibility for choosing how long the benefits are valid

The expiration of these perks offers lots of flexibility

This AAdvantage development is awesome

Before I share my take on the relative value of these rewards, let me note that these changes are entirely positive. If you’re an Executive Platinum who likes systemwide upgrades, nothing is being taken away.

Not only that, but you’ll actually get more systemwide upgrades — you can choose five of them, rather than four. For those of us who don’t value systemwide upgrades much, this change is even more positive, since we have so many other options.

Historically I used to value American systemwide upgrades a lot, but I don’t use them much anymore, even pre-coronavirus:

• There’s rarely confirmable upgrade space, and it’s often too risky to waitlist when there are other options to outright redeem miles for first and business class
• While American’s business class seats are good, the service leaves a bit to be desired, so I’d generally rather confirm an award seat on a better airline

I’m thrilled to have an alternative to systemwide upgrades

Which elite choice rewards are most valuable?

Everyone will have to decide for themselves which option makes the most sense based on their own travel patterns, though I do have a few general thoughts. In no particular order:

• The 15% award discount for Platinum Pro members has the potential to be valuable; if two people fly Qatar Airways Qsuites from the US to South Africa, that would represent savings of 45,000 AAdvantage miles
• I kind of like the idea of selecting bonus miles at each tier, and getting 85,000 bonus AAdvantage miles for earning Executive Platinum status
• Since I value AAdvantage miles at 1.5 cents each, I personally think the bonus miles are more valuable than any of the cash-equivalent options, including the travel vouchers
• The Admirals Club membership has little appeal to me, given how great the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card is
• The bonus elite qualifying miles option also has little appeal to me, since you still have to reach the elite qualifying dollars threshold, and arguably that’s much harder to accomplish
• AAdvantage Gold has limited benefits, so I don’t view gifting elite status as being that valuable

My initial instinct is that if I requalified for Executive Platinum I’d probably select the 15% award discount as my Platinum Pro perk, and then the bonus miles twice as my Executive Platinum perks.

I’d probably choose bonus miles to redeem on partner airlines

Bottom line

American AAdvantage is introducing elite choice rewards in 2021, whereby Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum members can choose from a list of perks as they qualify for status.

This is a phenomenal improvement across the board. Platinum Pro members didn’t previously get any perks like this, while Executive Platinum members can go from four to five systemwide upgrades.

As someone who doesn’t value American systemwide upgrades all that much, I’d probably select the award discount and bonus miles options.

What do you make of the new AAdvantage elite choice rewards? Which options do you see yourself selecting?