Well here’s a cute concept…
AAdvantage members get gifts & promotions
The American Airlines AAdvantage program will be giving every member a gift, simply for being a member. This promotion is valid for those who register between December 2 and December 16, 2020.
As Rick Elieson, President of AAdvantage, describes this promotion:
“Our members truly are our greatest gift. This holiday season, we’re giving every AAdvantage member a gift — it’s our way of showing thanks and appreciation for being why we fly — this year and every year.”
All AAdvantage members will receive two things:
- After registering, AAdvantage members will virtually unwrap gifts that can include award miles, a Main Cabin Extra seat, or an Admirals Club one-day pass; members will receive an email with a link to the Promotion Center to reveal the gift, or they can log into their AAdvantage account and navigate to the Promotions tab
- AAdvantage members will also receive an exclusive offer to encourage them to take the skies in early 2021
American shared that the types of gifts and promotions will take into account your status and relationship with American, but there will also be an element to it that’s random.
In addition to the gifts and promotions that everyone receives, there will also be a sweepstakes for six lucky members who live in the United States:
- Five AAdvantage members will receive 500,000 AAdvantage miles plus an all-inclusive four night stay for them and one guest at Hyatt Ziva or Hyatt Zilara resorts
- One AAdvantage member will receive 500,000 AAdvantage miles plus a three night stay for them and up to three guests at Universal Orlando Resort, including park passes
Those who aren’t AAdvantage members can still receive a gift and promotion, and enter the sweepstakes, if they join the program by December 16, 2020.
Examples of American AAdvantage gifts
I just logged into my AAdvantage account to see what I’m eligible for, as an Executive Platinum member.
After logging in, I’m told my gift is the following:
AAdvantage bonus miles. View your Wallet to see your gift.
To claim your gift, register by December 16, 2020. (Your gift will be deposited into your account within 24 hours.)
While it didn’t initially indicate how many bonus miles I’d get, when I looked at my account activity, it showed 250 bonus miles.
Personally I value those miles at 1.5 cents each, so that’s $3.75 worth of miles. Like I said, I didn’t have very high hopes here that elite members would be disproportionately rewarded, and I think it’s cute that everyone gets something. So I won’t take it personally that American seems to value my nearly decade of loyalty as an Executive Platinum at under $4 (since this is the first gift I’ve ever received from the airline). 😉
Then there’s the promotion that I’m eligible for, allowing me to earn double miles between January 1 and February 28, 2021:
- Register by December 16, 2020, and before creating a flight reservation
- After you’re registered, book 4 qualifying, eligible flights in Premium Economy, Business, or First for travel on or after January 1, 2021
- Earn double award miles after completing those flights and any additional eligible flights through February 28, 2021
I earn double miles (in other words, five bonus miles per dollar spent) in the first two months of 2021, but only if I have at least four qualifying flights in a premium cabin.
For some further data points:
- There’s an AAdvantage Platinum account I manage that got an offer for 250 bonus miles, plus double miles for the first two months in 2021 if completing six flights in any cabin
- There’s an AAdvantage Gold account I manage that got an offer for 250 bonus miles, plus double miles for the first two months of 2021 if completing four flights in any cabin
- There’s another AAdvantage Gold account I manage that got an offer for two 500-mile upgrades, plus another four 500-mile upgrades if completing four flights in any cabin in the first two months of 2021
- There’s a non-elite AAdvantage account I manage that got an offer for one preferred seat coupon, plus a Main Cabin Extra seat coupon if completing two flights in any cabin in the first two months of 2021
Bottom line
American AAdvantage is giving all members some sort of a gift just for being a member, as well as a promotion for travel in early 2021. I wouldn’t get too excited (after all, AAdvantage has over 100 million members), but it sure is a nice gesture and a cute concept.
You can log into your AAdvantage account to see what you’re eligible for now. Please report back on your status and what you’re being offered.
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.