I Earned AAdvantage Platinum Pro Status, And That's Good Enough For Me!

Lucky-
Thanks for this - and good strategy.
To be clear, as oneworld emerald/ AA platinum pro, can I enter the Qantas LAX F Lounge on a domestic AA ticket, or does it have to be an AA international ticket (I'm flying LAX-DCA). Please advise.
Thanks and congrats.

@ Jason -- It needs to be international, and only in select regions. If you earned oneworld Emerald status through a non-US program, you could access it domestically. You can read more about oneworld lounge access policies here:
https://onemileatatime.com/guides/oneworld-lounge-access/

Welcome to the sweet spot in AA's loyalty program. Will be very curious to see if you actually make the move over to Atmos. Given how much I value AA Hotels (it remains completely underrated as a mileage and LP earning machine, IMO), just doesn't seem like the most feasible option for me, but I could understand how it might appeal to others. Enjoy the lounges!

Agreed. EXP is nothing special.

EXP isn't all that anymore. The prime benefit of PP in the past is that they did not require stickers (domestic). That's gone now.

Lucky,
If you are not AA EXP or UA GS
Are you still allowed to call yourself a “travel blogger”?
Love,
Me.
3 Star Golds (maybe 4 if you count TK but they are blacklisted by me)
1 Skyteam Elite Plus
1 OWE (QRPC Platinum)
All active

Since your review trips are 99% business class or first class flights, how does having one world emerald status get you into lounges that you wouldn’t otherwise get into already while flying business/1st?

Same here, Ben. Oneworld Emerald is the real prize. I was disappointed when American changed the Loyalty Point thresholds, increasing the first choice to 175K (as opposed to 125K, or when earning Platinum Pro), but I pretty much gave up on Systemwide Upgrades, after finding little confirmed availability (not fun to get stuck on a Waitlist); I feel similarly about United's PlusPoints (rarely confirmed; which, at least they are starting to allow for exchanging those for points). Delta's RUCs and GUCs still are confirmable for the most part well-in-advance; likewise, jetBlue's Mosaic 3 and 4, 'Move to Mint' are also legit. Basically, nice to get OW Emerald for better lounges, and with the help of the Citi Executive card's 20K bonus LPs at 50K and 90K, you can nearly get to 125K with ease (and a few business class flights a year on QR or JL.)

Totally agree. Platinum Pro is where it's at. Also, you've inspired me to give AA Hotels a closer look (outsized value and status earning potentials there). Thank you, again, sir.

@ Just Curious -- It gets me into first class lounges when I'm flying in a lower cabin. There are other perks to oneworld Emerald that benefit me, like priority boarding on carriers like BA/CX (which make it easier to get cabin pics), waived seat fees on BA/QR, etc.

Not sure just how much you should bank on OWE lounge access, at least for Qantas as I was just turned away from their Singapore first class faculty a few days back.

It seemed staff had a very clear directive, in writing and printed on very broad terms not to allow admittance into the lounge as I queued at opening time, 3:15pm and was denied. There was just one other person and I was informed I could only be admitted after 8pm. Didn’t check other flight times, but this timing seems to affect all ba/ cx, and most Qantas flights, as wells as the 6:45 pm Qatar flight.

I was making time until QRs lounge opened at 3:45pm and despite the lounge being empty I wasn’t allowed in.

QR lounge was very solid by the way.

It's nuanced. Let's say you were on an American Airlines flight departing London Heathrow (LHR) Terminal 3; you're in Business Class on a 772, which doesn't have a First Class. You really want to check out the Cathay Pacific First Class lounge, which usually only allows First Class passengers on eligible oneworld itineraries. With Platinum Pro (Emerald) you can get in (if there's space).

wish we could have seen how many american miles you have stockpiled! alas...

Any thoughts on United status? I have been Star Gold for 20+ years and am currently UA Platinum, coming off of UA 1k, and several years at UA GS. GS was sweet, alas the business travel slowed down. I value Star Gold and global lounge access, and can't even remember a time when I didn't have it. I had to postpone a few trips this year and will be dropping all the way to Silver. What's the best way to maintain Star Gold? And is it worth it?

Very telling that the article didn’t even suggest SWUs.

Not sure I get the math though. $75k in unbonused domestic spend on a DoubleCash gets you 2x points or 150k TY points (or 1:1 AA miles if you prefer assuming you have an Elite, Premier or Prestige). So unless you value EP (enjoy that free snack box when flying domestic…) you wouldn’t think about only getting 120k AA miles (and of course that only works for this year because of the double dip Ben described, otherwise would be 60k). And if it was bonused spend you could obviously do better than that.

This is where simplymiles, AA eshopping and AA hotels comes in of course. Makes all of these things much more achievable.

I mean, I’m not married to a travel advisor, and I appreciate the excellent benefits that one can get by using Virtuoso (likewise with FHR etc), but AA Hotels definitely has a place in the portfolio of strategies to employ.

@blake k

Not really our business but surprisingly low. Ben is probably sitting on 1.1 million miles along with speculative bookings that can always be cancelled.

Lucky, why not go the US jalcard route and get lifetime Emerald on oneworld after $450K spending ? https://viewfromthewing.com/the-little-known-credit-card-strategy-that-gets-you-lifetime-flagship-lounge-access-and-oneworld-elite-no-flying-required/

After five months as an Executive Platinum, I realized it wasn't nearly the same status it was when I had it from 2006 - 2015. My upgrade percentage as an Executive Platinum this year was 33.3% (five out of fifteen eligible segments), I had been downgraded twice on purchased first class seats and offered insultingly low fare differences, and I received the same indifferent treatment from AAgents I would have gotten without status.

At that time, I had was on the cusp of earning Platinum Pro status for 2026 and decided it wasn't worth chasing Executive Platinum again. I have flown one round trip on AA since then (and my upgrade percentage dropped to 31.6% after that), and I have purchased tickets on DL, WN, UA, and VS for the rest of the year. I am sitting at 150K LPs for this year. My only regret is giving AA as much business as I did earlier in the year.

Thats sapphire after $450k not emerald.

Congrats on the Bucs win tonight against the Lions!

@ Ben --> That being the case, wouldn't you be better off going for OWE status with a foreign carrier than AA or AS?

Presented in the FWIW category: From January through mid-September, I was MVP Gold/ATMOS Gold on AS (oneworld Sapphire); mid-September, I qualified as MVP Gold 74k/ATMOS Platinum (oneworld Emerald). So far this year, I have been upgraded to F on AS on 10 out of 25 flights, or 40% of the time. Clearly, this is a matter of YMMV but...

And there is that dichotomy… some who primarily spend to earn status, and others who still fly to earn status. Obviously, each program has shifted to prioritize spending, but some of us still do ‘get out there.’ I mean, to have these benefits but never use them would be kinda sad. And, outside of this hyper-engaged community, few people ever even think about status, miles, cards, etc. I know… wild stuff.

Especially not at MIA… you’d need to be a Key for them to drive you around in their buggy…

Oof. That’s so much spend for relatively little return, but I guess it depends on your time horizon, and if you trust JAL not to change terms, like United did, to lifetime status… cute that David linked to Gary’s post at VFTW. Aww.

I earned gold, but will earn platinum after my next business trip in a few weeks.

As an EP I don’t think status has done much for me in recent history. I only book business/first now because I rarely get upgraded. Same day flight change use to be a great benefit via the EP line but now you can only use the app which is incredibly frustrating. Often there are seats and the flight just doesn’t show up. However, I was late for a flight yesterday and the flagship first team walked us to the front of the security line when me and P2 showed we were both EPs. Shout out to the ORD flagship staff!

Friend @Gene has a saying, want first, but first. WFBF. Status is overrated. Glad ORD took good care of you!

I agree with the opportunity cost to put that much money on an AA credit card and I agree with the fact that the benefits make it just worth it to maintain a certain level of status that gets you the benefits that you need. This said, I think you should consider why many people are brand loyal or alliance loyal when it comes to their flights. Unless there is a stellar deal, I think the primary reason is because they would rather maintain some sort of status with one group as compared to flying all different airlines and having no status. I must admit even you are like this in some way because I guess you often fly AA when need to get to a starting point for a trip.

Interesting that you choose the miles instead of SWUs. With the removal of miles + copay ($375 + 25,000 = ~$750) on long haul, SWUs became even more valuable. I realize the instant upgrade prices vary, and you can sometimes moves to J for $400, but typically its going to be more in the $700+ range or even higher ($1,500+).

6 SWUs even valued at $400 are worth $2400 vs 85,000 miles worth $1,275, and this increases dramatically when you value them at $700+ ($4200+)

Depends on your flexibly to use the SWUs when space is open vs traveling when you want to, but for those that can, its a simple choice that can make going for 250K worth it. I find using SWUs significantly easier than trying to use award space on partner airlines where you are more limited to last minute bookings or buying them ~1 year out.

The real benefit of status is getting the baggage allowance and business class ground perks when flying in Y. An upgrade once in a blue moon or access to a slightly better lounge in a minority of airports don't really move the proverbial needle.

Horrible game

This is reassuring. I'm EP now for the first time ever (qualified toward the end of last year) and I can't say that it's all that different than PP was (which I enjoyed for two years prior). In fact, I think it's been "acknowledged" by FA's all of twice—albeit spectacularly so on a recent flight (pre-departure drink AND A MEAL from up front while I sat in Main Cabin!) As most have commented, upgrades are a rarity and suppose I'll live with boarding with group 2. My primary benefit is basic lounge access for international trips (my status is earned mostly by business travel), but the premium lounge access on long haul flights is nice. Slower year this year, so I'm just at Platinum now, but should hit PP by the end of the qualifying year. Either way, it's a long way from back when young, naive me thought he was a high-roller with occasional Gold just from leisure travel.

Aegean (A3) seems to be the easiest single route to *A Gold at the moment, *if* you're able to do 4 legs per year on their own metal. Given your United focus, I presume that's not so straightforward sadly!

If you're still travelling a fair amount, but it's spread out - Turkish Airlines 2 year qualification period might suit.

You might also consider just doing a status match to another program before you drop tiers.

He doesn't want to travel on AA long haul biz, which is understandable for a reviewer.

Hey Ben, I'm a bit surprised that you didn't go for OWE with a foreign carrier. Yes, I read the whole post and saw that much of the spending requirement came from CC spending, but isn't Flagship lounge access domestically (especially being MIA-based) something you value? Do you actually have foreign OWE and just opt to credit your flights to AA?

FWIW there's a waitlist on Royal Air Maroc regarding a status match (allegedly through to Platinum/OWE)

Just looked further into it, and OWE is available for USD 1000-1500 (ouch). Probably not worth it to get if you already have Platinum Pro...

I go the TK route and really appreciate the 2 year re-qualifying period for Elite. Do a bit of flying on actual TK, but most of it on Star airlines. Downside for the US is I lose out on seat upgrades as a non UA elite, but I do get access to United Clubs as a trade off and the new ones at EWR are nice, albeit a bit crowded (but nothing like a sky club).

Whoopsie... 9-24 Lions... yikes.

As a long-time EXP and even CK for a few years, I must agree. EXP isn't worth it anymore. If EXP's had access to award seats no one else could book, then it would be worth it. Otherwise, it just isn't. I am spending to get to Pro, then switching to Chase Sapphire so I can actually book seats to Asia. Since the pandemic, award seats to Asia are laughably scarce - like not single SFO-Asia seat for the next 330 days in business. Yes, Europe is still fairly easy, but comes with huge copays. I'm looking forward to using Chase to get to Asia again. We will see how that goes. If OW ever fixes their Asia carrier shortage, I might return.

Lucky -

I'd be very curious after a few months of PP status for you to do a comparison post on your perceptions of PP vs EXP.

In particular there are two less perceived benefits that can be valuable:

1. EXP call center: I know you've written in the past about the service quality declining, but I understand PP just gets faster routing to the regular pool of agents. I'd be very curious to notice whether you perceive a difference in service quality calling reservations as a PP vs. talking to the EXP desk, in spite of the declines you've written about previously.

2. IRROPs handling: I understand getting backup flights added to your reservation is an EXP benefit. I've certainly made use of this countless times, and never have faced pushback from EXP desk or AAngels to add backup segments to the res to protect me when the original flight is facing a delay. Do you notice a meaningful change in how well taken care of you are during IRROPs or other flight issues that come up?

Thanks so much!

If the direct flights between the US/China return with any frequency, availability to Asia will open up. This is not a OW problem, it's a US-China governmental problem.

And match to Emerald with RJ was a few years ago I thought, and even if you go for it, it's usually a short term 6-12ish month type benefit. Not really going to be requalifying with RJ's program.

@ Jason -- It needs to be international, and only in select regions. If you earned oneworld Emerald status through a non-US program, you could access it domestically. You can read more about oneworld lounge access policies here:
https://onemileatatime.com/guides/oneworld-lounge-access/

Totally agree. Platinum Pro is where it's at. Also, you've inspired me to give AA Hotels a closer look (outsized value and status earning potentials there). Thank you, again, sir.

Lucky, why not go the US jalcard route and get lifetime Emerald on oneworld after $450K spending ? https://viewfromthewing.com/the-little-known-credit-card-strategy-that-gets-you-lifetime-flagship-lounge-access-and-oneworld-elite-no-flying-required/

Especially not at MIA… you’d need to be a Key for them to drive you around in their buggy…

@ Just Curious -- It gets me into first class lounges when I'm flying in a lower cabin. There are other perks to oneworld Emerald that benefit me, like priority boarding on carriers like BA/CX (which make it easier to get cabin pics), waived seat fees on BA/QR, etc.

It's nuanced. Let's say you were on an American Airlines flight departing London Heathrow (LHR) Terminal 3; you're in Business Class on a 772, which doesn't have a First Class. You really want to check out the Cathay Pacific First Class lounge, which usually only allows First Class passengers on eligible oneworld itineraries. With Platinum Pro (Emerald) you can get in (if there's space).

Very telling that the article didn’t even suggest SWUs.

Not sure I get the math though. $75k in unbonused domestic spend on a DoubleCash gets you 2x points or 150k TY points (or 1:1 AA miles if you prefer assuming you have an Elite, Premier or Prestige). So unless you value EP (enjoy that free snack box when flying domestic…) you wouldn’t think about only getting 120k AA miles (and of course that only works for this year because of the double dip Ben described, otherwise would be 60k). And if it was bonused spend you could obviously do better than that.

This is where simplymiles, AA eshopping and AA hotels comes in of course. Makes all of these things much more achievable.

@blake k

Not really our business but surprisingly low. Ben is probably sitting on 1.1 million miles along with speculative bookings that can always be cancelled.

Aegean (A3) seems to be the easiest single route to *A Gold at the moment, *if* you're able to do 4 legs per year on their own metal. Given your United focus, I presume that's not so straightforward sadly!

If you're still travelling a fair amount, but it's spread out - Turkish Airlines 2 year qualification period might suit.

You might also consider just doing a status match to another program before you drop tiers.

Congrats on the Bucs win tonight against the Lions!

Friend @Gene has a saying, want first, but first. WFBF. Status is overrated. Glad ORD took good care of you!

The real benefit of status is getting the baggage allowance and business class ground perks when flying in Y. An upgrade once in a blue moon or access to a slightly better lounge in a minority of airports don't really move the proverbial needle.

He doesn't want to travel on AA long haul biz, which is understandable for a reviewer.

Just looked further into it, and OWE is available for USD 1000-1500 (ouch). Probably not worth it to get if you already have Platinum Pro...