You Can Earn American Airline Miles and Loyalty Points When Upgrading Your Seat — What to Know

American Airlines passengers will be pleased to learn that they can now earn AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points on paid upgrades.

The airline made the news official this week after hinting at the possible change back in January. Until now, passengers flying on American and upgrading to the next cabin up did not receive the extra Loyalty Points or AAdvantage miles.

AAdvantage members will accrue miles and points on paid upgrades in the same way they would for any other American Airlines ticket — a base of 5 miles and Loyalty Points earned per $1 spent.

American Airlines AAdvantage elite status members would earn a bonus in addition to the 5 miles per $1 base earnings at the following rate:

• AAdvantage Gold member: 7x miles
• AAdvantage Platinum member: 8x miles
• AAdvantage Platinum Pro member: 9x miles
• AAdvantage Executive Platinum and Concierge Key members: 11x miles

This policy change aims to encourage travelers to consider paying for upgrades on their next American flight.

In the coming months, the airline will be sharing more updates about planned changes for . AAdvantage members. Other updates in the pipeline include having the opportunity to upgrade on more Oneworld alliance and partner airlines. 

Currently, AAdvantage members can use their miles to upgrade select fares to a higher cabin of service on a few partner airlines like Qantas, British Airways, and Iberia.