It seems like stories like these come out almost every year now. I’m not sure how long American has been doing this, but I personally remember it happening back in 2015. I remember it vividly…
I remember the offer because I had spent most of 2014 flying around the country. With each trip I added layovers and out of the way stops just to earn AAdvantage Gold status. Then, about a quarter into 2015, American Airlines “gifted” my co-worker AAdvantage Platinum elite status!
She had flown American a lot in 2013 and 2014, but decided to switch to United in late 2014. As a result, American was trying to win her back for the 2015 travel year. That was the first time I had heard about American offering up free elite status to certain customers. Thankfully for many, it wasn’t nearly the last. About twice a year, every year, I’ve heard or read about similar stories.
American Offering Free AAdvantage Eliete Status Again In 2019
Well, thankfully for many, American has once again started offering elite status to certain AAdvantage customers. As with prior elite status promotions, American must target you for the promotion. I’m not exactly sure what criteria uses to target customers. In the past, American often provides offers to AAdvantage members with little prior year activity.
To find of it American targeted you for the promotion, start by logging into your AAdvantage account. Once logged in, click on the link to reach your “account summary” page.
Next, click on the “Promotions” tab to see if you have been targeted for complimentary elite status. If targeted, you’ll have to activate the promotion to receive the elite status. Once active, your complimentary elite status takes effect nearly instantly. If you have any trips already booked with American, I’d call the airline to manually update each reservation. Sometimes your elite status won’t update on existing travel booked when you had a lower tier of status or no status at all.
Next, read the terms and conditions of the offer. American usually includes a “challenge” aspect to the offer. This means if you fly a certain number of miles and earn a certain amount of EQDs you could retain the status beyond the trial period.
An Example Of An Elite Status Offer
Earlier this year, a reader… ok, it was from a family member, shared an offer for elite status he received from American. In this totally legit screenshot of the email, that was not edited in any way, he received an offer for AAdvantage Platinum Pro status through May 15, 2019. If you look closely, you’ll see at the time he received the offer he had absolutely no elite status with American.
Wow, just look how happy this customer is to have elite status with American! As the email continued, American provided a link directly to the promotions page.
Since my sibling received the offer earlier this year, his offer expired Janurary 2019. However, from the email you can see that the offer provided Platinum Pro status until May 15, 2019. The offer also included a challenge which allowed him to retain the status until early 2020. If he did no complete the challenge, his status would revert to a lower tier (if any) after May 15, 2019.
Final Thoughts
In general I have mixed feelings about these promotions from American. From the viewpoint of a casual traveler I’d be pretty upset. I’d be upset because if I had Gold or Platinum status this promotion would make upgrades or standby seats even harder to come by. I’d personally be frustrated to find out that someone who is not loyal to the airline jumped me on the upgrade list thanks to a complimentary promotion.
However, on the other hand, I like what American is trying to do. By giving certain customers complimentary status it allows them to experience what the airline could be. For example, my sibling received a few upgrades, visited a few lounges, and changed a flight or two. Thanks to his free status he saw what being loyal to the airline could be like. This helped him decide if staying loyal to American was worth it for the 2019 travel year.
I personally would love to see United offer this same type of promotion. Since I’ve relocated to near Newark I find myself wanting to fly United more and more. However, it’s hard to think that if I fly United I’ll board last, won’t get upgraded, and won’t have lounge access for international trips. I’d love a free 90 day period to test out the airline without having to complete a formal status challenge.
Either way, be on the lookout for an email from American with this type of offer. Likewise, if you haven’t already, log in to the promotions page to see if you’re eligible.
