Congratulations! You’ve made it! After spending countless hours on airplanes flying all over the world you’ve finally reached top-tier elite status with American Airlines. It’s no easy feat. To do so, you have to earn at least $15,000 Elite Qualifying Dollars and either 100,000 Elite Qualifying Miles or 120 Elite Qualifying Segments. To the layman, you basically have to spend a significant amount a money and fly… a lot!
Let’s put that into perspective. Flying 120 segments means that you’re taking more than 2 flights a week. Likewise, earning 100,000 EQM means you have to sit in an airplane seat for at least 67,000 miles. That’s more than 2.5 times around the earth. Keep in mind that you have to do all of this in a single calendar year. That’s more than a lot of people will fly in a lifetime. Oh, and of course you have to spend a significant amount of money as well… most of the time.
So, you’ve done it, you’ve reached Executive Platinum elite status for the first time or potentially for another year. The big question is, now what?
Visit The American Airlines AAdvantage Executive Platinum Benefits Website
To start out, I’d recommend first visiting American’s new elite status benefits guide website. In the days shortly after your final elite qualifying activity posts to your AAdvantage account you should receive an email from American. In that email you’ll find a link to American’s new Elite Status benefit websites. If reaching Executive Platinum you should have a link directly to the Executive Platinum Benefits website.
As you scroll through this new site you’ll find a ton of great information about the various benefits offered from Executive Platinum elite status.
If you’ve never reached Executive Platinum this site is the perfect place to start learning about your new elite benefits. Likewise, if you’ve been EP before, this site offers a nice refresher of all the benefits offered from top-tier elite status.
Check Out Your Welcome Kit
Although you receive an email a few days after reaching EP status, you’ll also receive a formal welcome kit a few weeks later. The welcome kits used to be a bit more robust, but today, they still contain exactly what you’ll need. That is, inside you’ll find two luggage tags (brag tags) and an updated membership card.
In years past the membership cards were actually worthwhile. Now, you can mostly use the mobile membership card through the American Airlines app. Otherwise, agents can simply look you up in the system and see your status. So, although the membership card is a nice souvenir, it’s not exactly as valuable as it once was.
Use Your Unlimited Complimentary Domestic Upgrades
Perhaps one of the benefits Executive Platinum elite members value the most are the unlimited complimentary domestic upgrades when traveling with American. Most of you are probably familiar with how American handles upgrades, but if not here is a quick refresher from YouTuber Casey Neistat, albeit a bit dated.
American awards upgrades to elite members only when requested. Elite members can request upgrades at any time and upgrades will clear a certain number of hours prior to departure. If your upgrade clears you have to ‘pay’ for the upgrade using 500-mile upgrades certificates. Elite members earn 500-mile upgrade certificates or “stickers” with every 12,500 Elite Qualifying Miles flown.
What makes Executive Platinum so valuable to those who fly often is that EP members receive unlimited domestic upgrades. After booking a flight, the upgrade is auto-requested and will clear as soon a 100 hours prior to departure. When the upgrade clears, Executive Platinum (and Platinum Pro) elite members do not have to ‘pay’ for the upgrade using 500-mile upgrade certificates. Instead, as the benefit implies, the upgrade is complimentary.
The main items to note with this particular benefit is that once you reach Platinum Pro you will no longer earn 500-mile upgrade certificates by flying. Also, if you want a travel companion to join you up front you’ll have to use 500-mile upgrades to ‘pay’ for their upgrade. You can do this by using your existing balance or by buying more online.
Take AAdvantage Of Systemwide Upgrades
The other premier benefit offered by Executive Platinum elite status are the 4 Systemwide Upgrades (SWUs) you’ll earn once you reach EP status. These can be incredibly valuable as they allow you move to the next highest cabin of service when traveling internationally. Sure, Systemwide Upgrades can also be used for domestic flights, but to maximize this benefit I’d recommend only using SWUs internationally.
When you reach EP status you should start seeing a “Systemwide Upgrade” hyperlink on American’s website when booking flights. If you’re lucky you might be able to find available space at booking. If not, after booking your ticket you have to call American to apply a SWU to your itinerary. SWUs can also be used to upgrade others if you’re feeling generous.
Here’s a quick example of how an SWU works. When traveling back from Auckland my girlfriend and I booked economy class seats from Auckland to Los Angeles for $300. Shortly after booking I called American and requested to use two of my SWUs to upgrade us to Business class. As our departure date neared I managed the reservation by checking in with American every so often. The result is that both of our upgrades cleared and we were able to fly business class home for a fraction of the price.
SWUs are valid for up to three flights on a one-way itinerary. So, if you’re flying from Omaha to Dallas to Los Angeles to Sydney, you could get upgraded on all three of those flights so long as all of those flights are booked on the same record locator. Likewise, SWUs can be used to upgrade from Economy (or Premium Economy to Business or from Business to First on international flights.
Enjoy Waived Award Ticketing Fees
This is perhaps one of the benefits that I actually get a ton of use from each year. See, American and other airlines have a nasty habit of making awards incredibly frustrating to use. When booking an award flight on American most members are charged an “award fee” of up to $75. That fee is waived for Executive Platinum elite members.
Additionally, most AAdvantage members are subject to an “award redeposit fee” if they choose to cancel an award booking. So, if you cancel your booking American will again charge you if you want your miles back. This fee is also waived for EP elite members.
The reason this benefit is so valuable is that it allows me to be flexible. When booking an around the world trip a few months back I originally booked Qatar Airways Business Class from New York to Vietnam via Doha. These flights would have been amazing, but ultimately the travel time was nearly 2 days! Instead, a few days before my departure date I found Japan Airlines First Class space to Tokyo which cut my travel time in half. Changing the ticket was incredibly easy, and free, thanks to Executive Platinum elite status.
Travel Comfortably With OneWorld Emerald Elite Status
Without a doubt I’ve saved my favorite Executive Platinum benefit for last. That’s because AAdvantage EP status matches to OneWorld Emerald elite status. This means that you’ll receive some fantastic benefits when traveling internationally with OneWorld partner airlines such as Qantas, British Airways, Finnair, or Cathay Pacific.
For starters, when booking you’ll generally receive complimentary seat selection on several airlines. You’ll also have access to exit row and bulkhead seats which often demand a premium on other carriers. When you arrive at the airport you’ll receive complimentary access to First Class Check-In counters and priority lanes even when traveling in economy. Finally, after clearing security, you’ll have access to several international first class and business class lounges regardless of your cabin of service.
What this means is that even when traveling in economy you’ll have access to incredible lounges! This includes the British Airways First Class Lounges, Cathay Pacific First Class Lounges, Qantas First Class Lounges, Finnair First Class Lounges, and American Airlines Flagship Lounges. I can’t tell you how nice it is to shower during a layover after a grueling international flight. Just remember, this benefit only applies when traveling internationally. So please, don’t be that guy who rolls up to an Admirals Club yelling about how you’re Executive Platinum when traveling domestically; they will not let you in and you’ll look like a fool.
Keep Flying To Unlock Even More Benefits
Finally, after reaching EP status you might feel the need to switch to a competitor or slow down. However, there is still value to be had if you continue traveling. Specifically when you earn 150,000 total EQM you can get 2 more SWUs, 40,000 miles, or gift Gold status to someone. If you reach 200,000 EQM you can either get 2 more SWUs, 40,000 more miles, or gift Platinum status to someone. Then, if you reach 250,000 EQM, well you guessed it, 2 SWUs, 40,000 miles, or Platinum status to someone.
Final Thoughts
Reaching EP status is a huge milestone that comes with a ton of benefits. However, I find that many who reach it without going for it don’t know exactly what they have. For example, some EP members might not realize that they can use First Class lounges when traveling abroad with OneWorld carriers. They might not also realize that they can select seats on partner airlines for free. Lastly, they may have no idea how SWUs work!
My recommendation to everyone who reaches EP status is to do your homework. Take some time to learn as much about how upgrades, SWUs, and OneWorld Emerald status works and how to maximize each.
I say this because SWUs aren’t always easy to use. Just because you apply for an upgrade doesn’t mean you’ll get it. Instead, you have to find flights with upgrade space available. If you haven’t used an SWU before I’d recommend calling American and asking friendly agent to walk you through it. When I called the agent searched the entire month and put me on a flight with a confirmed upgrade at booking. Had she not explained the process to me I’m not sure if my upgrade for the day prior would have cleared.
So, Congratulations! You’ve made it, now make the best of it until the end of next year. Remember the status you earn this year is valid from now until 13 months from the start of next year. Enjoy!
