8 methods I used to earn American AAdvantage Executive Platinum elite status

I just cinched Executive Platinum — the top published tier of elite status in the American Airlines AAdvantage program — through Feb. 28, 2026. I find immense value in the AAdvantage program. Traveling to Japan in business class for as low as 60,000 AAdvantage miles one-way (just 80,000 for first class), for example, is a major score in my book.

Let me explain the methods I used to earn Executive Platinum and then discuss my strategy — which will shift a bit — for earning it again through February 2027.

Related: American Airlines AAdvantage: Your ultimate guide

How I earned Executive Platinum through February 2026

Here’s a bird’s-eye view of the eight ways I earned more than 200,000 Loyalty Points, which netted me top-tier Executive Platinum status through February 2026. While I earned Loyalty Points in eight ways, I used two methods to build the bulk of my balance: spending on AAdvantage-branded Citi credit cards (32.7%) and paid flights and upgrades (30.2%).

Those two earning strategies netted me 125,658 of the 200,000 Loyalty Points needed to attain Executive Platinum status.

Related reading: You can now finally earn miles, Loyalty Points from paid American Airlines upgrades

After credit card spending, paid flights and paid upgrades, the next Loyalty Point tranche came from shopping portal earnings. I earned 19,396 Loyalty Points from SimplyMiles and 19,377 Loyalty Points from AAdvantage eShopping for a combined 19.4% of the 200,000 Loyalty Points needed for Executive Platinum.

I love using these two shopping portals because I earn a 30% bonus on my Loyalty Points. That bonus kicks in when you earn 100,000 Loyalty Points in an eligibility year and is effective for six months from that date with certain AAdvantage partners. (You earn a 20% Loyalty Points bonus when you earn 60,000 Loyalty Points in an eligibility year.)

The last major bucket of Loyalty Points (13%, or 26,000 Loyalty Points) came from two one-night hotel bookings through AAdvantage Hotels.

I normally don’t book hotels outside of my major loyalty programs (World of Hyatt and Marriott Bonvoy), but the earning potential for these two one-night stays convinced me to give up the elite night credits I would have received. (Also, because I hold the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®(see rates and fees), I earn 10 bonus miles — sadly not Loyalty Points, though — per dollar spent when booking through AAdvantage Hotels.)

Earning 13,000 Loyalty Points per night (10,000 points via AAdvantage Hotels and 3,000 as part of my 30% six-month multiplier after hitting 100,000 Loyalty Points) was too appealing to pass up since I was so close to achieving Executive Platinum status.

The remaining four ways I earned Loyalty Points were:

• Hyatt dual accrual (3.1%): I earned 6,149 Loyalty Points from the Hyatt-American dual accrual program. This part of the program expired at the end of 2024 and I will miss this option in 2025.
• AAdvantage Dining (1%): I live in a rural area with basically no local restaurants participating in this program, but I got lucky when I dined out on a business trip and got a few Loyalty Points.
• Loyalty Point Rewards (0.5%): When I earned 15,000 Loyalty Points, I chose 1,000 Loyalty Points as my reward.
• Car rentals (0.2%): I don’t rent cars often, so I only netted 380 Loyalty Points on one rental.

What I’ll do differently for 2026 status

While I hope to reach Executive Platinum next year, I won’t be disappointed if I only attain Platinum Pro. I’ll explain why in the next section; don’t miss the chart below that highlights the differences between the top two tiers of AAdvantage status.

While I used eight strategies for earning Loyalty Points in 2024, there are more ways I can leverage the program. Check out these 15 ways to earn Loyalty Points.

Going forward, paid flights and upgrades will presumably account for the largest segment of the Loyalty Points I earn. Credit card spending will be next, likely followed by shopping portal earnings.

However, I’d also like to earn Loyalty Points in these ways in 2025:

• Booking a cruise
• Booking a vacation package

I will also consider leveraging AAdvantage Hotels more often when not booking Hyatt properties, which will be the case when I visit my family in Frosinone and Catanzaro, Italy, where World of Hyatt — and most other hotel loyalty programs, for that matter — is missing from the tourism landscape.

Why Executive Platinum status is worth it to me

Beyond how I earn AAdvantage status, you may wonder why I bother striving for the top tier. Here are the Executive Platinum status benefits I value compared to what you get as a Platinum Pro (the next status level down):

You’ll notice that complimentary upgrades do not appear on the above chart. I fly out of very busy American Airlines hub airports, such as Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), where tons of Executive Platinum and Concierge Key (American’s highest elite tier that’s not a published benefit but is instead invitation-only) members are based. Space-available upgrades are a sweet perk when they happen, but I don’t count on them. More often than not, I buy an upgrade to lock in a seat in a premium cabin before takeoff.

Related article: Oneworld alliance guide: Learn about airlines, lounges and elite status

Loyalty Points and miles multiplier

As an Executive Platinum member, I earn 120% more bonus miles and Loyalty Points than a traveler with no status and about 23% more than Platinum Pro members. Since my husband and I routinely purchase domestic first-class and international business-class flights, those Loyalty Points and bonus miles add up. Executive Platinum members earn 11 bonus miles and Loyalty Points per dollar spent, while the Platinum Pro tier earns 9.

If we didn’t normally buy premium-cabin flights, the difference between Executive Platinum and Platinum Pro earning rates wouldn’t be as compelling.

Priority boarding

Group 1 boarding is my second-favorite Executive Platinum perk. We normally travel with carry-ons, so priority access to the overhead bins is key. Also, I have a knee problem, and it’s much easier to maneuver down the aircraft’s aisle with fewer people in their seats. It gives me peace of mind knowing I won’t have to worry about disrupting people who are already seated.

Dedicated customer service phone agents

Things can go sideways quickly on a travel day. I appreciate having a dedicated Executive Platinum service desk. The agents answer calls quickly and are generally very knowledgeable and quick to find a solution to whatever the issue may be. Of course, the Platinum Pro tier also has a dedicated customer service phone line, so this isn’t a reason to strive for Executive Platinum, but it is a benefit I appreciate.

Oneworld Emerald status

The next valuable perk on my list is Oneworld Emerald status, which allows me to access lounges at airports worldwide, priority check-in and boarding, and “Fast Track” or “Priority Lane” privileges at some airports when flying with a Oneworld partner. Platinum Pros also get Emerald status, so this isn’t a deciding factor in whether to strive for Executive Platinum.

Choice of seats, same-day changes and higher standby priority

Finally, it’s nice to have complimentary access to Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats at booking, free same-day flight changes, and higher standby priority.

Platinum Pros can also book Main Cabin Extra and Preferred seats and make same-day flight changes. They have a lower standby priority than Executive Platinums.

Bottom line

Is Executive Platinum worth it to you? This array of perks may not be worth it to some people, but I value them, and that’s why I strive to attain Executive Platinum status. However, my colleague Katie Genter explains why Platinum Pro is her sweet spot in American’s AAdvantage program.

Read these articles to learn more about AAdvantage status: