American Airlines announces AAdvantage changes for 2026
For the third straight year, American Airlines loyalists won’t have to contend with any changes to the airline’s elite status requirements.
American on Wednesday announced that it’s leaving American Airlines AAdvantage status benchmarks exactly the same this coming year.
That’s likely to be a bit of a relief for frequent travelers who have had to contend with increasingly tougher status requirements from airlines and hotels alike in recent years.
American is, however, making a few changes for the upcoming AAdvantage year, which technically begins March 1.
The carrier is adding a few benefits and choices to its Loyalty Point Rewards, the menu of perks the carrier offers when AAdvantage members hit certain loyalty milestones.
New benefits include inflight food-and-beverage coupons, New York Times subscriptions and — for big earners — premium retail selections.
A couple of additional perks will disappear this year, but — don’t worry — the most lucrative benefit selections like systemwide upgrades, Admirals Club memberships and bonus miles aren’t going anywhere.
Meanwhile, all AAdvantage elite members who qualify for status starting March 1 will be eligible for a luggage tag commemorating the carrier’s 100th birthday.
Here’s a rundown of what’s changing (and what’s not) in the new year.
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Loyalty Points requirements for status remain as-is
As noted, American Airlines will not raise the threshold for status in the new year.
That means the Loyalty Points you’ll need to keep or gain status will remain unchanged.
| AAdvantage status tier | Loyalty Points required | Oneworld alliance status |
|---|---|---|
|
40,000 |
Ruby |
|
|
75,000 |
Sapphire |
|
|
125,000 |
Emerald |
|
|
200,000 |
Emerald |
As a reminder, you earn 1 Loyalty Point per base AAdvantage mile earned via flying, spending on eligible cobranded American Airlines credit cards and via other avenues like the airline’s shopping, dining and hotels platforms.
Read more: How I earned 29,000 Loyalty Points and 23,000 AAdvantage miles on a single $800 hotel stay
American follows in the footsteps of top competitors Delta Air Lines and United Airlines in leaving elite requirements unchanged going into 2026.
Loyalty Point Rewards changes
American’s biggest AAdvantage changes in 2026 surround its Loyalty Point Rewards. These are the perks members receive upon reaching certain Loyalty Point thresholds in between status tiers.
There are new perks at a few different Loyalty Point thresholds coming in 2026, plus a couple that will go away this year.
Here’s a rundown of what’s changing, and what’s remaining in place.
15,000 Loyalty Points
| Changes | Remaining in place |
|---|---|
|
Later in 2026, AAdvantage members who reach 15,000 Loyalty Points will gain two new options to choose from:
|
Alternative choices members can pick from at this threshold include:
|
60,000 Loyalty Points
| Changes | Remaining in place |
|---|---|
|
Beginning March 1, members will see their Loyalty Points bonus increase when spending with select partners — from 20% to 25%, up to a maximum of 25,000 Loyalty Points.
Remember that the bonus lasts six months upon registering for this reward. It applies to American Airlines Vacations, AAdvantage Hotels, AAdvantage eShopping, AAdvantage Dining, AAdvantage Cruises and SimplyMiles. |
Members also unlock Avis Preferred Plus status at this threshold. |
100,000 Loyalty Points
| Changes | Remaining in place |
|---|---|
|
The bonus for the above American Airlines partners will no longer increase to 30% at the 100,000 threshold.
|
|
175,000 Loyalty Points
| Changes | Remaining in place |
|---|---|
|
Starting March 1, members who reach this threshold will gain two new options:
Coming later in 2026, members will also have a third new option: a 12-month all-access New York Times subscription. |
There’s a long list of alternative choices ranging from two systemwide upgrades to World of Hyatt Explorist status and American Airlines trip credit.
See the full list here. |
250,000 Loyalty Points and each successive threshold
| Changes | Remaining in place |
|---|---|
|
Starting March 1, members who reach this threshold will gain three new options:
And, like with the 175,000-point threshold, you can select a 12-month all-access New York Times subscription. One removal from this threshold is the ability for members to select a Bang & Olufsen product. |
Other options include more systemwide upgrades and Admirals Club membership, and many others.
See the full list of alternative benefits here. |
The above new perks (and the end of the Bang & Olufsen option) will also be in place at the 400,000, 550,000 and 750,000 Loyalty Points thresholds.
What to know about the changes
Overall, the adjustments to American’s Loyalty Point Rewards aren’t drastic and generally skew in customers’ favor with a few new selections to choose from.
The 100,000 threshold likely takes the most tangible hit, with the end of a heftier bonus on spending with certain American partners.
Personally, I’d love to see the airline add a travel perk or two at that midlevel threshold.
The end of the Bang & Olufsen product selection as a specific perk is technically a net loss for customers who opted for that over a travel perk at the higher milestones. At the same time, I’ll be curious to see what alternative options American offers through its AAdvantage Exchange.
But the addition of New York Times subscriptions and savings on vacation packages should definitely offer value to members who find appeal in those choices.
Other changes in 2026
Meanwhile, American plans to continue expanding the ability for members to redeem miles for sporting events. We’ve already seen AAdvantage redemptions for U.S. soccer matches ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
The carrier expects to offer similar redemptions for the upcoming PGA Championship.
Later in 2026, American will also roll out redemptions for gift cards to retailers and other establishments, though — as always — we’ll caution members to weigh the value you’d get with those redemptions against what you’d get on a flight redemption.
Free Wi-Fi rollout
Last but not least, the biggest change of all for AAdvantage members in 2026 may be the addition of free inflight Wi-Fi to American’s planes.
As TPG reported Tuesday, the new complimentary onboard internet is expected to be on 100% of the carrier’s mainline narrow-body and two-cabin regional jet fleet by the end of January.
You’ll also see free Wi-Fi on certain wide-body planes in the coming months.
All you’ll need to connect to the service is an AAdvantage account.
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