When you’ve checked out your American Airways account not too long ago, you seemingly noticed two numbers: miles and Loyalty Factors. Though Loyalty Factors and American AAdvantage miles are associated, they differ enormously.
And, particularly since Loyalty Factors reset to zero yearly on March 1, it is necessary to know the distinction. So, here is what it is advisable to know.
American Airways miles vs. Loyalty Factors
While you open the American Airways cellular app or log in to your account on-line, you may see two distinguished numbers: award miles and Loyalty Factors.
Briefly, award miles are what you’ll be able to redeem for flights, upgrades and seats, whereas Loyalty Factors are the metric by which American Airways awards elite standing and Loyalty Level Rewards. Let’s take a better have a look at every.
What are American miles?
You earn award miles — additionally known as American miles or AAdvantage miles — if you credit score paid flights on American Airways and choose accomplice airways (together with Oneworld alliance companions like Alaska Airways) to the AAdvantage program. You may also earn American miles if you use the AAdvantage eShopping portal, store SimplyMiles provides and extra.
You possibly can redeem American miles for flights, upgrades, seats and extra. Award miles do not reset to zero or expire so long as you’re the major cardmember of an open AAdvantage bank card otherwise you earn or redeem miles a minimum of as soon as each 24 months.
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What are Loyalty Factors?
Loyalty Factors, alternatively, are the metric by which you earn American Airways elite standing and Loyalty Level Rewards. Some, however not all, award miles you earn additionally offer you Loyalty Factors. You may also often earn Loyalty Factors by way of promotions or by holding choose AAdvantage bank cards and assembly particular spending or Loyalty Level thresholds.
You possibly can’t redeem Loyalty Factors for award flights; they’re solely good for incomes American Airways elite standing and Loyalty Level Rewards. As a reminder, Loyalty Level Rewards are further advantages you earn as you attain particular quantities of Loyalty Factors all through your qualification interval.
Annually, you will need to requalify for American Airways elite standing and work towards incomes new Loyalty Level Rewards through the airline’s elite qualification interval. As a substitute of the calendar yr qualification interval utilized by most different packages, American AAdvantage makes use of a March 1-Feb. 28 (or Feb. 29 in leap years) qualification interval. So, simply as your Marriott elite evening credit reset to zero Jan. 1 every year, Loyalty Factors reset to zero each March 1.
Backside line
Your Loyalty Factors steadiness — the metric American Airways makes use of for elite standing qualification and Loyalty Level Rewards — will reset March 1. However your award miles — those you’ll be able to redeem to guide flights — will not reset March 1. You may maintain your American Airways miles so long as your account is lively otherwise you’re the first cardmember on an AAdvantage bank card.
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