 TITLE: How Can a Credit Card Help You Earn Airline Elite Status? CONTENT: Earning airline elite status usually requires flying tens of thousands of miles or dozens of flight segments each year (a segment is one takeoff and one landing). Some airlines also have spending requirements in place so that you must purchase a certain amount in airfare to qualify. These requirements can vary dramatically among airlines.\nCurrently, many airlines are modifying their elite status programs due to COVID-related travel shutdowns. The numbers discussed below reflect a normal year and should only be used as a reference.\nAmerican Airlines' AAdvantage mileage program, for example, has four tiers of elite status. To earn the first level, Gold, you have to fly 25,000 elite-qualifying miles (EQMs) or 30 elite-qualifying segments (EQSs) and spend at least $3,000 in elite-qualifying dollars (EQDs) on airfare not counting taxes and fees in a calendar year. Most economy fares earn 1 EQM per mile flown on American, while premium-economy fares earn 1.5 EQMs per mile flown. Discounted business- and first-class fares earn 2 EQMs per mile flown, and full-fare business- and first-class fares earn 3. So for an average traveler who purchases coach tickets, you'd have to take either 30 flights or cover 25,000 miles while also spending at least $3,000 on airfare.\nThe next tier, Platinum, requires flying 50,000 EQMs or 60 EQSs and spending $6,000 EQDs. Platinum Pro requires 75,000 EQMs or 90 EQSs and $9,000 EQDs. Each tier's benefits improve upon the one before it on up to Executive Platinum status at 100,000 EQMs or 120 EQSs and $15,000 in EQDs. Your status is usually good through the rest of the calendar year in which you earn it, the entire calendar year following and through January 31 of the year after that. END