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It’s been a rough couple of days over here at the MonkeyMiles house.
In case you hadn’t heard…American Airlines basically told anyone who isn’t a high and mighty spending business traveler to go and suck an egg. They shredded not only how you earn ( which we knew was coming), but added in some spend requirements, reduced elite benefits, and basically pronounced casual loyalty dead. Read more about it here if you are sadomasochistic…no judgement.
Miles! Don’t jump!!!! It’s ok – we can turn this frown upside down
In less than 24 months Miles and I have earned the following Miles:
- 100k from Us Air Barclaycard sign ups, now AA miles
- 53k from Citi Platinum AA
- 53k from Citi Biz AA
- 110k from Citi Exec AA
- 50k Citi Banking sign up
- 25k Barclay Aviator funding of Citi Bank account
- 30k Barclay targeted spend on Aviator
That’s 421k AA. No butt in seat. So you don’t have to be an American Airlines Superdelegate Elite to feel like one.
- It’s how we’ve done this:
But this year we’ve aligned our travel with American Air loyalty
I knew this year was going to be a big year of travel and challenged for American Air Platinum last fall. I knew I’d get a huge return on investment. And I have: Tons of those 100% bonus miles, free main cabin extra, 500 mile upgrades, and One World Sapphire has gained me access to lounges. It was a great deal.
Do we stay loyal after the Eulogy American Air just gave its program?
If you include travel that we’ve currently booked through July we will have over 60k EQM. It’s too late to turn back this year. But next year… I’ll probably enjoy my Exec Plat bennies and look elsewhere. Buttttt I want those bennies and will stick with them to get them! Here are the ones I’m most excited to rock
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System Wide Upgrades: 4 when you hit 100k EQM or 120EQS
- I want to try out the 787 to Haneda or the 777-200 to South America or even the 767 from ORD and JFK to Manchester. All of these would be possible on a cheap coach ticket and an SWU plopped on top.
image courtesy of aa.com
- I want to try out the 787 to Haneda or the 777-200 to South America or even the 767 from ORD and JFK to Manchester. All of these would be possible on a cheap coach ticket and an SWU plopped on top.
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1st Class Lounges
- AA Executive Platinum members are given One World Emerald status and gains you access to International First Class lounges.
- Theoretically I could buy a cheap ticket from LAX-HND ( they had them for $500 earlier this year) use a SWU upgrade to fly business, and then visit the Japan Airlines First Class lounge.
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I can eat fantastic Sushi in Japan
- AA Executive Platinum members are given One World Emerald status and gains you access to International First Class lounges.
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Complimentary upgrades domestically.
- American Executive Platinum members will continue to get auto requested upgrades.
- I fly to Indiana a lot and the first class cabin is rarely sold out.
But the biggest reason I’m going to Executive Platinum…Alaska Airlines
- They consistently status match American Air EP to Alaska Air top tier MVP Gold75
- 120% bonus on miles flown
- 75k miles to retain status with Alaska, 90k with partner miles
- 50k bonus when you retain status
- Best points in the biz
- even if they devalue their American chart
- yes, even after the Emirates deval
- they just added Japan Air
- if bennies hold up…still have access to free main cabin extra on American, pre-board, and free bags
- wait til after October to Match – otherwise your bennies run out end of year unless you qualify.
Will I fly on American next year?
Yes, if the price is right, and when I want to use my System Wide upgrades. Otherwise – I’ll search out the best deal
To conclude…
As Kenneth Lonergan might say, American Air’s Loyalty isn’t dead…it just smells bad
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card went through a major refresh in 2026 adding new bonus categories, travel protections, statement credits, and remains one of the best travel starter cards in the market. It earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based including Hyatt, Southwest, United, IHG, and Marriott. Note that Hyatt is now a 4:3 transfer partner
Welcome Offer
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
Earn
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on gas and EV charging
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on vacation homes at top brands
- Cardmembers will earn 3x points on vacation homes at these top brands: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plu Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa.
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- 2x on all other travel
- 1x on everyday purchases
- 5x points on Lyft rides Earn 5x total points on eligible Lyft rides including ride share, bike and scooter rides and subscription and membership products through September 30, 2027.
- 5x total points on Peloton equipment Earn 5x total points on eligible Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 through December 31, 2027.
Benefits and Credits
- $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- NEW: $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit Cardmembers will receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to the card.
- NEW: Complimentary Apple TV subscription for one year
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is great starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Chase Ink Business Cash® , Chase Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into the Sapphire Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee remains quite low at $95 a year and if you use the $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠ you’ll wipe out that annual fee every year. It has great bonus categories and other useful statement credits to enhance your travel.
One thing that is a bummer is Chase lowered the transfer ratio to World of Hyatt from 1:1 to 4:3.
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.