American Airlines, the world’s largest airline by revenue and fleet size, has announced a new business loyalty program that rewards both eligible companies and their travelers for booking business travel on its direct channels. The program, called AAdvantage Business, is the first of its kind in the U.S. and will replace the existing Business Extra program by January 31, 2024.
AAdvantage Business: A Simple and Rewarding Program
AAdvantage Business is a fully digital program that requires no minimum spend and is open to companies with five or more employees. For every $1 spent on eligible business travel, businesses earn 1 AAdvantage mile to redeem on travel and more, including hotels, car rentals, Admirals Club lounges, and other experiences for employees. For that same $1 spent, eligible individual travelers earn 1 Loyalty Point that counts toward their accrual for earning status as an AAdvantage member. These Loyalty Points are in addition to any miles or Loyalty Points the traveler is earning as an AAdvantage member.
According to American Airlines, AAdvantage Business is designed to offer a faster pathway to a more rewarding experience for companies and travelers alike. “American has built something no one else offers,” said Scott Laurence, American’s Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Retailing. “We want to reward both the companies doing business with us and the traveler who’s actually flying in the airplane seat. It’s a win-win.”
More Rewards with the CitiBusiness/AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard
Businesses who apply for the CitiBusiness/AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard can further accelerate rewards for their company and help their employees reach status when they use the card. The card offers 2 AAdvantage miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants, and gas stations; and 1 AAdvantage mile per $1 spent on other purchases. The card also offers a welcome bonus of 65,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first four months of account opening.
In addition, cardholders can earn an American Airlines Companion Certificate for domestic travel after spending $30,000 or more in purchases each cardmembership year and cardmembership is renewed. Cardholders also enjoy benefits such as first checked bag free on domestic itineraries, preferred boarding on American flights, 25% savings on inflight purchases of food and beverages on American flights when using their card, and no foreign transaction fees.
Moreover, cardholders can earn 2 Loyalty Points per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases using their card. These Loyalty Points are in addition to any miles or Loyalty Points earned as an AAdvantage member or an AAdvantage Business participant.
How to Join AAdvantage Business
Companies can learn more and begin registering now for the AAdvantage Business program at aa.com/aadvantagebusiness. Existing Business Extra members will be automatically enrolled in AAdvantage Business and will receive an email with instructions on how to activate their account. Business Extra points will be converted to AAdvantage miles at a rate of 20 points per mile.
Companies that join AAdvantage Business by December 31, 2023 will receive a welcome bonus of 500 AAdvantage miles for their company account and 500 Loyalty Points for each traveler who activates their account. Travelers who activate their account by December 31, 2023 will also receive a 10% discount code for future travel on American Airlines.
American Airlines said it will continue to enhance the AAdvantage Business program with new features and benefits in the coming months.
