In this guide, you will learn how to earn Loyalty Points through Hotels towards status with American Airlines
Hotel Programs
Miles earned through the following joint hotel & AAdvantage programs are earned separately from ones you would earn from regular stays.
IHG Hotels & Resorts
You can earn up to 2 miles per dollar on certain properties in the IHG portfolio. Read specific program details and property qualifications on IHG’s website.
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
The dual-accrual benefit between American Airlines and World of Hyatt members ended December 31, 2024, but different benefits are available as of January 1, 2025. Be sure to link your account through your American Airlines profile or “Link partner account” in the app.
Read more on Hyatt.com or aa.com.
Marriott International
You can earn up to 2 miles per dollar on certain properties in the Marriott portfolio. Read specific program details and property qualifications on Marriott’s website. You can switch earnings from Marriott points to American Airlines by changing the “Earning and Rewards” setting in your Marriott profile.
Shopping Portals
Some hotels and resorts are featured on shopping portals such as AAdvantage eShopping. They cannot be used in combination with AAdvantage Hotels.
For example, if you book Marriott by clicking through AAdvantage eShopping, you can benefit from any card offers as well as enjoy benefits from elite status.
PointsYeah
PointsYeah is a points planning site that started in June 2023. Over 200,000 active users use it primarily to search award flights and hotels. You can also use the tool to quickly find cash hotel stays and filter by how many Loyalty Points you will earn.
Learn more about pointsyeah.com (and get 25% off with code AALPH).
AAdvantage Hotels
Begin by signing up for AAdvantage Hotels using your AAdvantage account.
How to Earn
The AAdvantage Hotels program lets you earn with hotel stays. In addition to earning miles and loyalty points, you can also redeem your AAdvantage miles for hotel stays with this program.
The program rewards those with AAdvantage status by providing up to 5x more base miles on stays. Those with a co-branded credit cards can earn also earn up to 5x more base miles. For members with status and a co-branded credit card, earnings can be up to 10x more base miles. Those earning rates can change at any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Users have reported success in making an AAdvantage Hotels reservation, contacting the hotel to add a guest who will check-in, and receiving points. When contacting the hotel, it’s also a good idea to confirm the reservation and ensure they have billing details from AAdvantage Hotels on file.
When you book through AAdvantage Hotels, reservation information is sent to the hotel property with virtual card information. This is different from your card information. Sometimes the property doesn’t know how to properly process 3rd party reservations and may ask for payment. You can call AAdvantage Hotels to have them provide payment information to the hotel.
AAdvantage Hotels offers three ways to earn more miles and Loyalty Points:
- 5x more base miles on hotels for being an AAdvantage member
- 5x more base miles on hotels for being an AAdvantage credit cardmember
- 10x more base miles on hotels for being an AAdvantage credit cardmember with status
Separately, a 20% bonus applies after reaching the 60,000 Loyalty Points threshold and a 30% bonus after reaching the 100,000 Loyalty Points threshold for the current program year ending.
Points are considered posted when they appear in your AAdvantage account. Unless otherwise noted, the activity date will be the date of the transaction, regardless of when it is posted.
By program:
- Paid Surveys Online: Almost immediately (as long as 24 hours)
- Fuel Rewards: up to 7 business days after the sale (usually post overnight Thursday to Friday)
- Flights on AA: points post within 24 hours after completing the travel (usually within 1 hour after arriving). Purchases for flights with an AA co-branded card post after the close of your billing cycle each month. The activity date is the departure date of each segment.
- AAdvantage Hotels: 5-7 business days after the stay for prepaid bookings. In some cases, it can take up to 6 weeks. Allow up to 10 weeks for non-prepaid bookings. The activity date will be the check-in date.
- SimplyMiles (SM): users have reported that it varies significantly. Some earnings are posted the next day, others take a week or two, or longer.
- AAdvantage eShopping
- It will depend on the terms. Some post in a day, others in a week, or even after a 60-day period. With some merchants, you must wait until the order is picked up or delivered. Regardless, you will have to give at least 15 days. If it doesn’t post within 15 days, you submit a request for credit. Cartera will research the request and it may take 6-8 weeks to resolve (up to 6 months in extreme cases).
- Merchants typically don’t report earnings back to Cartera until the purchase has shipped, is picked up, or is completed. With some merchants, earnings may be split if items are shipped at different times.
- Information found under “Recent transactions” and “Recent store visits” should not be used to determine whether an activity has been correctly tracked or will post
- Days to Post information is available on some merchant pages (often is not reflective of actual time to post)
- Bonus miles via AAdvantage eShopping: bonus miles from promotions can take up to 10 weeks to post
- Hotels via AAdvantage eShopping: If you booked a hotel through AAdvantage eShopping, the booking date will be the transaction date.
- AAdvantage Dining: you will receive an e-mail within a day or two
- AA co-branded Cards: points earned through American Airlines co-branded credit cards are posted after the statement closes each month. Purchases that are made on or before February 28/29 will count for that program year. It may take up to 6 weeks for split billing points to post. Ensure that your AAdvantage # is added to your account
- AA Vacations: miles will post within 2 weeks after travel is complete. A mileage credit may appear in your account after travel for 0 miles but this is not the final amount.
Examples:
- If you book a hotel stay through AAdvantage Hotels for the future, the activity date will be the check-in date
- If your flight took place on February 28 and it doesn’t post until March 5, it counts towards the previous program year
- If you place a Blue Apron order on January 10 but it isn’t delivered until January 25, it will post with the January 10 date
- If you book a Viator activity on February 10, and the activity is in July, it will post with the February 10 date (after the completion of the activity)
The AAdvantage status earning program year starts March 1 and ends on the last day of February.
Take the total number of earned AAdvantage Miles (base miles only) and divide by the total cost for all nights (e.g. 10,000/$350 = 28.5x).
Average = 30x
Good = 40x
Great = 50x
On the last step of booking, you will see a summary of earnings. Click on Reward Details.
If you are paying with a co-branded credit card earning 1 miles/dollar, this reservation would separately earn ~414 miles (and Loyalty Points).
With the exception of promo/boost miles, all miles count as Loyalty Points. The base miles earn miles & loyalty points, while bonus miles earn miles only.
The charge will appear on your statement as RTI*AADVANTAGEHOTELS*HotelName.
There are many posts with folios in the Loyalty Point Hunters Facebook Group.
When booking through AAdvantage Hotels (or other 3rd party such as Expedia), you will generally not receive points or nights from your hotel program. You should assume that you will not be earning elite points or nights.
You can try to add your hotel program to your reservation at check-in or by calling the property before arrival. Some users have reported earning points for incidentals, receiving basic welcome benefits, or earning nights (World of Hyatt members will receive benefits and earn points, for example).
It is ultimately the hotel property that will decide if you can use any part of your status benefits with a 3rd party booking.
This does not apply to bookings made through AAdvantage eShopping.
If you booked on AAdvantage Hotels with a property that has a resort fee at check-in, you don’t get charged if you don’t check-in. These fees aren’t charged if your reservation is canceled. Some users have reported using virtual cards to prevent unwanted card charges.
You do not have to stay or check in at a hotel property for pre-paid bookings through AAdvantage Hotels to receive points.