American Changes Elite Status Pathway for Co-Branded Credit Card Holders
Skift Take
A partner benefit that allowed many of American's frequent flyers to earn status through co-branded credit card spending is vanishing next year.
Earning elite status through a co-branded credit card is about to become harder for AAdvantage loyalty program members. Last week, American slashed a key benefit on its Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard that allowed passengers to earn credit towards elite status after annually spending enough on the card.
American's move come just weeks after news that United is making it more expensive to reach the top tier of its MileagePlus loyalty program.
Access into the walled garden of airline elite status is clearly getting tougher. Between American closing loopholes with its partners and United flat-out increasing the price of entry, legacy carriers seem to be telling customers that only the heaviest spending passengers will earn the best treatment.
That may make sense for now, considering how su
