American Airlines Demands $10,000 Or 1 Million Miles To Renew Status: ConciergeKey Members In Shock - View from the Wing (2024)

by Gary Leff

A month ago American Airlines rolled out status renewals for ConciergeKey members.

ConciergeKey is the status that American Airlines gives to its top spending customers and top corporate travel influencers. It’s the status that George Clooney had in Up In The Air. I had the status briefly and the best thing about it wasn’t:

  • top priority for upgrades
  • being met with golf carts and driven to American’s international business class lounges on domestic flights
  • being driven across the tarmac if you had an especially tight connection.

The best thing was getting confirmed on sold out flights when a flight is severely delayed or cancelled – American being willing to bump another passenger to get you where you’re going.

American Airlines Demands $10,000 Or 1 Million Miles To Renew Status: ConciergeKey Members In Shock - View from the Wing (1)

Those who were on the bubble for ConciergeKey renewal got a one-month extension so that their status would last through the end of May, and were told they’d receive a special offer to keep the status. Now they are being contacted with those offers.

  • I assumed it would be a ‘challenge’ of earning a certain number of loyalty points in the next three months, similar to what American has done before with a targeted set of members.
  • But it turns out to be a straight “buy back” offer. American normally extends buy backs at the end of a status year for elites, and these are usually obscenely priced, but they generate tens of millions of dollars across the membership. Buying back Executive Platinum for instance might cost around $2,000 and members can generally spend miles if they prefer at around 1 cent apiece to cover the price.

As with other buy backs the price for ConciergeKey is variable. Most customers are being told that the price is $10,000 or 1 million miles. However there are also reports of members being told they can spend $5,000 or 500,000 miles to have their status back for a year (or, really, for 11 months as they’ve already gotten an extension).

American Airlines Demands $10,000 Or 1 Million Miles To Renew Status: ConciergeKey Members In Shock - View from the Wing (2)

Compared to the buyback prices for other status levels, $5,000 makes a certain amount of sense. But these are customers who at least in the past have spent around $60,000 or more on tickets. This is a status level without published criteria, by invitation only, for the airline’s commercially most important people – and putting a price on it cheapens the experience both for those asked to pay and for those who haven’t, at least based on reactions by ConciergeKey customers on social media.

While I’ve never been keen to recommend buy backs at the price asked, which just seems too high for standard AAdvantage benefits, and also because if you haven’t earned the benefits it’s likely that you aren’t traveling enough to make paying for them worth it, I also think that ConciergeKey is different. You may be traveling a great deal just not on pricey enough tickets to be renewed.

I’m not sure what price it is worth, but I have to think I’d pay ‘a couple hundred per roundtrip’ and so if I’m flying American Airlines weekly then $5,000 may feel high but isn’t crazy. I haven’t been flying American as much – in the past couple months I’ve flown Delta, United, Southwest and more. But if I were ConciergeKey again I would go out of my way to stick with American. $10,000 cash to keep a status that I was probably close t being renewed for anyway? That does feel egregious, and first being denied renewal and then asked to fork over ten grand just adding insult to injury.

More From View from the Wing

American Airlines Demands $10,000 Or 1 Million Miles To Renew Status: ConciergeKey Members In Shock - View from the Wing (2024)

FAQs

American Airlines Demands $10,000 Or 1 Million Miles To Renew Status: ConciergeKey Members In Shock - View from the Wing? ›

American Airlines Demands $10,000 Or 1 Million Miles To Renew Status: ConciergeKey Members In Shock. A month ago American Airlines rolled out status renewals for ConciergeKey members. ConciergeKey is the status that American Airlines gives to its top spending customers and top corporate travel influencers.

How to get concierge key 2024 American Airlines? ›

If you're trying to attain ConciergeKey as a regular traveler, you're likely looking at spending north of $50,000 and flying more than 200,000 miles annually. The more premium cabin travel you book and the more you fly true American Airlines metal, the better shot you have.

How much do you need to spend to get a concierge key? ›

American Airlines Concierge Key elite status

American Airlines' Concierge Key is an elite status program for top-tier customers who spend at least $50,000 a year and fly over 200,000 miles (though these aren't hard-and-fast requirements).

Can you lose concierge key status? ›

There's no published criteria to earn it, and it has to be renewed every year, so you can earn it one year and lose it the next. Going back several years, Concierge Key was completely separate from the AAdvantage program, but that's no longer the case.

What happens when you reach a million miles on American Airlines? ›

American Airlines

After flying one million miles, you earn lifetime AAdvantage Gold status and 35,000 bonus miles. After two million miles, you earn AAdvantage Platinum status and four one-way upgrades, plus four more for each additional million miles you earn.

What does it mean to be concierge key? ›

ConciergeKey is the unpublished highest level of elite status with American, and it's only offered to big spenders.

Can concierge key use Flagship Lounge? ›

Customers who are eligible to access the Flagship® Lounge as a result of their ConciergeKey status are permitted to bring their immediate family (spouse, domestic partner and/or children under eighteen (18) or up to two (2) guests. All other qualifying customers are not permitted to bring guests.

What is the highest AA status? ›

There are four American Airlines status levels: Gold (40,000 loyalty points), Platinum (75,000 loyalty points), Platinum Pro (125,000 loyalty points) and Executive Platinum (200,000).

How many AA Executive Platinum members are there? ›

There are 50,000 – 60,000 Executive Platinum top tier American AAdvantage members.

Why do concierge wear crossed keys? ›

The greatest differentiator in the world of luxury travel is a Les Clefs d'Or concierge. There's a reason why only a select number of concierges earn the right to wear the world-famous “crossed keys,” and that's because we're recognized as the very best at delivering outstanding service.

What is Golden Keys concierge? ›

Les Clefs d'Or (translated as The Golden Keys) is a professional association of hotel concierges, with approximately 4000 members working in over 80 countries and 530 destinations, in literally every corner of the world.

Can you lose your Hilton status? ›

Hilton Honors Membership Tiers. Members can earn and maintain Elite tier status based on stays, nights, or Base Points earned in any calendar year. A "calendar year" is understood to mean January 1st through - December 31st of each year. Members must re-qualify for Elite status each calendar year.

How can I talk to a real person at American Airlines? ›

If you have questions or want to make special travel arrangements, you can make them online or call 800-433-7300. For hearing or speech impaired assistance dial 711 to be connected through the National Relay Service.

What happens if you fly 1 million miles? ›

Upon earning one million (1,000,000) Million Miler™ miles, AAdvantage® members will be vested with AAdvantage Gold® status for the lifetime of the AAdvantage Gold® program and 35,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles. AAdvantage® bonus miles do not count toward qualifying for AAdvantage® status or the Million Miler™ program.

Can you inherit American Airlines miles? ›

American Airlines AAdvantage policy after a person dies

Here's what American Airlines specifically states: "Unless otherwise permitted by American Airlines, upon the death of an AAdvantage® member, such AAdvantage® member's account will be terminated and their AAdvantage® miles and Loyalty Points forfeited.

How much is $10,000 bonus miles worth American Airlines? ›

Adam McCann, Financial Writer. American Airlines miles are worth about 1.43 cents each, on average, which means 10,000 American Airlines miles have a value of around $143, according to WalletHub's American Airlines miles calculator.

How to get AA Executive Platinum? ›

To earn American Airlines Executive Platinum, an AAdvantage member must earn 200,000 Loyalty Points in a status qualification year. That qualification period runs from March 1 to the end of February of the following year. This is a simplification from the previous elite status earning system.

How to get free business class upgrade at airport? ›

How To Upgrade To Business Class For Free
  1. Get With the Program. If you are a regular traveller and you fly a lot, it's worth sticking to one airline and joining their frequent flyer program. ...
  2. Get A Branded Credit Card. ...
  3. Know Your Aircraft. ...
  4. Arrive Early. ...
  5. Volunteer To Sit This One Out. ...
  6. Ask For It. ...
  7. Fly Midweek or Redeye. ...
  8. Go Solo.

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