Athens, Greece is one of my summer travel destinations and my last chance to use American Airlines mileage awards before they disappear.
Last year, I wrote about how I achieved my first airline elite status, American Airlines Platinum status, and how I hacked my way up to Platinum Pro status this year.
American Airlines recently updated how mileage upgrades work making it more costly to upgrade and removed the mileage upgrade awards, which were the top benefit of Platinum Pro status for me and many others. Mileage upgrade awards allowed customers to upgrade from economy to business on international routes for $350 plus 25,000 miles based on availability and prioritized by status level. Often, these upgrades were 24 hours before travel or at the last minute.
This is a similar trend among airlines currently. United Airlines announced a similar change recently, according to The Points Guy. While everyone has different goals and methods to achieve airline status, here are a few things to consider with the new American Airlines changes.
How the new American Airlines Instant Upgrades Work
One of the main benefits of having elite status on American Airlines was the ability to upgrade to business class on long-haul flights, which is now more expensive due to the new upgrade policy.
After booking a flight, you can request upgrades on the website or app to pay in cash or with miles. No cash copayment is required if booking with miles.
While this might seem like a perk to upgrade early, the upgrade options aren’t always a good deal. In early August, I’m flying from Charlotte, NC to Athens, Greece with a layover in Philly for a work trip. (I added the layover on purpose to check out the new American Airlines Admirals Club and to also go back to the Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge, which is one of the best lounges I’ve ever visited.)
The total cost of the one-way flight was $827, which includes $250 in taxes roughly. When I booked this flight, I called and put myself on the waitlist for a mileage upgrade. Somehow this was removed when the changes happened. I had to call again to put myself back on the list so now it doesn’t show me the instant upgrade options online anymore.
Before I put myself back on the list, it gave me the following options for an instant upgrade:
Upgrade the Charlotte to Philly flight (1.75 hours) for $131 or roughly 29,000 miles.
For the international leg from Philly to Athens, Greece (9.5 hours), it offered an upgrade to business class for 411,000 miles and $3,110, which is a terrible deal compared to the mileage award. The full price for business class for this flight is $5,943 or 320,500 miles plus a $5.60 fee. This means it’s cheaper to buy a business class ticket flat out with miles than it is to upgrade with miles!
Once I put my name back on the mileage upgrade waitlist, the instant upgrade option disappeared. The option to use mileage upgrades ends on August 12, 2025.
Does the new instant upgrade option affect complimentary upgrades on domestic flights?
One of the benefits of having status with American Airlines is complimentary upgrades on domestic flights, which are also awarded up to 72 hours before a flight. In my experience, it happens the day of the flight. These will not be affected by the change.
Are Systemwide Upgrades Affected by American Airlines Instant Upgrades?
No, systemwide upgrades are not affected. Systemwide upgrades are one of the Loyalty Point Reward choices for people who reach 175,000 loyalty points or higher within a qualification period. This allows you to upgrade to the next class of service on a flight you’ve already booked.
How do you know if a mileage upgrade is a good deal?
The Points Guy publishes monthly validations about what points are worth for major airlines, credit cards and hotels. In the June 2025 post, American Airlines miles as worth 1.5 cents per mile, which makes the 411,000-mile offer for my Philly to Athens flight a terrible deal. It would equal $6,165, which is higher than the cost of buying the flight full price. This is helpful for judging whether it’s a good deal. Ultimately, it’s a personal decision based on your goals, comfort level and finances. It’s also likely the upgrade offers will change frequently based on demand, etc. I have no way to verify that since I don’t have access to those options anymore for my flight.
The Cathay Pacific lounge in London Heathrow has a noodle bar and is the best oneworld lounge in the airport. It is accessible to American Airlines Platinum and higher status members traveling on oneworld airlines.
Is American Airlines Elite Status still worth the effort?
With the removal of mileage upgrades, I don’t think American Airlines Platinum Pro status is worth the effort while Platinum is still worth it for me. It comes down to your priorities. Let’s dig into this below.
Benefits of American Airlines Platinum Status
Main Cabin Extra: After booking, you have access to extra-leg room seats (these are up to a $100 value).
60% Status Mileage Bonus: For every dollar spent on flights, you earn a 60% bonus on flights that helps you earn status faster.
Two Free Checked Bags + Priority Handling.
Priority Lanes for Check-in Security and Boarding: This is huge for me because it means I don’t have to check my carry-on bags.
Oneworld Sapphire Status: This gives you lounge access when flying oneworld airlines.
Currently, the only added benefit of Platinum Pro is that you are Oneworld Emerald, which gets you one boarding group higher and access to slightly fancier lounges. In addition, you get an 80 percent mile bonus on every dollar spent on flights and three free checked bags with priority handling. If you can reach the 175,000-point mark, then a systemwide upgrade is one of the reward options available.
Even though I travel six to eight months a year, I don’t see the value of keeping Platinum Pro status. It took some creativity for me to earn this status this year, which I shared with pie charts in my previous post. And, I was still nowhere near 175,000-point mark. (It takes 125,000 to hit Platinum Pro and I peaked at 130,000.) As of now, Platinum status is the most valuable for the free Main Cabin Extra seats, priority boarding and lounge access.
If you are flying business class regularly with paid fares or have extremely high spending on credit cards, then it would be much easier to reach this status. For me or even the average person, I don’t see how this is possible. While American Airlines spins the changes to act like they are in your favor, it’s mainly a benefit for them based on what I see currently.
