A month before American Airlines is set to join the likes of rivals United and Delta by rewarding AAdvantage loyalty members with miles based on how much they pay for their ticket, the carrier made additional changes to the way passengers rack up miles when flying with partner airlines. 

Skift reports that American slashed many of the earning rates that passengers enjoyed when flying with the carrier’s partner airlines like British Airways and Qantas.

American announced in June that it would officially switch the loyalty program on August 1, at which time travelers in the AAdvantage frequent-flier program will earn at least five miles per dollar spent, with more miles doled out for higher status.

The company said at the time that award miles for travel on most flights marketed by partner airlines will be based on a percentage of the flight distance and the booking code purchased.

An analysis by The Points Guy found that with the upcoming revamp passengers flying with about 180 partner airlines will see their mileage accrual rate slashed 10% to 100%.

Airlines most affected by the change include certain fare classes for Air Berlin, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Jet Airways, LAN Airlines, Royal Jordanian, TAM Airlines, and WestJet.

Conversely, certain fare tier passengers traveling with about 20 carrier partners — including Finnair, Fiji Airways, and Hawaiian Airlines — will actually earn more miles through the new system.

The mileage earning changes apply to any flight that occurs after August 1, even if the flight was booked before that date.

By shifting the focus toward money spent, rather than distance traveled, American and other carriers are rewarding travelers who spend the most money, not just those who travel the farthest. Unfortunately, that change means that frequent-flying bargain-hunters will now have to choose between saving money on airfares or reaping higher rewards.

American Airlines Slashes Partner Mileage Benefits [Skift]
American Airlines Makes Drastic Change to Mileage Earning Rates on Partners [The Points Guy]

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