AAdvantage change

Starting on Aug. 1, American Airlines’ AAdvantage members will earn frequent-flyer miles based on the fare amount as opposed to the distance traveled. For each $1 spent, standard AAdvantage members each will earn five miles, while Gold, Platinum and Executive-Platinum members will earn seven, eight or eleven miles, respectively.

In making this change, American Airlines joins the other major US carriers, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, both of which switched their mileage programs from being distance-based to being fare-based in 2015. 

Most low-cost airlines in the US, such as JetBlue and Southwest Airlines, have used fare-based frequent-flyer-miles programs for some time.