American Airlines is out with its renewals and new invitations for ConciergeKey status, which 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. They are also out with two options for customers who didn’t make it to get back into the secret club.
I held this 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 about ConciergeKey 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.
Last year, American Airlines offered many of their ConciergeKey members whose status wasn’t being extended the opportunity to buy back that status for $10,000 or 1 million miles. Some members were offered $5,000 or 500,000 miles.
Last month, the airline started sending some customers targeted ‘Instant Status Pass’ offers to earn ConciergeKey: trial status for four months, and earn at least 250,000 loyalty points in each of three consecutive four-month periods to keep it through March 2027 – at no charge.
For those ConciergeKey members on the bubble who didn’t make it back into this coveted status for the 2025-2026 member year, they’re being offered a choice of either the buy back or the challenge. The offer comes with a personal phone call.
The challenge is the much better deal for most. It’s a four month status extension for free, whether they try to extend the status or not. And it’s a guarantee of earning ConciergeKey status for 750,000 total loyalty points in a year. You may or may not earn it with that much activity otherwise.
- The uncertainty of what it takes to earn ConciergeKey is a real disincentive to try to earn it.
- I’d actually shoot for a million loyalty points if I knew it would earn ConciergeKey status. I had the status briefly, and it made flying American Airlines a totally different experience.
- I’d even say it’s worth paying $5,000 for outright if you’re using the status regularly. $10,000 seems like a real stretch.
I easily earned over 415,000 loyalty points last year and made a concerted effort to stop since it would have taken some effort to reach the next loyalty point reward level of 550,000. But I would only need to do an incremental couple hundred thousand points – spread out in equal chunks across each third of the coming year – to meet this challenge. (Sadly it was not offered to me.)
I would prepay bills; pay property taxes, income taxes, rent or mortgage by credit card; take advantage of every trial offer in their shopping portal; buy and liquidate gift cards; booking all hotels and even some no show stays through AAdvantage hotels; reimburse work meals only at AAdvantage dining restaurants.
The hoops are worth it. I actually miss the calls and texts from premium services as I set out for the airport, being met at gates and thanked for my business, and the proactive monitoring of my flights with someone meeting me when I’d land with a tight connection either to help me make it or with a new boarding pass and escort to the Flagship business class lounge.
United’s Global Services has declined. Delta 360 members report being unimpressed, even compared to standard SkyMiles Diamond status. While there will always be some ConciergeKey members who complain that they don’t get recognized the way that they used to, I find that this status is one thing that American Airlines really gets right.
“ corporate travel influencers”
I can’t even begin to know where to start.
@Ray
Not the Tik Tok folks- rather the Chief Procurement Officers or corporate execs that can steer travel policy to AA.
You’d really need to be fanatical to burn $10K on this. I suppose someone may try to ‘business expense’ that, but even if you can ‘justify’ it, please just give an employee a raise instead. Sheesh.
@1990
If your job or your business is to get to a job site or location ASAP, being able to bump someone off a full flight if yours is delayed could be very valuable to you. Depending on how many times you fly, how often delays happen, and how much money is lost or you miss out on because of a delay, it could be worth it.
For most people, it wouldn’t pay for itself directly, but we pay for better experiences all the time. Having a smoother travel experience, quicker fixes, and more time for other things in your life every time you fly is valuable to a lot of people.
how about making flying for us peons simply a humane experience instead of making us feel like cattle.
@Anonymous Traveler — I suppose so, but even ConciergeKey is no ‘guarantee’ that you’ll be able to ‘bump someone off a full flight if yours is delayed’–besides, that’s kinda cruel, isn’t it?
Like, how much better can it really be from Executive Platinum? I was EP for years, and am now a mere Platinum Pro, which is nice to have OneWorld Emerald at least for partner airlines.
Over the years, I had plenty of delays and cancellations with AA and OW partners; the status helped, but when things get bad, it doesn’t make it much better–just slightly better.
My thought is: Don’t chase status. Let it come for you. I wouldn’t pay for to keep it. I’d earn it, and if not, so be it. Buy the seat you want, and know that even then, there are no guarantees.
The same issue exist for all these “secret” levels.
Based on what I’ve read, my spend with United was within the ballpark of what it takes to get Global Services, but I didn’t get it. If I’d known concrete steps to get it, I’d have probably made different choices in my Q3 and Q4 flying such as flying UA metal instead of partner metal, since I requalified for 1K in June. But without such a target, I just earned miles, earned points, and enjoyed my 1K benefits.
In my case, I’m fairly certain that UA left money on the table that they could have made if they’d shared their goalposts.
I’d pay $10,000 right now just to skip group 1 boarding.
Hook it up, AA!
Something strange is going on with Concierge Key. I had 700,000 loyalty points last year and got the email that it was ending for me if I don’t do the options you mentioned.
But a coworker of mine who did not even have enough points to make EP and had to pay to get to EP just found out yesterday he is now concierge key. Literally makes no sense.
Agree the personal attention is nice with CK, but not worth money. You are still in the same crummy first class seat dealing with the same delays.
Don’t worry about missing that proactive contact about tight flights and suck. ALL current ck members are missing it. Have been for about a year.
The biggest turn off about this is their promise to bump somebody who didn’t cough up enough money by buying a ticket.
“I would prepay bills; pay property taxes, income taxes, rent or mortgage by credit card”
What service are you using that allows you to pay your mortgage with a credit card?
I admire AA – they’ll do anything for a buck.
Being able to purchase the right to bump someone else out of their seat. Says a lot (none of it good) about people.
AA and United are starting to reach the limits of what people are willing to pay for this kind status and benefits. When the economy turns they will be laying off people and begging for people to come back again. So predictable.
The best thing about ConciergeKey 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.
There are some things in life best left unsaid….
‘We’ll Get You There No Matter What.’ Does that mean American Airlines elite AAdvantage passengers will now be traveling by Greyhound bus?”`
Can you get the plane filed up? We waited 3 hours for a fuel truck in Miami. What kind of service are we talking about?