American Airlines has announced that it will be raising prices for Admiral Club memberships. Admirals Club household memberships will be discontinued. On top of that, there’s also new restrictions. The notification is stated on their site, and also lists the new prices for those who purchase a membership.
Admirals Club Membership Price Increase
Starting February 1, 2019, individual membership fees will increase and household membership discounts will be discontinued. Individual membership fees will increase by $100 USD; rates in miles will decrease. Here’s the new prices for those paying cash for memberships:
- Regular: $550 to $650
- Gold: $525 to $625
- Platinum: $500 to $600
- Platinum Pro: $475 to $575
- Executive Platinum: $450 to $550
- Concierge Key: free
Renewals will cost $50 less. Members can renew up to 120 days before expiration.
One positive change is that memberships will now cost less if you;re paying with miles. But that just makes a bad deal a bit better. With the new prices you’ll get a value of one cent per mile, if you buy your membership with miles. Here’s the new prices:
- Regular: 85,000 miles to 65,000 miles
- Gold: 75,000 miles to 62,500 miles
- Platinum: 70,000 miles to 60,000 miles
- Platinum Pro: 65,000 miles to 57,500 miles
- Executive Platinum: 60,000 miles to 55,000 miles
- Concierge Key: free
Renewals will cost 5,000 miles less.
New Admirals Club Restrictions
Starting November 1, 2019, same-day boarding passes on American Airlines or partner airlines will be required for entry.
That’s a huge change from current rules where Admirals Club members can access Admirals Clubs regardless of what airline they’re flying with.
Guru’s Wrap-Up
Paying these huge prices for Admiral Club membership doesn’t make sense. You can pay less for the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard, which has a $450 annual fee and comes with 75,000 bonus miles. With that card you get Admiral’s Club membership including access for authorized users at no additional charge. And you can add up to 10 authorized users for free. A much better deal.
