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American Airlines Admirals Club access: How you can get into the airport lounge

June 27, 2024
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9 min read
American Admirals Club DCA Reagan National
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The American Airlines Admirals Club is a place to relax and recharge before a flight on American Airlines or its partners.

Inside the lounge, you can expect complimentary refreshments, free Wi-Fi and a place to sit away from the hustle and bustle of the airport terminal. You'll find Admirals Clubs in nearly 50 airports worldwide, including major American hubs like Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), as well as outposts in nonhub airports like Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) and London's Heathrow Airport (LHR), among others.

There are a handful of ways to access the Admirals Club before your next flight — let's take a closer look at your options.

Access Admirals Club on same-day flights

MATT MOFFITT/THE POINTS GUY

Regardless of how you gain access to the Admirals Club — through a membership, class of service or AAdvantage status — know that you must present a same-day boarding pass on American, a Oneworld partner airline or a flight marketed by Aer Lingus and operated by American.

This means that if you're an Admirals Club member traveling on United Airlines, you won't be able to access the Admirals Club.

Lifetime Admirals Club members are exempt from the same-day flight requirement and any airline restrictions for entry into the clubs.

Related: Oneworld alliance guide: Learn about airlines, lounges and elite status

Access Admirals Club with credit cards

Arguably, the best way to access the Admirals Club is by opening the Citi? / AAdvantage? Executive World Elite Mastercard? (see rates and fees), which comes with a welcome bonus of 70,000 AAdvantage miles after you spend $7,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening. Cardholders also receive a complimentary membership to the Admirals Club, which largely offsets the $595 annual fee. With this membership, you get access for up to two guests or immediate family members traveling with you (with a same-day boarding pass for an eligible flight).

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The real hidden gem of this card comes from its generous authorized user policy. You can add up to three authorized users to your account for $175, then additional authorized users for $175 each. Authorized users get Admirals Club access when they hold a same-day ticket on American or its partners.

Because of this, some may even consider splitting the annual fee with several authorized users to bring down everyone's lounge costs.

Just be aware that authorized users do not get a full membership, but rather just access. This is critical because their privileges only extend to Admirals Club locations, not partner lounges. Nevertheless, it's still a valuable way for you to make the travel experience easier and less stressful for your friends and family members who travel on American or partner flights.

Related: Best credit cards for American Airlines flyers

Access Admirals Club with a paid membership

ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

If opening a credit card is not appealing, you can always purchase a membership. Here's how much you should expect to spend:

Type of membershipAnnual price (individual membership)
Annual price (household membership — membership for you and your spouse or domestic partner)
AAdvantage member$850 ($800 to renew)$1,650 ($1,600 to renew)
Gold$825 ($775 to renew)$1,625 ($1,575 to renew)
Platinum$800 ($750 to renew)$1,600 ($1,550 to renew)
Platinum Pro$775 ($725 to renew)$1,575 ($1,525 to renew)
Executive Platinum$750 ($700 to renew)$1,550 ($1,500 to renew)
Concierge KeyFree

You can also use miles to purchase an Admirals Club membership at 1 cent apiece. Per TPG's June 2024 valuations, American miles are worth 1.7 cents, so we generally don't recommend redeeming American miles this way.

Type of membershipAnnual price (individual membership, in miles)
Annual price (household membership — membership for you and your spouse or domestic partner, in miles)
AAdvantage member85,000 (80,000 to renew)165,000 (160,000 to renew)
Gold82,500 (77,500 to renew)162,500 (157,500 to renew)
Platinum80,000 (75,000 to renew)160,000 (155,000 to renew)
Platinum Pro77,500 (72,500 to renew)157,500 (152,500 to renew)
Executive Platinum75,000 (70,000 to renew)155,000 (150,000 to renew)
Concierge KeyFree

Related: Best credit cards for airport lounge access

Admirals Club one-day pass

CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

You can use one-day passes at some Admirals Club locations. These are available for purchase for $79 or 7,900 AAdvantage miles. During peak hours, however, be prepared to be turned away with a one-day pass.

Related: Lounge day passes: 3 times it may be worth it, 4 times it's not

Access Admirals Club with elite status

BEN SMITHSON/THE POINTS GUY

Elite status access rules are nearly identical for the Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge, so if you have a choice, go to the Flagship Lounge.

American AAdvantage and Alaska Mileage Plan elites

If you hold Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status through American AAdvantage (via Platinum, Platinum Pro or Executive Platinum status) or the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan (via MVP Gold, 75K or 100K status), you and a guest can access Admirals Clubs or Flagship Lounges on qualifying international itineraries operated by American or a Oneworld partner, even in economy class.

Other Oneworld elite members

If you are a Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald member with a program other than AAdvantage or Mileage Plan, you and a guest can access an Admirals Club or Flagship Lounge when traveling on American or another Oneworld carrier.

Related: What it is like flying American Airlines with British Airways elite status

Loyalty Point Choice Rewards

COOPER NEILL/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The following Loyalty Point Rewards are available in 2024 to help you get into an Admirals Club. When you reach the following point thresholds, you can choose a reward. Here are the rewards specific to Admirals Club access:

  • 175,000 Loyalty Points: Six one-day passes.
  • 250,000 Loyalty Points: Six one-day passes or an Admirals Club membership (remember, when you achieve this tier, you can select from two Loyalty Point Choice Rewards, but the Admirals Club membership requires both of your selections).
  • 400,000 Loyalty Points: An Admirals Club membership (requires two choices).
  • 550,000 Loyalty Points: An Admirals Club membership (requires two choices).

Access Admirals Club with certain fare class

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

While standard domestic first-class tickets won't get you access to Admirals Clubs, the following types of tickets will:

  • Business- and first-class tickets on international American- or Oneworld-operated flights.
  • Domestic Flagship-ticketed flights. This includes Flagship nonstop flights between: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), John Wayne Airport (SNA) or San Francisco International Airport (SFO); Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and LAX; Miami International Airport (MIA) and LAX.

Again, if you're flying through JFK, LAX, MIA, DFW or ORD, you should seek out a Flagship Lounge. Still, Admirals Club access can be a benefit for premium transcontinental passengers originating in Boston or San Francisco.

You won't be able to bring in a guest if you're getting lounge access this way unless you're flying in international first class, in which case you're allowed one guest so long as they're on the same flight.

Military access to American's Admirals Club

With a valid military ID and same-day American Airlines boarding pass, U.S. military personnel traveling in uniform can access the Admirals Club and most partner club locations. You can bring in your immediate family or up to two guests.

However, uniformed U.S. military personnel can't access these two partner lounges:

  • Aspire Lounge in San Diego International Airport (SAN)
  • JAL Sakura Lounge in Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)

Related: The best travel perks and discounts for members of the military

Bottom line

There are numerous ways to access American's Admirals Clubs. While the creature comforts of American's Admirals Clubs vary significantly, these lounges are still better than sitting in a crowded terminal and spending more than $5 on a bottle of water.

Ensure you're well-versed in the ins and outs of accessing the Flagship Lounge. After all, if you have access to the Flagship Lounge, you wouldn't want to visit the Admirals Club mistakenly.

If you're like most TPG staffers who value an Admirals Club membership, an American Airlines cobranded credit card that provides membership for you and access for your guests may be the way to go.

Featured image by ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.