Last December, when American Airlines AAdvantage published some details about changes to the 2025 program structure, they touted a new “personalized, collectable luggage tag” for elite members, which has now been unveiled.
What now came out is an underwhelming, rather ridiculous piece of plastic that has very little to do with a collectible and doesn’t feature any status moniker either, yet only members with 15,000+ loyalty points will be able to pick them.
I think there were some expectations that these luggage tags would be similar to what the airline offered in the past (or currently for Platinum Pro / Executive Platinum) or even something special just like those tags that Delta revealed earlier this month.
But what American rolled out now is a pitiful excuse for a luggage tag rather than an ” exclusive collectible” for elite members.
This was first announced in December (see American’s site here) and John also covered it:
American Airlines Million Miler Program Now With Platinum Pro & EXP
The key section was this passage of the announcement for members who accumulate 15,000 Loyalty Points and are then eligible to pick certain elite benefits/items:
Members can choose new rewards in 2025, including:
The option to select a personalized, collectable luggage tag* when the member reaches 15,000 Loyalty Points — even before they reach status! This choice is in addition to several other options members can enjoy, including Preferred Seat coupons, Priority boarding privileges and more.
Doesn’t this sound nice? You’ll be disappointed when you get the actual thing in the mail.
Here are three previous generations of American Airlines baggage tags for Executive Platinum members:
I also have some Gold and Platinum tags somewhere in a box back in Germany from my early days as an AAdvantage member (boy, was I proud of my Gold status 20+ years ago?), but what was really unique is that the tags all looked relatively well and were somewhat sturdy.
What American now rolled out is… embarrassing! Seriously, is this the best they could come up with
This is especially true as American is not giving these out for free. Members are prompted to select this “personalized, collectable tag” when reaching their first threshold of 15,000 AAdvantage Loyalty Points. I honestly don’t see the value here. Maybe picking the Priority AAccess benefit, the preferred seat coupons, or even the 1k bonus loyalty points would be better.
These days, American offers elite baggage tags like the one pictured above (or in an updated design) to Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum members, who will receive ONE tag per mail. If you haven’t received yours yet, contact American to request it.
Back in the day you could also order such baggage tags from a special website provided by points.com and pay for them. The funny thing is that the site still exists and has never been shut off. Only the actual function is no longer available.
While we’re on the matter of baggage tags, Delta recently rolled out their very own elite member credentials and those are really nice:
Delta Air Lines SkyMiles Rolls Out Their New 2025 Elite Baggage Tags – Order Yours Now!
Sadly, American didn’t see the need to be a little bit creative and appreciative here. Not that I’m surprised.
Conclusion
American Airlines AAdvantage previously said that members who earned 15,000 loyalty points will be eligible to order their very own personalized luggage tag, and they even went as far as calling it a “collectible” but the design that was just unveiled is underwhelming to say the least.
The product appears to be of rather cheap quality and very flimsy. There would have been so much potential to offer members something special but American (once again) droppped the ball.
Delta really set the benchmark here.
