American Airlines' loyalty program, AAdvantage, has four tiers of elite status. The first level is known as AAdvantage Gold, and even though it's the airline's entry-level elite status, it has some valuable perks.

AAdvantage Gold status gives you one free checked bag, unlimited requested complimentary upgrades for you and a companion, priority boarding, choosing your preferred seats at booking with no upcharge, and more.

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So, how do you earn AAdvantage Gold status? There are several ways you can do it.

You earn AAdvantage status with Loyalty Points

A couple of years ago, American Airlines completed an overhaul of its AAdvantage loyalty program. Now, status is earned with a single type of point called Loyalty Points, which are earned in several different ways (including by flying). We'll discuss the various ways to earn loyalty points in a bit. But for the time being, know that you need 40,000 Loyalty Points in an earning year (March 1 to Feb. 28).

Not to make it more confusing, but you technically earn miles and Loyalty Points. Miles are what you can redeem for free travel; Loyalty Points allow you to earn elite status. In most cases, you'll earn the same number of both. But it's possible to get one without the other in some situations, particularly if you're using credit cards. For example, a credit card sign-up bonus earns miles, but not Loyalty Points.

Earning Loyalty Points by flying

The most obvious way to earn AAdvantage Loyalty Points is by flying on American Airlines. And the number of Loyalty Points depends on how much you spend, not how many miles you fly. General (non-status) AAdvantage members earn 5 miles per $1, while those who already have elite status earn at higher rates:

• No elite status: 5 miles per $1

• AAdvantage Gold: 7 miles per $1

• AAdvantage Platinum: 8 miles per $1

• AAdvantage Platinum Pro: 9 miles per $1

• Executive Platinum: 11 miles per $1

For example, if you don't have AAdvantage Status and spend $500 on a flight, you'd earn 2,500 Loyalty Points.

Earning Loyalty Points for credit card spending

For every base mile you earn on an American Airlines cobranded travel credit card, you'll get one Loyalty Point. There are several travel credit cards that are issued by Citi and Barclays that qualify. You won't earn Loyalty Points on bonus category mileage multipliers, but this is still a very generous earnings program compared with other airlines' co-branded credit cards.

Other ways to earn Loyalty Points

Here are some other ways to earn Loyalty Points (not an exhaustive list):

• Flying on American Airlines' partner airlines (including British Airways and Qatar Airways).

• Choosing to earn miles instead of points with hotel partners such as Marriott and IHG.

• Loyalty Point bonus rewards you can choose after reaching certain thresholds during the year.

• Enrolling in the AAdvantage Dining program and dining at participating restaurants.

• Using the AAdvantage eShopping online shopping portal, which can earn several Loyalty Points for every dollar you spend with partner merchants.

So, how much do you need to fly to earn AAdvantage Gold status?

One key takeaway is that you actually don't need to fly at all to earn AAdvantage Gold status. For example, you can simply spend $40,000 on a co-branded credit card and achieve the status level (although most of the status benefits are only useful when flying, so this might not be a smart plan).

The bottom line is that you can earn AAdvantage Gold status through a combination of moves, and this can make it significantly easier to earn than other airlines' elite status. For example, if you're a new AAdvantage member, you could earn Gold status by spending $5,000 on flights (25,000 Loyalty Points), $10,000 on a co-branded credit card, and earning another 5,000 Loyalty Points through the AAdvantage E-Shopping portal. There are many combinations you can use to get there, and over the course of a year, earning Gold status can be easier than you think.

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How Much Do You Need to Fly to Earn American Airlines AAdvantage Gold Status? was originally published by The Motley Fool