Real Rewards by American Eagle & Aerie is the free rewards program shared by American Eagle and Aerie, so one membership earns and spends across both brands. Members earn 10 points per $1, or 15 and 20 points per $1 once they spend $200 and $500 in a year, and every 1,250 points becomes a $5 reward, a return of 4%, 6% or 8%. A Real Rewards credit card is a fourth level that earns 40 points per $1 (16%) at American Eagle and Aerie. Points last as long as the account has a qualifying purchase every 375 days, and rewards expire 60 days after they are issued.
Last checked on 28 October 2026 against the Real Rewards page and the Real Rewards Terms and Conditions (updated 31 July 2026), for the US in US dollars.
This guide is written by Graeme, co-founder of Mage, a loyalty and customer accounts platform for Shopify.
Real Rewards at a glance
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Cost to join | Free, no purchase needed |
| Who can join | Residents of the US (including Puerto Rico) and Canada aged 15 and over; one account per person and per email address; the credit card is US only |
| Brands covered | American Eagle, Aerie and OFFLINE by Aerie, including their factory stores, online, the app and phone orders |
| Points per $1 | 10 at Level 1, 15 at Level 2, 20 at Level 3, 40 with the Real Rewards credit card |
| What a point is worth | $0.004: 1,250 points are a $5 reward (4% back at Level 1, 6% at Level 2, 8% at Level 3, 16% for cardmembers) |
| Levels | Level 1 (free), Level 2 ($200 a year), Level 3 ($500 a year), Credit Cardmember (apply and use the card) |
| Qualification window | Calendar year; status lasts the rest of that year and the next |
| Expiry | Points expire only if there is no qualifying purchase in 375 days; rewards expire 60 days after issue |
| Perks | $5 birthday reward, members-only sales and events, free shipping from $75, $50 or $25 depending on level, free returns at Level 3 and for cardmembers |
How to join Real Rewards
Joining is free and needs a name and an email address that no other Real Rewards account uses, from the Sign Up button on the Real Rewards page. A purchase isn't required. Residents of the US, including Puerto Rico, and Canada can join from the age of 15; members under the age of majority, which is 18 or 19 depending on where they live, need a parent or guardian's permission and take part under their supervision. Each person can hold one account.
New members start at Level 1. Real Rewards replaced the earlier AEO Connected program, and members kept their points. Applying for the Real Rewards credit card enrolls you too if you give an email address on the application, and a cardmember starts at the Credit Cardmember level whatever they have spent.
How you earn points
| Action | Points | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Purchases at Level 1 | 10 per $1 | Qualifying merchandise, after discounts and rewards, before tax, fees and shipping |
| Purchases at Level 2 | 15 per $1 | After spending $200 in a year |
| Purchases at Level 3 | 20 per $1 | After spending $500 in a year |
| Purchases with the Real Rewards credit card at American Eagle and Aerie | 40 per $1 | Credit Cardmember level; the card must be used for the purchase |
| Purchases by a cardmember without the card | 20 per $1 | Still uses the member's loyalty account |
| Real Rewards Visa Signature card purchases outside American Eagle and Aerie | 5 per $1 | Anywhere Visa is accepted |
Points are earned per qualifying dollar, rounded to the nearest dollar, on the amount left after discounts and rewards and before sales tax, state fees and shipping. The same account earns at American Eagle, Aerie and OFFLINE by Aerie stores, their factory stores, online, in the app and on phone orders, and the points go to whichever loyalty account is given at checkout. Gift cards and charitable items don't earn, and purchases at Todd Snyder, Unsubscribed and Tailgate don't earn unless American Eagle Outfitters decides otherwise.
Returns and exchanges for something of lesser value take back the points they earned. If a return comes after a reward has been issued, the points balance goes negative, whether or not the reward was used.
A missing purchase can be claimed within 60 days of the purchase date, using the Missing Points form in the account, in the app or by phone, with the store or online order number, the register number and the date. A new member can also claim purchases from the 7 days before joining. Points from the credit card can take up to 90 days to post.
What Real Rewards points are worth
A $5 reward costs 1,250 points, so a point is worth $0.004, and the Real Rewards page prints the return as a percentage next to each level.
| Level | Points per $1 | Return per $1 | Spend for each $5 reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 10 | 4% | $125 |
| Level 2 | 15 | 6% | $84 |
| Level 3 | 20 | 8% | $63 |
| Credit Cardmember | 40 | 16% | $32 |
The spend figures are rounded up to whole dollars. At the exact rates the 1,250 points arrive at $125, $83.33, $62.50 and $31.25 (our arithmetic).
On $1,000 of spending a year, the Level 1 rate earns $40 in rewards, the Level 3 rate $80 and the credit card $160 (our arithmetic). The step from Level 1 to Level 3 doubles the return, and the card doubles it again.
How rewards are issued and redeemed
Rewards are generated automatically and typically issued at least monthly, with no waiting period after a purchase. A member should receive a reward within 30 days of reaching a threshold, and a cardmember within 15 to 21 days. There is no catalogue to browse and no points to spend: each 1,250 points becomes a dollar-off reward, in $5 steps from $5 (1,250 points) up to $60 (15,000 points), and more than one can be issued at a time.
Rewards arrive by email, text, the account and the app. They work at American Eagle and Aerie stores, factory stores, OFFLINE by Aerie, online, in the app and on phone orders, on regular, marked down and clearance merchandise unless a promotion says otherwise. They can't be used on gift cards, charitable items, third-party products, Todd Snyder or Unsubscribed. If the purchase is worth less than the reward, the difference is lost.
A reward expires at 11:59 PM Eastern on the date printed on it, which is 60 days after it was issued, not after it was received. Only the member can use it: rewards can't be given, transferred or sold, and a store or the website may ask for proof of membership, such as signing in or entering the email address.
Levels and perks
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Credit Cardmember | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How to qualify | Free | Spend $200 a year | Spend $500 a year | Apply for and use the Real Rewards credit card |
| Points per $1 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 40 |
| Free shipping | Orders $75 and over | Orders $50 and over | Orders $25 and over | No minimum, when paying with the card |
| Free returns | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| $5 birthday reward | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Members-only sales, events and offers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bonus perk when you level up | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Instant credit option for returns | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Level 2 and Level 3 are based on net qualifying spending at American Eagle and Aerie locations, so spending on either brand counts. Status benefits typically start within 15 days of the purchase that qualified you. A member keeps a level for the calendar year in which they reached it and the whole of the next calendar year, and the level is reviewed at the end of each year on that year's spending. For example, someone who reaches Level 2 in Year 1 keeps it to 31 December of Year 2, and returns to Level 1 on that date unless they spent $200 or more in Year 2.
Free shipping at Level 3 needs a signed in account and at least $25 of merchandise in the cart before tax and fees, and the benefit covers shipping and returns to the US, Puerto Rico and Canada. Cardmembers get free standard shipping and free returns on purchases with the card on American Eagle and Aerie's websites, in the app and by phone, with no minimum, although purchases through a mobile wallet may not qualify.
The birthday reward is $5 off a single total purchase in the member's birthday month, normally sent by email or text around the first day of the month and also shown in the account and the app. It is one use only.
The Real Rewards credit card
The Real Rewards credit card and the Real Rewards Visa Signature card are for US residents only. A cardmember is placed in the Credit Cardmember level automatically, with benefits normally reserved for members who spend $500 or more and no spending threshold. The card earns 40 points per $1 at American Eagle and Aerie, advertised as 16% back in rewards, and 20 points per $1 (8%) on purchases made without the card. The Visa Signature card also earns 5 points per $1 (2%) anywhere Visa is accepted outside American Eagle and Aerie. The card has no annual fee. Card points are added to the same Real Rewards account, and the card account must be in good standing for purchases to earn. If it is closed, the member stays in Real Rewards under the program terms alone.
The fine print
- Points expire after 375 days with no qualifying purchase. Points don't expire while the account is active, which means at least one qualifying purchase in any rolling 375 days. If none happens, all points expire and the account is deactivated. A purchase at American Eagle or Aerie reactivates it, and so does a Real Rewards Visa Signature purchase outside American Eagle and Aerie, which also counts as a qualifying activity.
- Rewards expire after 60 days. The clock starts when the reward is issued, not when it is received.
- No cash value. Points, credits and rewards have no cash value, and the terms let American Eagle Outfitters change, limit, end or merge the program at any time without notice, including retroactively, and without carrying unused points over.
- Cancelling forfeits everything. Closing a membership forfeits existing and pending points and rewards, as does termination for fraud or abuse. Businesses and anyone buying to resell aren't eligible.
- Some brands are out. Todd Snyder, Unsubscribed and Tailgate purchases earn no points unless American Eagle Outfitters decides otherwise.
What stands out about Real Rewards
The return is the headline, not the points. Real Rewards leads with "Earn 4% back, or more" and prints a percentage under every level, so a member never has to divide 1,250 by 10. The points figures sit underneath for the people who want them.
Free shipping is a tier perk, not a flat offer. The threshold falls from $75 to $50 to $25 as spending rises, and free returns are held for Level 3 and cardmembers. For a shopper who orders a few items at a time online, the shipping ladder can matter as much as the points rate.
Rewards arrive as a certificate with a deadline. Because each reward is issued automatically in $5 steps and lasts 60 days, there is nothing to decide and nothing to hold, and the clock turns each issue into a reason to come back within two months. It also means a reward can lapse unseen, if the email or text is missed.
The card sets the top return. Cardmembers earn four times the Level 1 rate, skip the spending thresholds, and get free shipping and returns without a minimum, so the card is the program's strongest lever and the clearest difference between a casual member and a loyal one.
One account covers two brands. A single balance and one set of levels means an Aerie shopper's spending counts toward American Eagle and the reverse, and the same $5 reward works in either brand's store, online or in the app.
What members should know going in:
- Inactivity wipes the balance. The only way points expire is 375 days with no qualifying purchase, but when it happens the whole balance goes, and the account is deactivated.
- Level 1 is a 4% program. The first reward needs $125 of spending, and members who buy only now and then are unlikely to reach a level.
- Returns can send the balance negative. A return after a reward is issued takes the points back, whether or not the reward was used.
- Levels are renewed every year. Status needs the same spending again by the end of the second calendar year to be kept.
Is Real Rewards worth joining?
If you shop at American Eagle or Aerie at all, yes: joining is free, a purchase isn't needed and the base return is 4%. An occasional shopper gets the birthday reward and members-only sales, and should use rewards within 60 days and buy at least once a year so the points don't lapse. A regular shopper who reaches $200 a year gets Level 2, and at $500 Level 3 doubles the Level 1 return and brings free shipping from $25 and free returns. Someone who buys most of their wardrobe and underwear at American Eagle and Aerie gets the most from the credit card, at 16% back and free shipping and returns without a minimum, provided they are comfortable with a store credit card. Someone who shops mainly in stores should give the loyalty account at checkout every time, because points go only to the account provided.
What Shopify brands can learn from Real Rewards
Real Rewards is built to work across two brands and across stores and online, and several of its mechanics carry over to a Shopify brand:
- Show the return as a percentage. "1,250 points for $5" is clear, "4% back" is clearer. Print both in the program's first screen. Mage's loyalty page editor includes ways to earn, ways to redeem, a VIP tier benefits section with a comparison table and a product points calculator.
- Use shipping as a tier perk. A free shipping threshold that steps down with each level gives a spend goal a tangible reward. In Mage, VIP perks can include automatic upgraded shipping at checkout, and free shipping can be a reward.
- Run tiers on a calendar year with some grace. Reaching a tier for the rest of that year and the next is easy to explain. In Mage, tier progress can run on a calendar year, a rolling year or lifetime, and status can be protected for twelve months after it is earned.
- Keep points alive with activity. A single purchase a year keeps the balance, which is simpler than a fixed clock on each point. In Mage, points expiry can reset on each purchase, using the customer's last purchase date, or run for a set number of days after points are earned, and reminders go out before points drop off.
- Connect the store and the web. One balance that earns in every channel is what makes a program feel like one program. Mage adds a Loyalty tile to the Shopify POS home screen, where staff look up a customer's points and rewards and redeem them against the sale.
If you're building a points and tiers loyalty program on Shopify, Mage covers the structure above: points with fixed-amount rewards, VIP tiers on amount spent, points earned or number of orders, tier multipliers, calendar year tier progress, configurable points expiry and Shopify POS.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Aerie's rewards program the same as American Eagle's? Yes. Real Rewards by American Eagle & Aerie is one program for both brands, so points earned at American Eagle, Aerie or OFFLINE by Aerie go into the same account, and a reward can be used at any of them.
Do Real Rewards points expire? Not while the account is active. All points expire, and the account is deactivated, if there is no qualifying purchase for 375 days. Rewards expire 60 days after they are issued.
How much do I need to spend to reach Level 2 and Level 3? $200 for Level 2 and $500 for Level 3, in net qualifying purchases in a calendar year. The level lasts through the end of the following calendar year.
Do I get free shipping with Real Rewards? Yes, at every level, with a minimum: $75 at Level 1, $50 at Level 2 and $25 at Level 3. Credit cardmembers get free shipping with no minimum when they pay with the card. Free returns are for Level 3 and cardmembers.
Do I earn Real Rewards points in Aerie stores? Yes. Points are earned in Aerie, OFFLINE by Aerie and factory stores, online, in the app and on phone orders, as long as the loyalty account is given at checkout. A missing purchase can be claimed within 60 days.
Graeme is the co-founder at Mage Loyalty. He heads product development, from complex loyalty migrations and large-scale data handling to building the features shaping the future of loyalty on Shopify.
