So can it be bought or is it only earned with flying?
As far as I know AA Gold can currently be had by:
-Getting 1 million miles from any source
-Completing a chAAlenge (Paying a fee and flying 5,000 EQP within 90 days)
-Flying 25,000 EQM or EQP or 30 EQS within 1 year
I got gold on a chAAlenge back on a 2006 mileage run before there was a fee for it and hit MM in 2007.
AA Plat can currently be had by:
-Getting 2 million miles from any source
-Completing a chAAlenge (Paying a fee and flying 10,000 EQP within 90 days)
-Flying 50,000 EQM or EQP or 60 EQS within 1 year
AA EXP can only be had by flying 100,000 EQM or EQP or 100 EQS within 1 year.