Learn how to earn American Airways miles

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As among the most useful U.S. airline rewards, there are lots of methods to redeem American Airlines miles. The airline has a plethora of Oneworld and non-alliance companions, so you may redeem AAdvantage miles for journey to many locations on numerous airways.

And now, American has sweetened the deal on its Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®, so for a restricted time, you may earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $3,500 throughout the first 4 months of account opening.

On this information, we’ll discover among the many strategies you may earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles.

However first, two notes. Be certain to create a free AAdvantage account on the American Airlines website, as you’ll want one earlier than you may earn AAdvantage miles. And word that just some American Airways miles are Loyalty Level-eligible — so test our information about how to earn Loyalty Points when you’re additionally concerned about incomes American Airlines elite status.

Earn American miles by flying

Incomes AAdvantage miles by flying might seem to be it wants no clarification, however the way you earn miles for flying has modified through the years. Right here’s learn how to earn AAdvantage miles flying on American and its companions.

Flying on American Airways

When flying on American Airways, you’ll usually earn miles in line with the bottom worth of your ticket minus taxes and charges. The miles you earn additionally differ primarily based in your AAdvantage elite status. As you’d count on, the upper your standing, the extra miles you may earn.

Right here’s what number of miles every standing tier earns per greenback spent:

• No standing: 5 miles.
• Gold: 7 miles.
• Platinum: 8 miles.
• Platinum Professional: 9 miles.
• Government Platinum: 11 miles.

So when you purchase a one-way American Airways ticket from Miami Worldwide Airport (MIA) to Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) that prices $120 and consists of $20 in taxes (word that we’ve rounded these quantities), you’d usually earn 500 miles ($100 at 5 miles per greenback) as an AAdvantage member with out elite standing. In the meantime, an Government Platinum member usually earns 1,100 miles on the identical ticket.

Nevertheless, watch out for American Airways’ particular fares, as these fares earn primarily based on the fare class and distance flown as an alternative of the particular fare paid. American Airlines’ website says you might earn primarily based on particular fares when you e-book via a “specialised agent, third social gathering or as a part of a bundle together with air transportation and lodging.”

Flying with companions

If you fly with an American Airways associate, you may earn American miles in two methods. If the associate flight was booked via American and ticketed on American Airways ticket inventory, you’d earn miles the identical as when you had been flying on an American Airways flight. That is typically the case when you e-book a ticket operated by a associate airline on the American Airways web site.

The way you earn American miles modifications whenever you e-book a ticket on a associate’s web site and add your AAdvantage quantity to the reservation. On this case, you’ll earn miles primarily based in your flight distance. Nevertheless, the precise incomes price is determined by the fare class of your ticket. Right here’s an instance of the earning chart for British Airways-operated flights:

You’ll be able to see your fare class by taking a look at your e-ticket or by calling the airline and asking.

When you’ve positioned the fare class, go to American’s list of partner airlines, click on on the working service of your flight and discover the corresponding fare class on that listing. Then, multiply the mileage flown (use Great Circle Mapper to shortly calculate the gap between two airports) by the share within the fare class column.

Should you’re flying in a premium fare class, you’ll additionally earn the bonus listed within the “Cabin bonus” column. And AAdvantage elite members earn bonus miles along with base miles on the following charges when flying on eligible associate airways:

• Gold: 40%.
• Platinum: 60%.
• Platinum Professional: 80%.
• Government Platinum: 120%.

For instance, as an instance you’re a common AAdvantage member flying British Airways enterprise class within the C fare class from Los Angeles to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR). In keeping with the above chart, you’ll earn 100% base miles plus a 150% cabin bonus. For the reason that flight clocks in at 5,456 miles, this comes out to 13,640 AAdvantage miles earned every approach. However, an Government Platinum member flying on this similar ticket would earn 6,547 extra miles every approach as a result of 120% elite bonus.

Associated: Quick Points: Earn American AAdvantage status quickly with partner flights

Earn American miles via bank cards

Past flying, one of many best methods to earn American AAdvantage miles is thru sign-up bonuses and spending on American Airlines cards. Citi and Barclays at the moment difficulty AAdvantage bank cards that allow you to earn American Airways miles when utilizing your card for purchases.

Citi’s American AAdvantage portfolio is essentially the most enticing of the 2 issuers if you wish to earn miles on everyday credit card spending. Listed below are the sign-up bonuses and incomes charges on among the currently-available Citi AAdvantage playing cards:

• Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®: Earn 50,000 miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. Earn 2 miles per greenback on eligible American Airways purchases. Earn 1 mile per greenback spent on different purchases. This card has a $450 annual payment.
• Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,500 on purchases within the first 4 months of account opening. Plus, earn 2 miles per greenback spent at gasoline stations, eating places and on eligible American Airways purchases and 1 mile per greenback spent on all different purchases. This card has a $99 annual payment that is waived for the primary 12 months.
• CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®: Earn 65,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases throughout the first 4 months of account opening. Plus, earn 2 miles per greenback spent on eligible American Airways purchases and purchases at telecommunications retailers, cable and satellite tv for pc suppliers, automotive rental retailers and gasoline stations. Earn 1 mile per greenback on all different purchases. This card has a $99 annual payment that is waived for the primary 12 months.
• American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®: Earn 10,000 bonus miles and a $50 assertion credit score after you spend $500 on purchases throughout the first three months of account opening. Plus, earn 2 miles per greenback spent at grocery shops and on eligible American Airways purchases and 1 mile per greenback spent on all different purchases. This card has no annual payment.

The knowledge for the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.

However, Barclays gives a number of American AAdvantage playing cards. Listed below are two Barclays AAdvantage cards which can be at the moment open to new candidates:

• AAdvantage® Aviator ®Red World Elite Mastercard®: Earn 50,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after making your first buy and paying the $99 annual payment in full, each throughout the first 90 days. Earn 2 AAdvantage miles per greenback spent on eligible American Airways purchases and 1 mile per greenback spent on all different purchases.
• AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard®: Earn 60,000 AAdvantage after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 90 days, and earn 10,000 bonus miles after a purchase order is made on an worker card. Earn 2 AAdvantage miles per greenback spent at eligible workplace provide, telecommunications and automotive rental retailers and on eligible American Airways purchases. Earn 1 mile per greenback on all different purchases. This card has a $95 annual payment.

The knowledge for the AAdvantage Aviator Pink and AAdvantage Aviator Enterprise playing cards has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.

If you would like American Airways standing, word that miles earned from sign-up bonuses and class bonuses on spending aren’t Loyalty Level eligible. As such, you’ll earn simply 1 Loyalty Level per greenback spent on the AAdvantage talked about above bank cards.

Associated: What you need to know about earning another American Airlines card sign-up bonus

Earn American miles via companions

You can too earn American miles (and even Loyalty Point-eligible miles, in some instances) via AAdvantage companions. It’s possible you’ll earn miles via companions for actions you already do, like buying, eating and banking.

AAdvantage eShopping mall

The American Airways AAdvantage eShopping portal awards miles in your on-line purchases.

Utilizing the portal is easy: Join an account and click on via to your service provider of selection on AAdvantage eShopping earlier than making a purchase order. By clicking via the AAdvantage eShopping portal reasonably than going on to the service provider’s web site, you’ll earn AAdvantage miles on high of the rewards you’d already be incomes whenever you use a rewards credit card to make your buy.

Associated: Maximizing shopping portals for your online purchases

AAdvantage Eating

Consider American Airlines AAdvantage Dining as a buying portal for consuming out. Simply join an account, hyperlink your favourite bank cards and earn miles whenever you swipe one at taking part eating places.

You’ll be able to earn:

• 5 AAdvantage miles per greenback when you’re a VIP member (develop into a VIP member via the tip of the following calendar 12 months after you make 11 transactions in a calendar 12 months and elect to obtain emails from AAdvantage Eating).
• 3 AAdvantage miles per greenback when you’re a choose member (develop into a choose member by opting to obtain emails from AAdvantage Eating).
• 1 AAdvantage mile per greenback when you’re a primary member.

Like a buying portal, the miles you earn via AAdvantage Eating are in addition to the standard rates on the credit card you employ, so you should definitely pay with one of many best cards for dining.

Associated: 11 of the most generous airline and hotel dining rewards programs

Switch factors from resort packages

You’ll be able to switch resort factors from numerous packages instantly into your AAdvantage account. Whereas most provide a comparatively poor worth proposition, one exception is Marriott Bonvoy.

Marriott factors switch to American AAdvantage at a ratio of three Marriott factors to 1 AAdvantage mile. In contrast to most Marriott airline switch packages, you won’t earn an extra 5,000 miles for every 60,000 Marriott points you transfer.

Associated: Here’s what you should know before transferring Marriott points to airline miles

Switch factors from Bilt Rewards

Bilt Rewards is a loyalty program for renters. You need to use the Bilt Mastercard® (see rates and fees) to earn factors whenever you pay lease and make different purchases. Then, you may transfer Bilt points to numerous switch companions, together with AAdvantage, at a 1:1 switch ratio.

Editor’s word: TPG founder Brian Kelly is a Bilt advisor and investor.

Lodge stays

There are a number of methods to earn AAdvantage miles in your resort bookings.

The primary is reserving resorts instantly via Hyatt, Marriott and IHG. Every resort loyalty program allows you to earn AAdvantage miles as an alternative of normal resort factors when you set your incomes desire to AAdvantage miles in your member profile. Particularly, you may earn American Airways miles on the following charges:

• World of Hyatt: 500 miles per keep.
• Marriott Bonvoy: 1 to 2 miles per greenback spent.
• IHG One Rewards: 1 to 2 miles per greenback spent.

Be certain to check the variety of resort factors you’d earn with the variety of AAdvantage miles you’d earn earlier than opting to earn AAdvantage miles. You’ll often come out forward whenever you earn resort factors as an alternative of airline miles in your resort stays.

As well as, there is a separate strategy to maintain your Hyatt incomes desire as factors and nonetheless earn miles in your stays, thanks. When you have elite standing American (and hyperlink your accounts here), you may earn 1 AAdvantage mile for each $1 spent on Hyatt stays.

On this instance from TPG director of content material Nick Ewen, he paid a base price of $152 for a one-night keep, and along with incomes World of Hyatt factors, he took house 152 American miles, and people additionally counted as Loyalty Factors.

Word that World of Hyatt elites can even earn bonus Hyatt factors on American-operated flights (1 factors per greenback on the bottom fare), so when you’ve got standing with each packages, it is an effective way to double-dip. Simply ensure your accounts are linked.

Exterior of the most important resort loyalty packages, you too can earn AAdvantage miles on resort stays by booking hotels through Rocketmiles. You’ll be able to earn as much as 10,000 miles per night time, with promoted and dearer resorts usually incomes essentially the most miles. Nevertheless, Rocketmiles generally costs resorts increased than when you booked instantly. So cross-check costs earlier than reserving a keep.

Lastly, reserving via American Airlines Hotels can earn AAdvantage miles on resort stays. Reserving.com powers this platform, so that you’ll discover numerous resort choices. As with Rocketmiles, American says you may earn as much as 10,000 miles per night time when reserving via American Airways Accommodations. Nevertheless, just some resorts provide AAdvantage miles via this platform, and lots of provide fewer than 10,000 miles per night time. So that you’ll have to be versatile to maximise this reserving methodology.

Associated: We tested earning American Airlines miles for 3 different hotel stays — here’s what we found

Ebook trip packages with American Airways Holidays

You’ll be able to earn miles on trip packages by reserving via American Airlines Vacations. With American Airways Holidays, you may e-book flights, resorts and automotive leases as a bundle and make the most of discounted charges. You’ll additionally earn at the very least 1,000 AAdvantage miles on all packages booked via American Airways Holidays.

You’ll be able to earn extra miles by reserving resort stays at a resort with a bonus. These resorts are listed on American Airways Holidays’ promotions page and are up to date frequently. The most effective gives I see now provide as much as 25,000 AAdvantage miles per keep, however generally you’ll see gives for as much as 30,000 AAdvantage miles per keep.

It’s possible you’ll wish to test the promotions web page on the American Airways Holidays web site earlier than you e-book your subsequent trip. However keep in mind that you doubtless gained’t earn resort factors or get hotel elite status benefits whenever you e-book resorts via American Airways Holidays, as you often must e-book instantly with the resort to make the most of these advantages.

Associated: Want to earn Loyalty Points? Here’s why booking through American Airlines Vacations isn’t always best

Ebook your cruise with American Airways Cruises

You’ll be able to earn American Airways miles when booking a cruise with American Airlines. As a common AAdvantage member, you may earn 1 mile per greenback (as much as 10,000 AAdvantage miles per reserving) for cruises via Dec. 31, 2025. Better of all, this incomes is Loyalty Level-eligible.

AAdvantage cardholders can earn a further 1 mile per greenback (as much as 10,000 further AAdvantage miles per reserving) for cruises via Dec. 31, 2024, however these further miles aren’t Loyalty Level eligible.

Look ahead to promotions via American Airways Cruises that present further perks like onboard credit and cabin upgrades in your crusing.

Different methods to earn miles with AAdvantage companions

This part lined only a sampling of American Airways’ many companions. You’ll be able to see the complete listing on American’s website, however right here’s a fast glimpse at among the different methods to earn American miles with AAdvantage companions:

• Rental automobiles: American companions with all kinds of car rental partners.
• Charity: You’ll be able to earn AAdvantage miles by donating to Stand Up To Cancer. When donating over $25, you’ll earn 10 miles per greenback donated to the charity, which raises funds for most cancers analysis and consciousness packages.
• Bask Financial institution: Bask Financial institution and American Airways have a partnership that lets AAdvantage members earn interest in miles.
• SimplyMiles: American gives a program known as SimplyMiles that lets you earn miles on on a regular basis purchases with choose retailers. To take part, you should be a U.S.-based member, enroll within the give you wish to use earlier than making an eligible buy and use a Mastercard you’ve enrolled in this system when making your eligible buy.
• Gasoline: When filling up at a Shell location, you may earn 2 miles per gallon of fuel via the Fuel Rewards program. Enroll here and use one of many best cards for gas purchases in your subsequent fill-up.

Regardless of AAdvantage not partnering with many transferable points packages, you may simply earn miles by flying, spending on cobranded bank cards, opening a financial savings account and buying with quite a few retail companions.

Should you select the bank card route, we advocate signing up for the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard. This card has an elevated welcome bonus and gives bonus classes for purchases with American Airways, gasoline stations and eating places. And when you’re searching for concepts on redeeming American Airlines miles, try our submit on the best sweet spots in the American Airlines AAdvantage program.

Further reporting by Ehsan Haque and Kyle Olsen.

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