Because of regular mileage program devaluations throughout most airways, frequent fliers like me have to fly extra utilizing larger tier fares to earn airline miles and elite standing. For us, this has additionally amplified the necessity to earn American AAdvantage miles with out flying.
Why? We’ve been having bother securing lowered mileage awards (or MileSAAver awards) on the routes we fly. This implies reserving AAnytime mileage awards which require considerably extra miles, which is what I did on current American Airways flights to Hong Kong.
If you wish to earn extra American Airways miles now, the sport is all about bank cards and companion packages. Right here’s what that you must know.
Earn Miles with an American AAdvantage Credit score Card
There isn’t any doubt that bank cards at the moment are the perfect, and sometimes solely, strategy to earn critical miles with any eligible airline. We truly carry 4 main bank cards (one is for enterprise) as a result of their advantages far outweigh their annual charges.
If you happen to’re dedicated to incomes critical American AAdvantage miles, then you must take into consideration getting an AAdvantage bank card (and utilizing it responsibly).
Citi / AAdvantage
Bank card presents change on a regular basis, however Citi / AAdvantage bank cards at present embrace:
- Citi / AAdvantage Government Card
- Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Choose Card
- Citi / AAdvantage Gold Card
- AAdvantage MileUp Card
- CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Choose Card
- CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Choose Card
We use the Citi / Benefit Government card primarily for the Admirals Membership entry that it offers. The annual payment on this card is lower than I might purchase Admirals Membership entry for even with AAdvantage Government Platinum standing.
AAdvantage Aviator
American AAdvantage Barclays bank cards at present embrace:
- Aviator Silver MasterCard
- Aviator Crimson MasterCard
- Aviator Blue MasterCard
- Aviator MasterCard
- Aviator Enterprise MasterCard
We use the Aviator Silver MasterCard as a result of it’s the one bank card the place you may earn Elite Qualifying {Dollars} (EQDs) along with Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs). At present, customers earn 3000 EQDs after spending $50,000. Customers earn 5,000 EQMs after spending $20,000 on purchases and one other 5,000 EQMs after spending a further $20,000 on purchases.
The factors earned on each day purchases add up in your favor, however what makes these playing cards worthwhile are the introductory bonuses. You’ll be able to earn as a lot as 70,000 bonus AAdvantage miles after you make qualifying purchases.
Different Credit score Playing cards
Take into account that you don’t have to stay to Citi or Barclays. Whereas these bank cards under don’t assist you to earn AAdvantage miles, they accrue factors that may be redeemed for flights on American Airways. You can even switch factors to oneworld companion airways to redeem by way of their packages on American Airways flights.
The bank cards under are common with frequent fliers.
- Chase Sapphire Most popular
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Chase Ink Enterprise
- American Specific Platinum Card
- Citi Status
We use Chase Sapphire Reserve after we’ve maxed out advantages on the Barclays Aviator Silver Mastercard. I like the flexibleness that Chase Final Rewards factors provide. We most frequently use these factors as money on routes the place mileage tickets aren’t out there or don’t make sense. The upshot is that utilizing factors to e-book flights on American Airways and companion oneworld flights by way of Chase Final Rewards additionally earn AAdvantage miles (at all times test the fare class to be sure to’re incomes miles).
My fundamental enterprise bank card is American Specific Platinum Card which I like for Centurion Lounge entry and its myriad of different advantages. I additionally use American Specific Membership Rewards as money on routes the place I can’t safe a mileage ticket.
Gives and bonuses for basic bank cards additionally change steadily so do your analysis on the time of software.
Earn Miles with Resort Nights
Many major hotel brands companion with American Airways to share factors. The present checklist of members contains (however there are extra):
- InterContinental Resorts
- Finest Western Resorts and Resorts
- Hyatt Resorts and Resorts (together with Park Hyatt Aviara Resort)
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Selection Resorts
- Wyndham Resorts and Resorts
- Shangri-La Resorts and Resorts (together with Island Shangri-La)
- Millennium Resorts and Resorts
Once you e-book with these inns, you may select to earn American AAdvantage miles, often along with your lodge factors, by offering your AAdvantage quantity at check-in or by linking your AAdvantage quantity to your lodge rewards program.
Relying on the lodge program, you may earn a 1-to-1 level accrual (or 2-to-1 in some instances). Some lodge manufacturers solely provide a set variety of factors per keep.
Take into account that you solely earn factors once you e-book instantly with the inns. You received’t make something from Expedia or one other value aggregator until you e-book the lodge on considered one of your rewards bank cards. Remember to test phrases and situations with the lodge or rewards program previous to your keep.
Do you might have a financial institution of lodge factors all saved up with nowhere to go? You’ll be able to convert hotel points from collaborating companions into miles. The present conversion charges embrace:
- 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors = 10,000 AAdvantage miles
- 10,000 Hilton Honors factors = 1,500 AAdvantage miles
- 5,000 World of Hyatt factors = 2,000 Benefit miles
The factors switch will be an effective way to prime up your American AAdvantage miles and push you over the sting right into a rewards ticket with out spending any new cash.
Earn Miles with Rental Automobiles
If you happen to hire automobiles, make your cash work higher for you. Present your AAdvantage card at time of reserving to earn miles with:
- Avis
- Price range
- Payless
- Alamo
- Nationwide
- Greenback
- Hertz
- Thrifty
- Carmel
- Europcar
The very best rewards are usually with most popular companions. At current, you get extra factors on your miles with Avis, Price range, and Payless.
Earn Miles with Charity
Max out your charitable tax deductions. Or perhaps you give somewhat as a result of it’s an incredible factor to do on your neighborhood. If you happen to donate to American Airways’ causes, then you may earn bonus miles.
At current, American presents you 10 miles for ever dollar donated to Stand Up To Most cancers.
You received’t earn sufficient for a trip this manner, nevertheless it’s a wonderful means to purchase some miles whereas additionally making certain the acquisition goes to a worthy trigger.
Earn Miles with American AAdvantage eShopping
Do you worth American Airways miles and store on-line? Don’t spend one other greenback with out visiting AAdvantage eShopping first.
AAdvantage eShopping is AA’s procuring connection. It’s the digital model of the catalog in your seatback pocket however larger and far, a lot better.
The online catalog contains 950 of your favourite shops and types. These are shops that you just discover in your native shopping center, massive field shops, and online-only manufacturers like One Kings Lane.
You’ll be able to store the place and once you need, and also you at all times earn miles. You even earn bonus miles by way of promotions supplied by AA. And in the event you buy groceries together with your AAdvantage or rewards bank card, you obtain much more. AA additionally throws in coupons and low cost codes that change seasonally.
A handful of the shops you should buy from embrace:
- Finest Purchase
- The Dwelling Depot
- Barnes and Noble
- Apple
- Kohl’s
- Mattress Tub and Past
- Neiman Marcus
- Lululemon
The simplest factor to do is add the American AAdvantage eShopping button to your browser. I’ve it on Chrome and after I land on an eligible website, a notification pops as much as alert me that my buy will qualify.
Press the button and also you’ll earn miles. In any other case, you may seek for gadgets within the eShopping catalog and purchase them that means.
AAdvantage eShopping is perhaps the simplest strategy to earn factors utilizing cash you have been going to spend anyway and it’s solely out there to AAdvantage members.
Earn Miles with AAdvantage Eating
If you happen to thought AAdvantage eShopping was good, wait till you hear about AAdvantage Eating.
This program makes use of the identical premise as AAdvantage eShopping. You earn factors by spending cash you’d usually spend on meals out.
Nevertheless, the execution is totally different.
You want to enroll in an AAdvantage Eating account and hyperlink your credit score and debit playing cards to it. This system routinely is aware of once you spend cash at one of many listed institutions and reward you 1 mile for each greenback. New diners earn a sign-up bonus.
If you happen to exit to a restaurant on the checklist greater than 12 instances, you earn extra miles at 5 miles per $1 spent.
You additionally get further money in the event you subscribe to emails. Signing up for the publication is a good suggestion since you’ll find out about present bonus presents.
As at all times, you earn extra factors once you hyperlink your rewards card to the account.
Tip: Remember to replace bank card numbers if yours ever turn out to be misplaced or stolen. I forgot to do that as soon as and misplaced out on some miles.
Earn Miles with BankDirect
Switching checking accounts is concerning the least quantity of enjoyable an individual can have. However if you wish to earn miles, then it might be a very good possibility.
BankDirect presents AAdvantage prospects the possibility to earn further factors once you join a brand new account. The brand new account presents are usually the perfect, however they aren’t recurring. So, you received’t pull in a substantial quantity after sign-up.
After enrolling, you get 100 month-to-month miles for each $1,000 in your each day steadiness. So, in the event you maintain 5,000 in your checking account, you earn 500 miles a month for doing nothing.
There are different monetary choices unrelated to BankDirect that you could be discover interesting. Nevertheless, these are usually one-off occasions reasonably than month-to-month studying alternatives.
American HomeMiles lets you purchase and promote a house – and earn miles whereas doing so. You’ll be able to earn tens of hundreds of miles only for the transaction.
If you happen to purchase or promote a $250,000 house, you earn 50,000 American AAdvantage miles. If you happen to get a mortgage and use the opposite providers supplied, you obtain much more.
Miles for Opinions
Miles for Opinions is an old-school type of level accrual. You earn factors for collaborating in market analysis alternatives out there solely to AA prospects.
It takes plenty of time to gather any miles right here, however it may be useful if you’re on the cusp of a reward flight and also you solely want a couple of extra miles.
If you happen to love surveys, it’s also possible to join e-Rewards. It’s the identical premise however a special program and is obtainable to everybody, not simply AAdvantage members.
Purchase or Switch Miles by way of American Airways
Lastly, you should buy miles. Shopping for miles not often is smart until you’re 1,000 miles away from a free enterprise class flight to Europe. They’re costly, and also you get nothing however the miles.
The individuals who purchase miles are often those that need to drop a number of thousand {dollars} on miles in trade for enterprise class redemptions. In these instances, it may be a cost-savings. However most of us aren’t making an attempt to fly first-class to Singapore subsequent month.
If you’re going to purchase miles, achieve this throughout a promotion. American Airways will reward you with bonus miles for each a number of thousand you spend. I’ve bought miles when in need of an award ticket and so they do credit score instantly, in my expertise.
Talking of shopping for and transferring miles, I wish to mixture my factors and mileage accounts on Factors.com in order that I can log in and see precisely the place I stand. By way of Factors.com it’s also possible to purchase factors and switch factors between packages. It’s free, too!
Are You Making the Most of Your AAdvantage Account?
There are such a lot of good methods to earn American Airways miles that you just seldom have to get on a aircraft. You’ll be able to earn from procuring, eating, banking, and extra and that doesn’t even think about the sign-up bonuses for AAdvantage bank cards.
You also needs to bear in mind miles earned utilizing these strategies (apart from AAdvantage bank cards that supply EQMs or EQDs after reaching a sure spend stage) don’t depend towards elite standing.
If you happen to’re a brief distance away from leveling up, chances are you’ll have to hop on a aircraft, which is why I’m headed to New York Metropolis subsequent month.
*High picture is courtesy of American Airways
