The post is updated with new information on a regular basis.
There are so many loyalty programs from airlines, hotels and credit cards that it can be hard to decide which one is right for you. It is important to know the basics of loyalty programs.
There is a good chance that you will come across American Airlines and its AAdvantage program at some point in your travels. You can redeem AAdvantage miles for travel to many destinations on a variety of airlines.
There are a lot of methods you can use to earn AAdvantage miles. Two notes. You need to create a free account on the American Airlines website before you can earn AAdvantage miles. If you want to earn American Airlines elite status, you need to check out our guide about how to earn Loyalty Points.
It doesn't need an explanation, but how you earn AAdvantage miles has changed over time. You can earn AAdvantage miles when you fly with American and its partners.
When flying on American Airlines, you will usually earn miles based on the base price of your ticket. Depending on your AAdvantage elite status, the miles you earn are different. The higher your status, the more miles you earn.
Here's how many miles each tier earns.
If you buy a one-way American Airlines ticket from Chicago to New York that costs $120 and includes $20 in taxes, you would typically earn 500 miles as an AAdvantage member. Executive Platinum members typically earn 1,100 miles on the same ticket.
Special fares earned by American Airlines are based on the fare class and distance flown instead of the actual fare paid. If you book through a specialized agent, third party or as part of a package including air transportation and lodging, you can earn based on special fares.
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One way to earn American miles is by flying with an American Airlines partner. If the partner flight was booked through American, you will earn the same amount of miles as if you were on an American Airlines flight. If you book a ticket on the American Airlines website, this is usually the case.
You can earn American miles by booking a ticket on a partner's website and adding your AAdvantage number. You will earn miles based on the distance you travel. The earning rate is dependent on the fare class of your ticket. The earning chart for British Airways flights can be found here.
If you call the airline and ask, you can see your class.
Clicking on the operating carrier of your flight will show you the corresponding fare class on American's list. Divide the mileage flown by the percentage in the fare class column to get the distance between two airports.
The bonus is listed in theCabin bonus column if you are flying in a premium class. Bonus miles are added to base miles when flying on eligible partner airlines.
If you fly British Airways business class from Los Angeles to London, you will earn 100% base miles and a 150% cabin bonus. This equates to 13,640 AAdvantage miles earned each way. An Executive Platinum member would earn 6,547 more miles each way if they flew on this ticket.
You can earn quick points with partner flights.
Spending on American Airlines cards is one of the easiest ways to earn American AAdvantage miles. When you use your AAdvantage credit card, you can earn American Airlines miles.
If you want to earn miles on everyday credit card spending, Citigroup's American AAdvantage portfolio is the best. Some of the currently available Citi AAdvantage cards have sign-up bonuses.
The Points Guy collected the information for the card. The card issuer did not review or provide the card details on this page.
A number of American AAdvantage cards are offered byBarclays. There are two cards that are open to new applicants.
The Points Guy did not collect the information for the business cards. The card issuer did not review or provide the card details on this page.
Loyalty Point is not eligible for American Airlines status if you earn miles from sign-up bonuses and category bonuses. You'll only get 1 Loyalty Point for every dollar spent on the AAdvantage credit cards.
There is a sign-up bonus for an American Airlines card.
You can earn American miles through AAdvantage partners. It is possible to earn miles through partners for activities you already do.
You can earn miles on your online purchases through the American Airlines eShopping portal.
Before you make a purchase, you can sign up for an account and click through to your merchant. If you click through the AAdvantage eShopping portal instead of going to the merchant's website, you'll earn AAdvantage miles on top of the rewards you already earn.
It's related to maximizing shopping portals for online purchases.
Think of American Airlines AAdvantage Dining as a place to shop for food. You can link your credit cards and earn miles when you eat out.
You can make money.
Like a shopping portal, the miles you earn through AAdvantage Dining are in addition to the standard rates on the credit cards you use, so be sure to pay with one of the best cards for dining
Dining rewards programs can be used to maximize restaurant spending.
Hotel points can be transferred into your AAdvantage account. Marriott Bonvoy is the only one that offers a decent value proposition.
Marriott points can be transferred to American AAdvantage at a ratio of 3:1. You will get 5,000 miles for every 60,000 Marriott points you transfer to an airline partner. Marriott will no longer give a bonus for transfer partners on October 31, 2022.
If you want to transfer Marriott points to airline miles, you need to know what to look for.
There is a loyalty program for people who rent. When you pay rent with the Bilt Mastercard, you can earn points. You can transfer Bilt points to other transfer partners at a 3:1 ratio.
There is a Bilt advisor and investor named Brian Kelly. The Points Guy did not collect the information for the Mastercard. The card issuer did not review or provide the card details on this page.
You can earn AAdvantage miles on your hotel booking.
Booking hotels through Hyatt, Marriott and I hg is the first thing. If you set your earning preference to AAdvantage miles in your profile, you can earn AAdvantage miles instead of standard hotel points. You can earn American Airlines miles at a number of different rates.
If you want to earn AAdvantage miles, you need to compare the number of hotel points you would earn with the number of AAdvantage miles you would earn. When you earn hotel points, you will come out ahead.
Booking hotels through Rocketmiles will earn you AAdvantage miles. You can earn up to 10,000 miles per night if you stay in a promoted or more expensive hotel. The prices of hotels can be higher if you book directly. It's a good idea to check prices before booking a stay.
When you book through American Airlines Hotels you can earn AAdvantage miles. Booking.com powers this platform so you can find hotels. You can earn up to 10,000 miles when booking through American Airlines Hotels. Only a small number of hotels offer AAdvantage miles through this platform. You have to be flexible to maximize this method.
We found that we could earn American Airlines miles for three different hotel stays.
Hyatt elite members will be able to earn points on American flights and American elite members will be able to earn Hyatt stays.
All American elites will earn 1 AAdvantage mile per dollar spent on Hyatt stays after you link your World of Hyatt and AAdvantage accounts.
The World of Hyatt points are also Loyalty Point eligible. Hyatt and American elite status members can enjoy both worlds. If you have elite status with one of the companies, we recommend you enroll in this program.
When you book through American Airlines Vacations, you can earn miles. You can book flights, hotels and car rentals as a package with American Airlines Vacations. A minimum of 1,000 AAdvantage miles will be earned on all packages booked through American Airlines.
It is possible to earn more miles by booking a hotel stay. The featured hotels are listed on the promotions page. Sometimes you will see offers for up to 30,000 AAdvantage miles per stay, while other times you will see offers for up to 25,000 AAdvantage miles per stay.
Before you book your next vacation, you should check the promotions page. You won't earn hotel points or get hotel elite status benefits when you book a hotel through American Airlines Vacations, as you need to book directly with the hotel to take advantage of these benefits.
Do you want loyalty to earn points? Booking through American Airlines is not always the best option.
If you book a cruise with American Airlines, you can earn miles. You can earn 1 mile per dollar for cruises if you're a general AAdvantage member. This earning is eligible for loyalty points.
Extra miles can be earned for cruises through December 31, 2024, but they aren't eligible for loyalty points.
Extra perks such as onboard credits and cabin upgrades can be found on American Airlines Cruises.
A sample of American Airlines partners was covered in this section. You can find the full list on American's website, but there are other ways to earn American miles.
You can earn miles by flying, spending on co branded credit cards, opening a savings account, and shopping with many retail partners despite AAdvantage not partnering with many points programs.
Signing up for the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard is a good way to go. There is a solid welcome bonus and bonus categories for purchases with American Airlines on this card. Check out our post on the best sweet spots in the American Airlines AAdvantage program to find out how to redeem American Airlines miles.
Ehsan and Kyle reported additional information.
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