
Sign up & start saving!
Get our weekly newsletter for the latest in money news, credit card offers + more ways to save
Finder is committed to editorial independence. While we receive compensation when you click links to partners, they do not influence our content.
Updated
American Airlines has one of the most robust rewards programs you can find. That’s because you have a variety of ways to stack up American Airlines miles — including traveling with American Airlines and using either a Citi AAdvantage or a Barclays Aviator credit card. But to start earning miles, you need to create an AAdvantage account first.
With Citi AAdvantage credit cards and the Aviator credit card by Barclays, you can earn miles on everyday purchases made at places such as grocery stores and gas stations, plus accelerated miles on American Airlines purchases. Some cards also offer generous signup bonuses to help you earn miles more quickly.
Compare the rewards rate of all other AAdvantage credit cards, if earning as many miles as possible is your priority.
Annual fee | Rewards | Signup bonus | |
---|---|---|---|
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® | $0 for the first year, $99 after that |
| Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,500 within your first 3 months |
American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card | $0 |
| Earn 10,000 and a 50 statement credit once you spend $500 in your first 3 months |
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard® | $450 |
| Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 in your first 3 months |
CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® | $0 for the first year, $99 after that |
| Earn 65,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 within your first 4 months |
AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® | $95 |
| Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you make your first purchase |
AAdvantage® Aviator® Business Mastercard® | $95 |
| Earn 65,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in your first 90 days Earn an additional 10,000 bonus miles when a purchase is made with an employee card |
Use American Airlines co-branded credit cards to earn the highest number of AAdvantage miles on your purchases and other American Airlines perks. You can also choose hotel credit cards and transfer hotel points to American Airline miles.
If you’re an AAdvantage cardholder, every dollar you spend between May 2020 and December 2020 will count toward your Million Miler status. This is excellent news, especially because you could only earn Million Miler status by flying with American Airlines.
Earn miles on American Airlines flights. The number of miles you earn depends on your American Airlines flight price. The more expensive your flight, the more miles you earn.
You can earn even more miles if you reach elite status. You’ll also earn Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs), Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs) and Elite Qualifying Segments (EQSs) to help you climb the ladder of elite membership and unlock additional American Airlines perks.
You’re not limited to American Airlines flights to earn AAdvantage miles. You can also earn on flights with Oneworld Alliance airlines and partner airlines. This includes:
Earn American Airlines miles by dining at any of the 10,000 participating restaurants, bars or clubs in AAdvantage’s dining program. Simply pay with your registered card.
Earn American Airlines miles by shopping through the AAdvantage eShopping mall program. You can purchase merchandise at 950 stores — including Staples, Home Depot, AT&T TV and Internet and Hulu. At some stores, you’ll earn a fixed number of miles, while, at other stores, you’ll earn up to nine miles per dollar. Subscribe to the program to receive emails on promotions and to earn additional bonus miles on purchases.
Buying AAdvantage miles is an option if you need a certain number of miles to redeem a reward. You can buy a minimum of 2,000 miles and a maximum of 150,000 miles valued at 2.9 cents each upon purchase or 1.5 cents each upon redemption, according to American Airlines as of 2019.
Buying miles could be worth it as the value of purchased American Airlines miles could be close to the value of redeemed miles with certain offers. For example, a special offer may afford you 120,000 bonus miles when buying 150,000 miles valid until a specified date.
You can also earn American Airlines miles by booking cruises or American Airlines vacation packages. If you prefer hotel stays, you can earn additional miles at partner hotels including:
When you purchase an American Airlines ticket, you can upgrade to an AAdvantage elite status by earning:
Qualification | Executive Platinum | Platinum Pro | Platinum | Gold |
---|---|---|---|---|
oneworld® Emerald | oneworld® Sapphire | oneworld® Sapphire | oneworld® Ruby | |
EQMs | 100,000 | 75,000 | 50,000 | 25,000 |
EQSs | 120 | 90 | 60 | 30 |
EQDs | $15,000 | $9,000 | $6,000 | $3,000 |
American Airlines offers a variety of ways to earn AAdvantage miles. But the fastest and easiest way to accumulate miles is to get a cobranded credit card and to fly often with American Airlines.
Compare your options until you find the best card for your financial needs. Try a general travel card or a cobranded airline credit card for different choices. And once you’ve built enough miles, compare your redemption options to find out which offer the best value.
Back to topHere are our picks for the best store cards of the year.
Rugby union is a sport on the rise in the United States and you can watch it all online.
Our picks for the best no-annual-fee cards.
Use your Chase Ultimate points to donate to charities or to pay for your groceries.
There are three Chase Mastercard credit cards, but all three are excellent options for frequent travelers.
Maximize your tax savings by having this 1099 expense tracker categorize business purchases for you.
Options for everything from small tanks that fit under your sink to complicated underground installations.
No monthly fees and a competitive APY from this high-yield savings account.
This business account supports in-person payments and lets you manage employee spending.
Build credit with this secured credit card.