How to earn American Airlines miles

Save money on airfare, car rentals, hotels and more with AAdvantage miles.

Stack up American Airlines miles by clearing a signup bonus and making everyday purchases and American Airlines purchases with a Citi AAdvantage or a Barclays Aviator credit card.

Earn miles with credit cards

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.

Our pick to transfer hotel points to miles

Hilton Honors American Express Card

• Earn 75,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with the Hilton Honors American Express Card after you use your new card to make $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership.
• Earn 7x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Honors portfolio of brands.
• Earn 5x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
• Earn 3x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your card.
• No foreign transaction fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
• Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status with your card. Plus, spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
• No annual fee.
• Terms apply.

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• Compare American Airlines credit cards
• Other cards that can earn American Airlines miles

Use American Airlines co-branded credit cards to earn the highest number of AAdvantage miles on your purchases and other American Airlines perks.

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Name	Product	Welcome Offer	Rewards	Annual Fee
AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®		50,000 when you make your first purchase in the first 90 days and pay the annual fee	2x miles on American Airlines purchases and 1x miles on everything else	$99	Earn 50,000 bonus miles when you make your first purchase in the first 90 days and pay the annual fee.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard®		50,000 miles after spending $2,500 in the first 3 months	2x miles on American Airlines, dining, and gas and 1 miles on all other purchases	$0 intro annual fee for the first year ($99 thereafter)	Earn 50,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after you spend $2,500 in the first 3 months.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card		10,000 miles plus $50 statement credit after spending $500 in the first 3 months	2x AAdvantage® miles at grocery stores, 2x miles on American Airlines purchases and 1x miles on all other purchases	$0	Earn 10,000 American Airlines Aadvantage® bonus miles and receive a $50 statement credit after making $$500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®		50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® miles after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months	2x miles on American Airlines purchases and 1x miles on everything else	$450	Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard®		70,000 miles after spending $4,000 in first 4 months	2x miles on gas and select categories, 2x miles on American Airlines purchases and 1x miles on all other purchases	$0 intro annual fee for the first year ($99 thereafter)	70,000 AAdvantage® miles after making $4,000 in purchases in first 4 months of account opening.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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You can choose hotel credit cards and transfer hotel points to American Airline miles.

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Name	Product	Welcome Offer	Rewards	Annual Fee
Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card		125,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months	12x points on Hilton Portfolio spending, 6x at US restaurants, US supermarkets and US gas stations, 3x on all other purchases	$95	Earn 125,000 Hilton Honors™ Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 or more in purchases with your new card within the first 3 months of card membership. Rates & fees	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Hilton Honors American Express Card		75,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months	7x points on Hilton Honors purchases, 5x at US restaurants, US supermarkets and US gas stations, 3x on all other purchases	$0	Earn 75,000 Hilton Honors™ Bonus Points after you spend $1,000 in purchases on the card within your first 3 months of card membership. Rates & fees	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ card		100,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months	6x points at participating Marriott Rewards and SPG hotels and 2x points on all other purchases	$95	Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
The World of Hyatt Credit Card		25,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. 25,000 points after spending another $6,000 in the first 6 months	4x points at Hyatt hotels, 5x as a World of Hyatt member, 2x on gyms, commuting, dining and airline tickets and 1x on all other purchases	$95	25,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, an additional 25,000 bonus points after you spend an additional $6,000 on purchases within the first 6 months of account opening.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card		80,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months; 40,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 6 months; 10,000 points after spending $20,000 each anniversary year	10x points at IHG hotels, 2x points on gas, groceries, and dining. 1x points on all other purchases	$89	80,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months plus 40,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 6 months. Plus earn 10,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 on purchases and make each additional purchase each account anniversary year.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Hilton Honors™ Aspire Card		150,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months	14x points on Hilton Portfolio spending, 7x on flights, car rentals, and US restaurants, 3x points on all other purchases	$450	150,000 Hilton Honors™ Bonus Points after you spend $4,000 or more in purchases with your new card within the first 3 months of card membership.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Choice Privileges® Visa Signature® Card		32,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days	15x points on purchases at Choice Privileges® locations and with Choice Privileges membership, 5x points on Choice Privileges® points or Choice Hotels gift cards and 2x points on all other purchases	$0	Earn 32,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Radisson Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card		50,000 points after your first purchase plus 10,000 points after spending $1,500 in the first 90 days	6x points at Radisson Hotels and 3x points on all other purchases	$50	Earn 50,000 points after your first purchase plus 10,000 points after spending $1,500 in the first 90 days from account opening.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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Flying with American Airlines

Earn miles on American Airlines flights and Oneworld Alliance partner flights by becoming an AAdvantage member. 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.

• American Airlines dining program

  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.

• American Airlines shopping program

  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 others 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.

• Buy American Airlines miles

  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.

• Additional ways to earn American Airlines miles

  You can also earn American Airlines miles with:

  • Hotel stays
  • Car rentals
  • American Airlines vacations
  • Cruises

Loyalty program AAdvantage elite status tiers

When you purchase an American Airlines ticket, you can upgrade to an AAdvantage elite status by earning:

What are the benefits of the AAdvantage elite status tiers?

Bottom line

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.

Frequently asked questions

• Do American Airlines miles expire?

  Yes. Your AAdvantage miles will expire if your account has been inactive for 18 months. If you redeem or earn miles at least once in 18 months, your miles’ experation date will be moved to another 18 months.

• What can be redeemed with my American Airlines miles?

  Once you accumulate enough miles, you can redeem:

  • American Airlines and partner airlines flights
  • Seat upgrades on American Airlines and some of their partners
  • Car rentals
  • Hotel stays

  • Admiral’s Club membership
  • Gift cards
  • Donations
  • Magazines and newspapers

• How much are American Airlines miles worth?

  According to the provider site at the time of writing, AAdvantage miles are worth up to 1.5 cents each, depending on your redemption options. MileSAAver flights have the highest redemption value.

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