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American Airlines miles are considered to be one of the most valuable and sought-after loyalty points in the travel industry.
With American Airlines being one of the largest and most established airlines in the world, it is no surprise that their frequent flyer program offers numerous benefits and rewards.
In this post, we will list out several ways to earn them, so you can start planning your next trip using these coveted miles.
Whether you’re a frequent business traveler or a points enthusiast looking for the best deals, earning American Airlines miles can help you save money while enjoying a comfortable and rewarding travel experience.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the world of American Airlines miles and discover how you can maximize your earnings to fly on these miles with ease.
Ways to Earn American Airlines Miles
1. Fly With American Airlines and its Partners
The most straightforward way to earn American Airlines miles is to fly on American Airlines and its partners
When flying with American Airlines partners, make sure that you type in your American Airlines AAdvantage account number when asked where you would like to credit your miles.
| American Airlines OneWorld Alliance and Codeshare Partners |
|---|
| OneWorld Alliance Partners |
| Alaska Airlines British Airways Cathay Pacific Finnair Iberia Japan Airlines Malaysia Airlines Qantas Qatar Airways Royal Air Maroc Royal Jordanian SriLankan Airlines Fiji Airways (OneWorld Connect) Oman Air (Future Member) |
| Codeshare Partners |
| Air Tahiti Nui Cape Air China Southern Airlines Etihad Airways Fiji Airways GOL Airlines Hawaiian Airlines IndiGo JetBlue Silver Airways |
2. American Airlines Credit Cards
For every dollar spent with American Airlines credit cards, cardholders will earn 1 American Airlines mile.
Additionally, when the card is used to purchase travel on aa.com, the reward increases to 2 miles per dollar spent.
Free Travel Miles and Points Facebook Group
If you are unsure which credit card to sign up for, feel free to contact us at our Travel Miles and Points Facebook Group or fill out this Credit Card Consultation Form. They are both free!
3. Shop Through The American Airlines AAdvantage Shopping Portal
By making purchases through the American Airlines shopping portal, you can earn American Airlines miles for every single purchase you make as long as the merchant is participating in the program.
Many merchants even provide bonus miles for every dollar spent if you shop through the AA portal.
For instance, Viator, a personal favorite, often offers at least 7 miles per dollar when you book tours and excursions through the American Airlines shopping portal.
Log in at the AAdvantage Shopping Portal Website using your American Airlines AAdvantage account credentials, and then browse through thousands of popular retailers that offer bonus miles on purchases.
To access a participating merchant’s website, just click on their name in the portal. You’ll be redirected to their site instantly.
Shop as you normally would and expect your bonus miles to be credited to your AAdvantage account within a few weeks, maybe even sooner.
| Pro-Tips When Using the American Airlines Shopping Portal |
|---|
| Read the terms and conditions before purchasing. Some merchants only offer American Airlines bonus miles once per lifetime. |
| Shopping trips are only tracked when using Google Chrome, so ensure you opt for this browser. Also, consider installing the American Airlines shopping portal Google Chrome extension for timely alerts when purchasing at participating merchants. |
| If your bonus miles from the AA shopping portal did not show up, reach out to Customer Service. They have been pretty efficient in tracking shopping trips and awarding missing miles. |
Register for an American Airlines AAdvantage Shopping Portal account
4. Shop Through The SimplyMiles Shopping Portal
Aside from the American Airlines AAdvantage Shopping Portal, SimplyMiles is another shopping portal that can generate American Airlines miles.
At present, SimplyMiles is compatible exclusively with Mastercard credit cards.
To receive American Airlines miles, you must first enroll your Mastercard credit cards before making any purchases.
You don’t necessarily need an American Airlines AAdvantage co-branded Mastercard credit card to earn AA miles on SimplyMiles.
Linking any Mastercard, like the Chase Freedom Flex℠, on SimplyMiles allows for earning American Airlines miles and Chase Ultimate Rewards Points at the same time.
SimplyMiles Steps:
- Join SimplyMiles: Sign up using your AAdvantage number and Mastercard.
- Activate Offers: Activate your personalized and everyday offers.
- Earn Miles: Shop to earn miles for travel. Make sure you pay using the Mastercard you enrolled in SimplyMiles.
So next time you’re shopping online, check out the American Airlines AAdvantage Shopping Portal and SimplyMiles as both are fantastic ways to earn American Airlines miles.
Enroll Your Mastercard Credit Cards on SimplyMiles
5. Book Your Hotels Through AAdvantage Hotels
BookAAHotels.com or AAdvantageHotels.com are online hotel booking portals that can help anyone earn American Airlines miles effortlessly.
You can earn thousands of miles per night on all qualifying stays by booking hotel stays with these third-party partners.
All you need to do is create an account, link it to your American Airlines account, reserve your hotels, and wait for the miles to enter your American Airlines AAdvantage account after you complete your stay.
Not only do you earn American Airlines miles from your hotel stays, but you will also generate Loyalty Points that can get you American Airlines elite status.
With BookAAhotels.com and AAdvantageHotels.com, you will also earn extra miles if you own an American Airlines Credit Card and/or have American Airlines Status. Refer to the table below.
| Credit Card/Elite Status | Extra Base Miles |
|---|---|
| No AA Credit Card / No Elite Status | No Extra Miles |
| AA Credit Card Holder | Earn up to 5 times more base miles on hotels |
| AA Elite | Earn up to 5 times more base miles on hotels |
| AA Credit Card Holder + AA Elite Status | Earn up to 10 times more base miles on hotels |
6. Link Your Account With Hyatt
In 2019, American Airlines and Hyatt joined forces, enabling AAdvantage and World of Hyatt elite members to accumulate miles and points on their flights and hotel visits.
Even if you don’t plan to fly soon, you can still receive American Airlines miles from Hyatt hotel bookings if you have AAdvantage elite status.
Link Your American Airlines & Hyatt Accounts Here
7. Convert Hotel Points to American Airlines Miles
While not the most ideal option, if you’re in a bind and require additional AA miles to boost your balance for a specific redemption, converting your hotel points to American Airlines miles is a viable choice.
Convert Hotel Points to American Airlines Miles
| Hotel Program | Link |
|---|---|
| World of Hyatt (WOH) | Convert your WOH points |
| IHG Hotels | Convert your IHG points |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Convert your Marriott Bonvoy points |
| Marriott Vacation Club | Convert your Vacation Club Points |
8. Rent a Car with an American Airlines Partner
Numerous car rental companies such as Alamo, Avis, Dollar, Hertz, National, Thrifty and Budget, have collaborations with American Airlines.
To accrue American Airlines miles, remember to specify your American Airlines AAdvantage account number when renting a car.
Additionally, you have the option to transfer points from car rental loyalty programs to your American Airlines account.
This partnership also enables frequent flyers to not only amass bonus American Airlines miles but also avail of special discounts on car rentals.
9. Complete a Survey
Filling out a survey is a simple but effective way to earn American Airlines miles.
The American Airlines AAdvantage program partners with various survey providers to allow members to earn miles for completing surveys.
With this simple action, you can also keep your account active and prevent any existing miles from expiring.
Plus, survey-taking can be a convenient activity that can be easily completed anywhere.
Earn Miles by Answering Surveys
10. Dine at a Participating Restaurant on the American Airlines Dining Portal
Dining at an American Airlines partner restaurant is a fantastic way to earn American Airlines miles
By registering your credit card with the American Airlines Dining Program and dining at a participating restaurant, you can earn miles for every dollar you spend on your meal.
So next time you’re heading out to eat, check if the restaurant is an American Airlines partner so you can earn American Airlines miles from your meal.
Tip: Sign up for the dining program using your American Airlines Advantage credentials and link your credit or debit card to earn bonus miles when dining at participating restaurants. Make sure to link a credit card that earns extra points when dining, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the American Express® Gold Card.
Sign Up for the American Airlines Dining Portal
11. Donate Cash or Miles to Charity
You have the opportunity to receive 10 miles per dollar for donations of at least $25 made to the airline’s Stand Up To Cancer campaign.
12. American Airlines Vacation Packages & Cruises
If you’re seeking to gain more American Airlines miles, you can consider reserving your vacations or voyages directly with AA partners.
American Airlines offers packages through American Airlines Vacations or American Airlines Cruises, which can reap a considerable amount of American Airlines bonus miles.
13. Shell Fuel Rewards
American Airlines and Shell have recently entered into a partnership that will benefit customers of both companies.
Through the partnership, American Airlines customers can earn American Airlines miles when they purchase fuel at participating Shell stations.
Customers who enroll in the program will receive 2 American Airlines miles for every gallon of fuel purchased.
This offers American Airlines customers another way to earn miles for free flights, AA status, and other travel perks.
This is also one of the easiest ways to reset the expiration date of your American Airlines miles.
How It Works:
- Join the AAdvantage program if you are not already a member
- Link your AAdvantage account to your Fuel Rewards account
- Ensure your first name and last name of your Fuel Rewards account match your AAdvantage account
- Earn 2 miles for each gallon of Shell fuel purchased at participating locations
- When selecting to earn AAdvantage miles, you will forfeit your Gold or Silver status fuel savings
BONUS: AAdvantage members earn 100 AAdvantage miles when they join Fuel Rewards.
Learn More about the American Airlines and Shell Fuel Rewards Program
Do American Airlines Miles Expire?
Yes, they do expire.
If you do not have any account activity, your American Airlines AAdvantage miles will expire 24 months after you earn them.
You can reset your miles’ expiration date by earning or redeeming American Airlines miles.
No time to fly?
Fortunately, you have dozens of other options to prevent your miles from expiring.
I list out the various ways to keep your miles active just in time for your next award flight on American Airlines in this blog post.
My Favorite Redemptions using American Airlines Miles
Etihad First Apartments
62,500 AA miles AUH-LHR
Qatar Q-Suites
70,000 AA miles USA – Middle East / Central Asia
75,000 AA miles USA – Africa
Final Thoughts
Earning American Airlines miles can be a great way to save money on future flights and enhance your travel experiences.
By utilizing the various methods mentioned above, such as signing up for a co-branded credit card, taking advantage of bonus offers, and participating in partner programs, you can easily accumulate large amounts of miles.
Additionally, by being strategic with your spending and travel plans, you can maximize the amount of miles earned and ultimately reach your desired destination faster.
So why wait? Start earning American Airlines miles today and reap the benefits of discounted flights and exciting rewards!
EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE – Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. The content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
