Should You Use This Hotel Booking Site to Earn American Airlines Miles?

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Folks looking to earn American Airlines miles might be interested in using a special site to book paid hotel stays.

Because when you make a hotel reservation through BookAAHotels.com, you’ll earn at least 1 American Airlines mile per $1 you spend on your stay (excluding taxes & fees).  And booking certain hotels can get you a bonus of between 1,000 and 10,000 American Airlines miles per night!

The American Airlines hotel website and booking method are very similar to SouthwestHotels.com.  Earlier this year, Lyn from Go To Travel Gal wrote a step-by-step guide to using the site to earn eligible Southwest Companion Pass points on paid hotel stays.

Booking.com American Airlines Miles
You Can Book a Stay at the Hotel Edison Times Square in New York City and Earn 5,000 Bonus American Airlines Miles per Night!

I’ll share a step-by-step guide to earning American Airlines miles on paid hotel stays.  And let you know the drawbacks of booking this way!

Boost Your American Airlines Account Balance With Paid Hotel Stays

Link:   American Airlines Hotel Booking Site

If you’re looking to top off your loyalty account or just want to earn American Airlines miles for a hotel stay you were already planning, I’d recommend checking out BookAAHotels.com.

The number of points you earn varies by hotel.  At a minimum you’ll earn 1 American Airlines mile per $1 you spend on the stay (excluding taxes & fees).

But booking certain hotels can earn you between 1,000 and 10,000 bonus American Airlines miles per night.  From my research, the hotels that offer the most bonus miles are typically expensive, luxurious hotels.

Booking.com American Airlines Miles
Book a Luxurious Stay at the Four Seasons New York and Earn 10,000 Bonus American Airlines Miles per Night! But It’ll Also Set You Back $1,175 Plus Taxes & Fees!

Many of the hotels on the site allow you to book with no cancellation penalty.  But be sure to read the terms before booking.

And once you complete your stay, the miles you earn should appear in your frequent flyer account within 2 to 3 weeks.

Keep in mind, this site is operated by online travel agency Booking.com.  So you will NOT earn elite night credits or hotel points for your stay.  You can read my post with other drawbacks of making a 3rd-party booking.

How to Book a Hotel Stay

Step 1.   Search Your Destination on BookAAHotels.com

First, enter your desired destination and travel dates.  You can book hotels, bed & breakfasts, and vacation rental apartments through the site.

Booking.com American Airlines Miles
Enter Your Trip Details and Click the Search Button

Step 2.   Filter and Sort Hotel Results

If you just search by city, you’ll get a list of hotels in the results.

For example, I searched for a 2-night stay in Chicago in October 2017.  And the results show 131 hotels available.

At this point, you can sort the results by price, reviews, distance from downtown, etc.  Or you can filter results by clicking on different categories on the left side of the site.

On this page, you’ll see how many bonus American Airlines miles you’ll earn per night at each hotel.  Keep in mind, the amount of bonus miles each hotel offers can vary by travel date.

Booking.com American Airlines Miles
Filter Results to Find the Hotel You’d Like to Book. And See How Many American Airlines Miles You’ll Earn for Your Stay

Step 3.   Select Your Hotel and Compare Prices

Next, you can select your room type and proceed with the booking process.

For example, I clicked on the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place.  A 2-night stay costs $648 plus taxes & fees.  And I can earn 9,000 bonus American Airlines miles for this stay.

At this point, you’ll also want to read the conditions of the reservation.  In this example, the stay is non-refundable.

Booking.com American Airlines Miles
Click “I’ll Reserve” to Get to the Payment Page and View the Total Cost of Your Reservation

The next page will show you the total cost of your stay including taxes & fees.

Booking.com American Airlines Miles
Taxes & Fees Add ~$120 to the Cost of This Reservation!

Before you book, it’s always a good idea to compare prices.  While earning 9,000 bonus American Airlines miles seems like a good deal, you don’t want to overpay for your hotel stay.

I checked the price on the Hyatt website and found booking directly saves you ~$13.  And you get a more flexible cancellation policy.

Booking.com American Airlines Miles
You Save a Few Bucks and Get a More Flexible Cancellation Policy Booking Directly Through Hyatt

So now you’ll have to determine how much extra you’re willing to pay for a hotel stay to get the bonus American Airlines miles.

Personally, I’d pay an extra ~$13 to get 9,000 American Airlines miles.  Because you’re essentially buying miles at a significant discount compared to the cost of purchasing miles directly through American Airlines.  But each situation can be different!

Step 4.   Complete the Reservation

Lastly, enter your personal information, payment details, and American Airlines frequent flyer number.

Booking.com American Airlines Miles
Complete the Guest Information Section and Enter Your American Airlines Frequent Flyer Number to Earn Miles for Your Stay

Bottom Line

You can book paid hotel stays through BookAAHotels.com to earn American Airlines miles.

You’ll earn at least 1 American Airlines mile per $1 you spend on your stay (excluding taxes & fees).  And booking certain hotels can get you a bonus of between 1,000 and 10,000 American Airlines miles per night!

Earning bonus miles for a stay you were already planning can be a great deal.  But keep in mind when you book through the American Airlines site, you will NOT earn elite night credits or hotel points for your stay.

And don’t forget to compare prices and check the cancellation policy when using the site.  Earning bonus miles is great, but you don’t want to overpay for your hotel stay or lose flexibility in making changes.

Have you booked a hotel stay through the American Airlines website?  I’d love to hear your experience in the comments!

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

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