Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.
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I love having a stash of American Airlines miles. When you find an award that works, they’re amazing! I recently used American Airlines miles to fly in Business Class to Tokyo to see the cherry blossoms this year It was my second time in Japan, and I wouldn’t have been able to take the trip if I didn’t already have miles saved.
There are many ways to earn American Airlines miles, like shopping through their portal, or getting 2X miles at grocery stores with the recent American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card.
You never know when the trip of a lifetime will pop up!
Here are card offers to add miles to your balance!
Why You Want to Have American Airlines Miles Saved
Link: Ultimate Guide: How to Use American Airlines Miles
Even if you’re not based in an American Airlines hub city, like Dallas, Miami, or New York, you can still use American Airlines miles in so many ways. They’re the largest airline in the world, and partner with airlines like British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, and Qantas.
Between American Airlines and its partners, you can get to nearly anywhere on the planet using your miles. I’ve flown not only to Japan, but to Berlin, Budapest, Hawaii, and Chile, all with miles I collected over time.
Sign-up bonuses are the easiest way to earn American Airlines miles. But you can also earn them slowly and surely over time, so when the iron is hot, you can strike on the perfect award flights.
Two Cards to Easily Earn More American Airlines Miles
Apply Here: American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card
Our Review: 10,000 Miles, No Annual Fee, and a Bonus at Grocery Stores
Apply Here: Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard®
Our Review: Even If You NEVER Fly American Airlines, You Might Consider This 50,000-Mile Card Bonus!
Firstly, Citi has a “family of brands” rule for card applications. That means if you’ve opened or closed another Citi American Airlines card in the last 24 months, you aren’t eligible to earn the sign-up bonus on another one.
But the new Citi American Airlines MileUp card is excluded from that rule! You can earn 10,000 American Airlines miles and a $50 statement credit after you spend $500 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. And there’s NO annual fee.
You’ll also earn 2X American Airlines miles at grocery stores, with no limit to how many miles you can earn.
That’s great for a card that has no annual fee year after year. You might consider this card if:
- You want to boost your American Airlines mileage balance
- Over 5/24 and can’t get Chase cards
- You opened or closed other Citi American Airlines card in the past 24 months
Team member Jasmin is considering this card for all those reasons. Plus, with 3 growing kids, she spends plenty on groceries and likes earning 2X miles on those purchases.
Or, if you haven’t opened or closed any other Citi American Airlines personal cards (except the MileUp card) in past couple of years, consider the Citi American Airlines Platinum Select card. Because you’ll earn 50,000 American Airlines miles after you spend $2,500 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account.
That’s enough for:
- 6 short-haul flights within the US or Canada. One-way flights 500 miles or less cost only 7,500 American Airlines miles
- Round-trip award tickets to Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, for 40,000 American Airlines miles in coach
- A one-way coach ticket to India or the Middle East on Etihad for 40,000 American Airlines miles
- 2 round-trip coach award tickets within the continental US (award seats cost 25,000 American Airlines miles each)
With this card, you also get 10% of your redeemed miles back each calendar year, access to reduced mileage awards, and a free checked bag on domestic flights for yourself and up to 4 companions traveling on the same reservation.
I’ve personally had it for years and keep it just to access these benefits, which more than cover the card’s $99 annual fee.
Two More Big Bonus Options, but Only for Certain Folks
Apply Here: Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®
Apply Here: CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard®
Our Review: This Is One of the Best American Airlines Card Sign-Up Bonuses Available!
The information for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum and CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
There are 2 other deals you should know about, but they’ll only appeal to some folks.
The first is you can earn 75,000 American Airlines miles when you’re approved for the Citi AAdvantage Executive card and spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account.
That’s a huge number of American Airlines miles! But this card is mostly for loyal American Airlines flyers. It includes an Admirals Club membership, worth up to $550, which helps to justify its $450 annual fee. But if you fly American Airlines often, it could be worth opening.
Don’t forget you can’t get this card if you’ve opened or closed another Citi American Airlines personal card (except the MileUp card) in the last 24 months, like the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard®.
The other card to know about is the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard®. You can earn 70,000 American Airlines miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 4 months of opening your account. The $99 annual fee is waived the first year.
You need to qualify for a small business card to open this account. But if you do, this is another big bonus that can quickly boost your mileage balance. But if you’ve opened or closed the same card in the last 24 months, you can’t earn the bonus.
Remember, the Citi American Airlines MileUp card is excluded from that rule!
Bottom Line
Citi’s “family of brands” rule for card applications makes it tougher to open several of their most popular cards. But the Citi American Airlines MileUp card stands apart from those rules, and comes with 10,000 American Airlines miles and a $50 statement credit after you spend $500 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. So it’s an easy way to earn valuable American Airlines miles.
You’ll also earn 2X American Airlines miles at grocery stores, and there’s no annual fee!
Another excellent card to consider is the Citi American Airlines Platinum Select card to earn 50,000 American Airlines miles after spending $2,500 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account. I’ve had this card for years and always found it worth keeping, even with a $99 annual fee, because of reduced mileage awards, and a free checked bag on domestic flights.
American Airlines miles are useful when you find a great award trip – and these cards help you build your balance so you can book it! I’ve been all over the world with American Airlines miles, with no plans to stop any time soon!