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Think Award Flights Are Some Kind of Hustle? American Airlines Has the Perfect Card for You

  • Joseph Hostetler

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    Citi is an MMS advertising partner.

    Have you been reading about miles & points for a while, but still think it sounds too good to be true?  American Airlines might have an answer for you.

    I’ve got a number of friends who are very skeptical of my journey to the Philippines for $5.60, my Business Class flight to Hawaii for $49, etc.  But they’re wowed when I mention I saved $15 on Amazon purchases.

    If you like what you hear about the fantastical world of miles & points, but you’re still a little reluctant, I recommend opening the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card.

    There are a few reasons for this.  I’ll share!

    One of My First Award Flights With American Airlines Miles Was to Hawaii. Here’s a Shot Along the Road to Hana in Maui

    The Citi American Airlines MileUp Card Is GREAT for Skeptics

    Apply Here:   American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card

    Read our review of the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card

    The American Airlines MileUp Card is a microcosm of the miles & points hobby.  It’s got everything you want out of a travel card, but smaller.  And that might be just what someone anxious to dive into the free travel world needs; a less potent card to ease them in gently.

    Here are 4 reasons you should give this card a shot if you’re nervous about giving miles & points a go.

    1.   No annual fee

    This card has NO annual fee.  So you’ll never have to cancel it.  If you decide you don’t want it, you can stop using it and pop it in the sock drawer or cut it up.

    2.   It’s Got a Super Easy Minimum Spending Requirement

    Most travel credit cards come with some kind of bonus incentive for opening the card.

    To earn this card’s bonus, you’ll have to spend $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.  That is one of the easiest spending requirements to hit.  If you make $167 on everyday purchases per month with a credit card, you will easily complete this spending requirement.

    Note:   You can use your credit card for just about anything.  Read this post to see how easy it can be to complete spending requirements!

    3.   It Comes With a $50 Statement Credit

    This here should be enough of a selling point.

    Regardless of any other benefits of the card, you’ll get $50 just for opening the card and meeting its easy spending requirement.  That’s like Citi paying you $50 just to give it a try.  If someone handed you a $50 bill, would you decline it??

    4.   It Comes With 10,000 American Airlines Miles

    The card also comes with 10,000 American Airlines miles after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months.  That’s more than enough for a free one-way flight!

    You can use 7,500 American Airlines miles to fly on one-way non-stop coach flights of 500 miles or less within the Continental US & Canada.  So if you fly out of Columbus, you could use this bonus to fly to exciting cities like Philadelphia or Chicago for free!

    Or, if you spend on the card until you’ve collected 12,500 miles, you’ll have enough to fly one-way to & from anywhere in the Continental US or Canada!

    Bottom Line

    The first time you board a plane having paid next to nothing, there’s no going back.  Once you see how easy it is to receive nearly free travel, why choose to pay??

    The American Airlines MileUp Card is just about the lowest-risk card you could possibly open.  The card comes with:

    All you have to do is spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening the card to earn the miles and statement credit!  That shouldn’t be a problem.

    Let me know if you’re one of the folks still a little apprehensive about miles & points!  I’d love to hear your concerns and help you along.

    And if you want to learn more about super cheap travel using miles & points, then subscribe to our newsletter:

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    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! :)