American Airlines AAdvantage miles are by far the airline currency that I redeem the most. After all, there are some excellent AAdvantage sweet spots, and the AAdvantage program has customer-friendly award cancellation policies.
But to redeem a lot of AAdvantage miles each year, I must earn a sizable amount of AAdvantage miles. So, here's what you should know about earning American miles.
What to know about earning American Airlines AAdvantage miles
As you'll learn, there are many ways to earn AAdvantage miles. But there are two different types of American miles you can earn: base miles and bonus miles.
The difference between base and bonus miles isn't important if you're primarily interested in redeemable miles, as both types are equally redeemable. But if you're interested in earning American Airlines elite status and Loyalty Point Rewards, know that base miles — not bonus miles — are what get you Loyalty Points.
Related: American AAdvantage miles vs. Loyalty Points: What's the difference?
Earn American miles by flying
You can earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles on paid flights with the carrier and its partners when you list your AAdvantage loyalty number on your booking.
However, how you earn American miles will depend on which airline markets (in other words, sells) the flight. The marketing airline is often different from the airline that operates your flight; it's the one indicated by your flight number. For example, on Oct. 10, AA175 is operated and marketed by American Airlines, while JL7013 is the exact same flight marketed by Japan Airlines.
Earn on flights marketed by American Airlines
On flights marketed by American Airlines, you'll earn 5 base miles per dollar spent on the ticket cost, excluding government-imposed taxes and fees, if you don't have any elite status with American. Meanwhile, AAdvantage elite members earn base miles at the following rates:
- AAdvantage Gold: 7 base miles per dollar spent
- AAdvantage Platinum: 8 base miles per dollar spent
- AAdvantage Platinum Pro: 9 base miles per dollar spent
- AAdvantage Executive Platinum: 11 base miles per dollar spent
This means that for a $250 flight, excluding government-imposed taxes and fees, a member without status would earn 1,250 base miles, an AAdvantage Gold member would earn 1,750 base miles, an AAdvantage Platinum member would earn 2,000 base miles, an AAdvantage Platinum Pro member would earn 2,250 base miles and an AAdvantage Executive Platinum member would earn 2,750 base miles.
You'll earn at the same rate on the base price of paid upgrades, and you can earn more miles on flights by buying a mileage multiplier before departure.
However, basic economy fares bought on or after Dec. 17, 2025, don't earn any American miles. So, you'll want to avoid booking basic economy if you want to earn American miles on your fare.
Earn on flights marketed by partners based on ticket price
American Airlines AAdvantage works closely with select airlines — currently Aer Lingus, British Airways, Fiji Airways, Iberia, JetSmart and Oman Air — such that you earn American miles based on your ticket price (excluding government-imposed taxes and fees).
On flights marketed by these airlines that you credit to AAdvantage, you'll earn American miles as follows when you buy an eligible published fare ticket in an eligible booking code and fly an eligible route:
- Member: 5 base miles per dollar spent
- AAdvantage Gold: 7 base miles per dollar spent
- AAdvantage Platinum: 8 base miles per dollar spent
- AAdvantage Platinum Pro: 9 base miles per dollar spent
- AAdvantage Executive Platinum: 11 base miles per dollar spent
For flights marketed by each of these airlines, you'll usually find a list of eligible fare codes on which you can earn American Airlines miles. For example, here's the list for Aer Lingus.
Earn on flights marketed by partners based on fare class and distance
For flights marketed by other AAdvantage partners — currently Alaska Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Southern Airlines, Etihad Airways, Finnair, Gol Airlines, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian and SriLankan Airlines — you'll earn American miles based on the flight distance and the fare class of your ticket when you buy an eligible published fare ticket in an eligible booking code and fly an eligible route.
Each of these AAdvantage partners has its own earning chart. For example, here's the earning chart of Alaska Airlines-marketed flights credited to American Airlines AAdvantage.
And here's the earning chart of Cathay Pacific-marketed flights credited to American Airlines AAdvantage.
If the fare class for your flight isn't listed in the table for your marketing airline, you won't earn AAdvantage miles. Be sure to read all the fine print on the marketing airline's AAdvantage partner page, as some routes and fare classes may earn differently in some cases.
Additionally, you'll earn American miles on flights marketed by Aer Lingus, British Airways, Fiji Airways, Iberia, JetSmart and Oman Air based on your fare class and flight distance when you book special fares or other fares for which American Airlines AAdvantage can't determine your ticket or fare details when your flight posts. You can check how special fares earn for each of these airlines on this page.
Earn American miles through credit cards
U.S. consumers can earn American miles through credit cards in two primary ways: directly through American Airlines AAdvantage cards and indirectly by earning Citi ThankYou Rewards points and then transferring them to AAdvantage.
American Airlines AAdvantage cards
You can currently apply for any of the following five Citi / AAdvantage credit cards, all of which let you earn American miles on purchases:
| Card | Welcome offer | Earning rates | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| <a href="https://ift.tt/BNCGgbx" target="_blank">Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard®</a> (see <a href="/tc/11203?pid=11203&name=Citi%C2%AE%20%2F%20AAdvantage%C2%AE%20Executive%20World%20Legend%20Mastercard%C2%AE&data-testid=ratesFees" target="_blank">rates and fees</a>) | For a limited time, earn 125,000 bonus miles after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first five months of account opening. | <ul> <li>12 miles per dollar spent on eligible hotels booked through aadvantagehotels.com and eligible car rentals booked through aadvantagecars.com</li> <li>4 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases (5 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases for the remainder of the calendar year once you've spent $150,000 on purchases during a calendar year)</li> <li>1 mile per dollar spent on other purchases</li> </ul> | $695 |
| <a href="https://ift.tt/d31bxrE" target="_blank">Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard®</a> (see <a href="/tc/11024?pid=11024&name=Citi%C2%AE%20%2F%20AAdvantage%C2%AE%20Globe%E2%84%A2%20Mastercard%C2%AE&data-testid=ratesFees" target="_blank">rates and fees</a>) | Earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. | <ul> <li>6 miles per dollar spent on eligible hotels booked through aadvantagehotels.com</li> <li>3 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases</li> <li>2 miles per dollar spent at restaurants, including takeout and delivery</li> <li>2 miles per dollar spent on eligible transit purchases, including taxis, ride-hailing services and public transit</li> <li>1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases</li> </ul> | $350 |
| <a href="https://ift.tt/qxmUHk4" target="_blank">Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®</a> (see <a href="/tc/22144516?pid=22144516&name=Citi%C2%AE%20%2F%20AAdvantage%C2%AE%20Platinum%20Select%C2%AE%20World%20Elite%20Mastercard%C2%AE&data-testid=ratesFees" target="_blank">rates and fees</a>) | Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $2,500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. | <ul> <li>2 miles per dollar spent at restaurants, at gas stations and on eligible American Airlines purchases</li> <li>1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases</li> </ul> | $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99 |
| <a href="https://ift.tt/2Khv6VN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card</a> | Earn 15,000 bonus miles after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. | <ul> <li>2 miles per dollar spent at grocery stores, including grocery delivery services, and on eligible American Airlines purchases</li> <li>1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases</li> </ul> | No annual fee |
| <a href="https://ift.tt/xfCtz2F" target="_blank">Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®</a> (see <a href="/tc/22146206?pid=22146206&name=Citi%C2%AE%20%2F%20AAdvantage%20Business%E2%84%A2%20World%20Elite%20Mastercard%C2%AE&data-testid=ratesFees" target="_blank">rates and fees</a>) | Earn 65,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first four months of account opening. | <ul> <li>2 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases and on purchases at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and gas stations</li> <li>1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases</li> </ul> | $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99 |
The information for the AAdvantage MileUp Card and the Citi Platinum Select has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Citi ThankYou Rewards cards
You can also transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to American Airlines AAdvantage. However, some cards earn Citi ThankYou Rewards points that you can transfer to AAdvantage at a 1:1 ratio, while no-annual-fee Citi ThankYou Rewards cards only transfer points to AAdvantage at a 1:0.7 ratio.
Here's a look at some of the currently available Citi ThankYou Rewards cards:
| Card | Transfer ratio to American Airlines AAdvantage | Welcome offer | Earning rates | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <a href="https://ift.tt/g6hlmeW" target="_blank">Citi Strata Elite℠ Card</a> (see <a href="/tc/10977?pid=10977&name=Citi%20Strata%20Elite%E2%84%A0%20Card&data-testid=ratesFees" target="_blank">rates and fees</a>) | 1:1 | Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. | <ul> <li>12 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on cititravel.com</li> <li>6 points per dollar spent on air travel booked on cititravel.com</li> <li>6 points per dollar spent at restaurants, including restaurant delivery services, and on CitiNights purchases every Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. EDT</li> <li>3 points per dollar spent at restaurants any other time</li> <li>1.5 points per dollar spent on all other purchases</li> </ul> | $595 |
| <a href="https://ift.tt/l94XF5p" target="_blank">Citi Strata Premier® Card</a> (see <a href="/tc/10652?pid=10652&name=Citi%20Strata%20Premier%C2%AE%20Card&data-testid=ratesFees" target="_blank">rates and fees</a>) | 1:1 | Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. | <ul> <li>10 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on cititravel.com</li> <li>3 points per dollar spent on air travel and other hotel purchases and at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and electric vehicle charging stations</li> <li>1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases</li> </ul> | $95 |
| <a href="https://ift.tt/rNxKI4t" target="_blank">Citi Strata℠ Card</a> (see <a href="/tc/10976?pid=10976&name=Citi%20Strata%E2%84%A0%20Card&data-testid=ratesFees" target="_blank">rates and fees</a>) | 1:0.7 | Earn 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. | <ul> <li>5 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on cititravel.com</li> <li>3 points per dollar spent at supermarkets, on select transit purchases, and at gas and EV charging stations</li> <li>3 points per dollar spent in an eligible self-select category of your choice (fitness clubs; select streaming services; live entertainment; cosmetic stores, barber shops and hair salons; or pet supply stores)</li> <li>2 points per dollar spent at restaurants</li> <li>1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases</li> </ul> | No annual fee |
| <a href="https://ift.tt/tdklSGg" target="_blank">Citi Double Cash® Card</a> (see <a href="/tc/221410494?pid=221410494&name=Citi%20Double%20Cash%C2%AE%20Card&data-testid=ratesFees" target="_blank">rates and fees</a>) | 1:0.7 | Earn $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou Rewards points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. | <ul> <li>5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on cititravel.com</li> <li>2% cash back on every other purchase (unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay; to earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time)</li> </ul> | No annual fee |
Related: Best ways to redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards points
Other ways to earn American miles
Finally, there are plenty of ways to earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles without flying or having a specific credit card. Here's a look at your options.
Earn on dining
You can earn American miles when dining at local restaurants thanks to the AAdvantage Dining program. Just enroll your favorite dining credit cards in the AAdvantage Dining program and then use them at participating restaurants, bars and clubs.
If you are an AAdvantage Dining program member, opt in to email communication and have completed at least 11 qualifying transactions in the current or previous calendar year, you'll earn 5 base miles per dollar spent. If you are an AAdvantage Dining program member and opt in to email communication but haven't completed at least 11 qualifying transactions in the current or previous calendar year, you'll earn 3 base miles per dollar spent. And if you are an AAdvantage Dining program member but haven't opted in to email communication, you'll earn 1 base mile per dollar spent.
I enrolled all the cards I use for dining and have opted in to email communication, but I don't actively seek out restaurants that participate in AAdvantage Dining. As such, I only tend to earn miles through AAdvantage Dining every few years.
Earn when shopping
You can earn American miles while shopping online when you click through the AAdvantage eShopping portal. I often earn through eShopping on Marriott stays, IHG stays, Lululemon orders and Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy bookings. You can also link credit cards to your AAdvantage eShopping account to take advantage of in-store offers.
Consumers with a Mastercard can also earn American miles when making purchases with their card by enrolling in and then using SimplyMiles offers. Many SimplyMiles offers are for online purchases, but some are also valid for in-store purchases.
Related: The best credit cards for online shopping
Earn on hotel stays
You can earn American miles on hotel stays when you book through the AAdvantage Hotels platform. You usually won't earn hotel points or enjoy elite benefits on these stays, but you can earn up to 15,000 base miles per reservation.
You can also earn American miles as follows with three major hotel loyalty programs:
| Program | If you opt to earn American miles on qualifying stays instead of hotel points | If you convert hotel points into American miles |
|---|---|---|
| IHG One Rewards | Earn up to 2 miles for every dollar spent on qualifying charges. | 10,000 IHG points equal 2,000 miles |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Earn up to 2 miles for every dollar spent on qualifying charges. | 30,000 Marriott points equal 10,000 miles |
| World of Hyatt | Earn 500 miles per stay at participating properties. | 5,000 Hyatt points equal 2,000 miles |
Booking stays through AAdvantage Hotels can be a good way to earn base miles. Know, though, that you usually won't get good value when opting to earn American miles on IHG, Marriott or Hyatt stays — and converting your hotel points to American miles is usually a low-value way to redeem your hotel points.
Related: How I earned 29,000 Loyalty Points and 23,000 AAdvantage miles on a single $800 hotel stay
Earn on car rentals
You can earn American miles on car rentals with the following companies when you opt in to earn AAdvantage miles:
- Alamo: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on all qualifying paid rentals at participating locations.
- Avis and Budget: Most members earn 2 miles per dollar spent, although AAdvantage Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum members earn 5 miles per dollar spent, AAdvantage Gold and Platinum members earn 4 miles per dollar spent and Citi / AAdvantage credit card holders earn 3 miles per dollar spent.
- Dollar: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent.
- Hertz: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent.
- National: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on qualifying paid rentals at participating locations.
- Payless: Earn 500 miles per rental on all qualifying rentals at participating locations.
- Sixt: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on qualifying rentals.
- Thrifty: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent.
Related: The best rental car loyalty programs
Earn on vacations
You can earn American miles on vacation packages when you book through American Airlines Vacations. AAdvantage members earn 1 base mile per dollar spent on the total package price, excluding taxes, fees and mileage redemption, and AAdvantage elite members earn 5 base miles per dollar spent.
And if you're interested in earning bonus miles, you'll often find some compelling offers.
However, know that you won't earn all the miles associated with the package price if there are multiple guests on your booking. Instead, base miles are divided equally among the guests, even if some don't have AAdvantage numbers.
Other ways to earn American miles
- Buy tickets: Earn 1 base mile per dollar spent on ticket purchases (excluding taxes and fees) directly from Ticketmaster through the AAdvantage Events platform.
- Book cruises: Earn 1 base American mile per dollar spent on cruises when you book through AAdvantage Cruises.
- Fuel up: Join the Fuel Rewards program, and earn 3 miles per gallon purchased at Shell.
- Savings account: Earn 1.75 bonus miles per dollar saved annually with a Bask Bank Mileage Savings Account.
- Take surveys: Earn miles when you enroll in Miles for Opinions and take surveys.
- Home electricity and gas: Earn miles on your home's electricity and gas payments if you use NRG or Reliant by NRG.
- Buy miles: You can buy American miles, but the cost is high (around 3.5 cents per mile) without any discounts. You can also effectively buy bonus miles while helping a good cause each fall through the Stand Up To Cancer promotion.
Bottom line
There are plenty of ways to earn American miles, even if you don't frequently fly with American Airlines. Between credit cards, Citi ThankYou Rewards transfers and AAdvantage partners for everything from dining to shopping to hotels, I find it relatively easy to keep my mileage balance stocked for the AAdvantage redemptions I want to book. But remember, if you're also working toward AAdvantage status, focus on opportunities that earn base miles — and therefore Loyalty Points — whenever possible.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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