American Airlines Miles Expire

American Airlines Miles Expire

American Airlines AAdvantage (r), miles are still subject to expiration. American Airlines has slightly modified its policy on mileage expiration, rather than eliminating it completely. American Airlines has changed the policy to allow AAdvantage (r) miles to expire if there is no qualifying activity within a 24-month period. This replaces the previous policy that required activity every 18-months.

American Airlines was among many hotel and airline programs that paused the expiration. The pause in AAdvantage (r), mileage expiration was lifted on March 31, 2022. This means that any AAdvantage (r) member who hasn't generated any activity since 2020 should do so before their miles expire.

Are American Airlines Miles Expiring?

Yes. American Airlines (r) mile expires if there is no redemption or earning activity within the last 24 months.

Earn or redeem miles with American Airlines or an AAdvantage(r), partner, at least once per 24 months. Your mileage expiration date will be extended automatically 24 months after the date of your last qualifying activity.

American Airlines has recently added one exception: Members of AAdvantage (r), under 21 years are not subject to mileage expiration - until their 21st birthday.

For the rest of us, there is a variety of ways to earn and redeem AAdvantage (r-) points.

The fastest options for extending American Mile Expiration

Here are some options for those who have a limited amount of time before their miles expire:

1. Donate (r miles - While donations can take up to 48 hours, some states have reported transactions posting within hours. A minimum donation of 1,000 miles is possible.
2. Purchase AAdvantage (r miles -- The posting time can range from instant to 48 hours. Minimum 2,000 miles are available for purchase at $75.
3. Transfer from Marriott Bonvoy - You can transfer Marriott Bonvoy Points to AAdvantage (r), miles at a ratio of 3 to 1. Transferring a minimum amount of 3,000 points is required. Award Wallet tracking shows that the average transfer speed is approximately 48 hours.

This is our article on current promotions to purchase American Airlines miles. To see the time, it takes for miles purchased to post, you can visit our mile purchase times page.

A Simple Way to Earn AAdvantage Miles (r)

It would be amazing if you could get AAdvantage (r), miles each month without lifting a finger. Bask bank has a savings account which earns AAdvantage (r) miles in addition to interest. For every dollar that you save each year, you'll get one mile. Bask Bank will deposit miles on a monthly basis in your AAdvantage (r) account, so you don't have to worry about creating activity to extend your expiration.

A Bask Savings account is the best way to permanently remove "stop my American mile from expiring" from you to-do list. It's fast and easy to open, with no limits on how many miles you can earn. For more information, see our full review

Other ways to earn AAdvantage (r- miles)

These are other ways to earn AAdvantage (r miles) (some options won't credit your account immediately).

• Book a flight on American, or with one of their partners. The miles earned will be credited to your American Airlines’ frequent flyer account
• Earn miles every time you stay at one the AAdvantage (r) partner hotels, which includes some of the largest chains like IHG and Hilton.
• Convert hotel points to AAdvantage (r miles
• Earn miles every time you rent an automobile from an AAdvantage partner
• Participate in the AAdvantage (r-) dining program to receive a qualifying meal activity at participating restaurants
• Shop online at American Airlines' portal
• Book a Vacation or a Cruise with an AAdvantage (r) Partner
• Spend with your American Airlines credit card to earn miles

American Airlines regularly offers special deals and promotions that allow you to get extra miles for a one-off fee and keep your account active. Keep an eye on the AA website to see if there are any such offers.

Credit card holders don't have to lose their miles

American Airlines credit cards are good news. Your miles won't expire if you have one. This is a new rule effective March 1, 2022. This includes cards such as these:

• Citi / AAdvantage (r) / Executive World Elite Mastercard _ (r]
• Citi(r), AAdvantage (r) Platinum Select(r), World Elite Mastercard (r)
• Citi Business(r), AAdvantage(r), Platinum Select(r), Mastercard(r).
• Citi(r), / AAdvantage (r) Gold World Elite(tm), MasterCard(r).
• AAdvantage (r) Aviator (r) Red World Elite Mastercard [r]

Reinstate Expired Miles

American Airlines offers the ability to restore your miles if they should expire. You can visit aa.com/reactivate miles to find out the price for reactivating your miles. The price of reactivating your miles will vary depending on how many you choose to activate. These are the important restrictions.

• Reactivating miles can only be done within the last 24 months.
• One reactivation transaction per transaction is allowed. Any miles that you do not reactivate in this transaction will be lost.
• Reactivation is limited to 500,000 miles
• Reactivate your account online or by calling AA customer support.

How to redeem your AAdvantage (r. miles)

You can find ideas for how to get more mileage from your miles in our post on AAdvantage (r), redemption sweet spots. Our post on American Airlines partners may be helpful in planning your next trip. You can book your trip by visiting the award page.

Expiration Overview for American Airlines AAdvantage miles

American Airlines' AAdvantage Mile Expiration Protocols are somewhere in the middle. Miles expire after 24 month of account inactivity. American's 12-month expiration is much more generous than Frontier's 6-month deadline. However, when you consider that Delta Air Lines miles and Alaska Airlines miles don't expire, 24 month seems a bit stingy.

You still have options if your miles are about to expire. To keep your miles valid, you can fly with American Airlines or any of its partner airlines.

If you don't plan to travel, there are many ways that your account can be kept active and extended. How to prevent American Airlines miles expiring

• Flying or purchasing with an AAdvantage partner or American Airlines at least once per 24 months to earn or redeem miles, as well as participating hotels, car rental companies and co-branded credit card, telecommunication providers, shopping, dining, and more. These 30+ ways you can earn American Airlines AAdvantage Miles are just a few of the many.
• Cardholders of AAdvantage cards are exempt from the 24-month expiration. After closing an account, your miles expire after 4 months or 24 months, depending on the date you closed it.
• A reactivation fee of $25 can be paid to activate up to 500,000 expired miles from AAdvantage within 24 months. The number of miles that you want to reactivate will determine the cost. These miles will not count towards elite status.
• The normal expiration rules do not apply to AAdvantage members younger than 21 years old.

Final thoughts about American miles expiring

Because of the airline's generous 24-month expiration period, you can usually avoid AA miles expiration. There are many ways to keep your miles active, even if you don't plan on flying anytime soon. You can still use your AAdvantage points to get award travel in the future.