American Airlines Buy Miles

When should you buy AA miles?

Category : Destinations / Posted on: December 26, 2022 / Author: Admin

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American Airlines Buy Miles

American Airlines Buy Miles

You might think that American Airlines has an always-on mileage sale. American Airlines no longer offers periodic buy-miles promotions. Instead, it only offers one sale per year. It now offers a base discount of up 35%. American Airlines also raised the base price for AAdvantage miles. This discount drops the price of AAdvantage miles to 2.45C per mile.

When should you buy AA miles?

We don't recommend signing up for every American Airlines buy-miles offer, as we do not recommend it. You are almost always better to keep cash than you are to redeem award points.

There are some situations were buying AAdvantage miles is a good idea. For example, if you need just a few miles to redeem a particular redemption, buying AA miles may be the best and fastest option. AA is not a transfer partner with any major bank’s programs.

If you don't want to pay cash for premium tickets, it might be worth considering buying miles. The cost of the required mileage can be significantly lower than purchasing the product.

Some travelers might decide to purchase AA miles to prolong the expiration date. There are many other ways to extend your AAdvantage card.

AA Buy Miles Offer Details

  • End Date Unknown for this Promotion
  • To receive any bonus (5% discount in this Tier), you must purchase at least 5,000 miles
  • To receive the maximum 35% discount, you must purchase at least 150,000 miles
  • Maximum 150,000 miles can be purchased
  • To purchase miles, AA accounts must not be older than 30 calendar days
  • Miles purchased are non-refundable.
  • Miles bought, transferred or received as gifts do not count towards elite status or AAdvantage million miler status

Where can you find the best value?

American Airlines' buy miles offers are not known for being transparent in pricing. This promotion is yet another example. To see the discount and calculate your effective purchase rate, you will need to enter the mileage amount.

AA often offers a combination of a discount and a bonus. This promotion falls under the first category. The cheapest rate for this promotion is when you purchase at least 150,000 miles. 1.45C/ mile for 150,000 miles

Get Less when You Purchase AAdvantage Miles

We have previously posted about the best sweet spots within the AAdvantage program as well as the recent increase in AA's "Web Special" offerings. Let's take a look at some of these redemptions, and then compare the cash price to buy American Airlines miles according to this promotion.

Los Angeles -- Johannesburg, Qatar QSuite

  • Mileage Rate 75,000 miles one-way
  • The Typical Cash Price is$5,920
  • Redemption Rate: 7.9 cents per mile
  • Cost to Buy 75,000 AA Miles at 3.2% per Mile (15% Discount Tier): $2,399 One-way
  • Cost to Buy 150,000 AA Miles at 2.45C/ Per Mile (35% Discount Tier): $3,668 roundtrip

New York -- Sydney, Qantas Business Class

  • Mileage Rate 80,000 miles one-way
  • The Typical Cash Price is$6,228
  • Redemption Rate: 7.74 cents per mile
  • Cost to Buy 80,000 AA Miles at 3.01C/ Per Mile (20% Discount Tier): $2,408 One-Way

Abu Dhabi -- Singapore in Etihad First Class

  • Mileage Rate 50,000 miles one-way
  • The Typical Cash Price is$4,089
  • Redemption Rate: 8.2 cents per mile
  • Cost to Buy 50,000 AA Miles at 3.2% per Mile (15% Discount Tier): $1,599 One Way
  • Cost to Buy 100,000 AA Miles at 3.01C/ per Mile (20% Discount Tier): $3,010 Round-trip

Boston -- Sao Paulo in AA First Class (an AA Web Special)

  • Mileage Rate 60.500 miles*
  • The Typical Cash Price is$2,167
  • Redemption Rate: 3.57 cents per mile
  • Cost to Purchase 60,500 Miles from AA at 3.2C/ Per Mile (15% Discount Tier): $1,951 One-way
  • Cost to Buy 121,000 AA Miles at 2.82C/ Per Mile (25% Discount Tier): $3,414 roundtrip

Maximize your Rewards by buying AA miles with the right card

Because American Airlines processes these transactions directly, you will be able to code your American Airlines miles purchase as airfare. This is great news as it means that you will be eligible for the travel category discount on many credit cards. These are some of the best cards you can use:

  • The Platinum card (r), American Express -- 5X Membership Reward Points (on $500,000 in airfare per calendar year booked directly with airlines)
  • Citi Prestige(r) Card -- 5X Thank You Points
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve r - 3X Ultimate Rewards points
  • Citi Premier(r) Card -- 3X Thank You Points
  • American Express [r] Gold Cards -- 3X Member Rewards Points
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred (r), Card --2X Ultimate Rewards Points

Other ways to earn AA miles

You can transfer Belt Rewards Points to American Airlines at a 1:1 ratio. Transfers should occur immediately.

A sign-up bonus for a co-branded credit cards is another option if you aren't in a rush. The AAdvantage (r), Aviator (r) World Elite Business Mastercard (r] currently offers the opportunity to earn up to $80,000 bonus miles and a $95 statement credits after you spend $2,000 within the first 90 days. Other options include:

  • Citi(r), / AAdvantage (r) Platinum Select(r), World Elite Mastercard(r).
  • AAdvantage (r) Aviator (r) Red World Elite Mastercard [r]
  • Citi, r. /AAdvantage (r. Executive World Elite Mastercard)
  • American Airlines Mile Up (sum-)

Why should I buy AAdvantage points?

One world partner redemption: American Airlines has joined the one world alliance. This means that you can redeem your AAdvantage miles on any one world airline including Qantas and Cathay Pacific as well as British Airways and Qatar Airways.

Very useful award hold policy: withAA, you can hold award bookings up to five days (if bookings are more than two weeks away from departure) and 24 hours (if bookings are closer). Once you have transferred or bought the miles, you can make plans and confirm your ticket. This policy allows you to make risk-free redemptions while you confirm the total cost of booking and purchasing the points.

Offers more generous points promotions than Qantas or Velocity. AAdvantage allows you to purchase miles with frequent discounts and bonuses. Points purchases with Qantas Frequent Flyer or Velocity are very expensive.

Earning miles or buying AAdvantage points

The best way to get AAdvantage points for NZ and Australian travellers is to use either of these methods:

  • Buy them (the goal of this guide).
  • You can earn them by booking hotel stays, renting a car or using the AAdvantage online shopping portal to make purchases at US retailers.

If you have a specific flight in mind, purchasing miles directly from American Airlines will usually be the best and most economical way to get them.

We recommend that you only purchase miles to top up your account, or buy the entire amount if there is a specific redemption in place. However, we do not recommend buying miles speculatively. You may have different preferences.

Consider these factors when buying AAdvantage points

You'll need to take into account the following things, just like with any other deal for miles:

  • The cost of the mileage required to travel your route.
  • Some partners may be charged a US$30-40 telephone booking fee
  • The AUD/USD exchange rates are constantly changing.
  • All taxes included in the booking
  • It took time to find award availability and book the reservation.
  • Accounts under 30 days old in AAdvantage are not allowed to purchase or gift miles. Register now for an account to benefit from future promotions.
  • Typically, AAdvantage allows you to gift or purchase 200,000 miles per year (not including bonus miles). Make sure you only buy into a deal if you have a redemption in your mind, or you believe it is a great one.
  • To see the total cost of your purchase including USD fees and taxes, make sure you go to the checkout page

Final Thoughts

The 2.45C/mile purchase rate on this sale is quite a low price for American Airlines miles. It is best to wait until you are in an urgent need before purchasing AA miles, especially as it has been a while since AA ran a promotion for buying miles.

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