For years, American Airlines offered a full slate of co-branded credit cards, issued by two different banks: Citi and Barclays. This was huge because it meant you could pick up multiple AA cards – from two different banks – and earn big sign-up bonuses on the full lot of them.

But when the calendar flipped to October, AA severed ties with Barclays, leaving travelers in search of AAdvantage miles with Citi … and only Citi. 

So that's it? The AAdvantage miles gravy train just screeched to a halt then? Not so fast … 

Back in August, Citi answered many points and miles aficionado's prayers when it finally added American Airlines as a transfer partner. This means you can still pile up AAdvantage miles in a hurry … and not just with American Airlines co-branded credit cards. By applying for both the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card and the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®  you can quickly earn 110,000-plus AAdvantage miles, thanks to both cards' big bonus offers. 

Even if you never plan to fly with American Airlines, the Dallas-based carrier's AAdvantage mileage program is incredibly valuable. Their amazing array of partner airlines makes AA miles among the best to fuel your future travels, allowing you to book flights with Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines, and many more.

Here's how you can quickly and easily earn a big stash of American Airlines miles – and why you should.

 

How to Earn American Airlines Miles Fast

These days, the easiest way to earn miles isn't by flying. It's through credit cards — especially when credit cards offer big sign-up bonuses.

Let's be clear: Credit cards are serious business. You should never open a single credit card, let alone two or more, and spend money you don't have just for the sake of earning miles. If you can't pay off every charge in full, it's not worth it. But if you're financially responsible, this is a great opportunity.

 

Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®

To start, there's the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®, which is currently offering a bonus of 50,000 AAdvantage Miles after spending $2,500 within the first three months of card membership. Plus the card's $99 annual fee is waived for the first year of card membership.

But that's not the biggest (or best) bonus offer currently out there. If you've got an American Airlines flight coming up, you may see an 80,000-mile bonus being offered in-flight. Best of all, this in-flight offer only requires spending $1,000 in the first three months of account opening.

The catch? You'll need to get (or find) a six-digit code from an AA flight attendant in order to apply. 

 

Citi AA Card in-flight bonus offer for 80,000 miles

 

Read our full review of the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard!

All information about the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card has been collected independently by Thrifty Traveler and has not been reviewed by the issuer.

 

citi platinum select american airlines card

 

Learn more about the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®.

 

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

Then there's the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card. Unlike the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card, the Strata Premier earns Citi ThankYou points which can be transferred to 20 different airline and hotel partners – including American Airlines. Given the full list of transfer partners and flexibility of ThankYou points, these are far more valuable than earning AAdvantage miles alone. 

The Strata Premier is currently offering a 60,000-point bonus after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening. Unfortunately, this card's $95 annual fee is not waived in the first year – you'll be on the hook for that right away. 

Beyond the big bonus, the Strata Premier is a great card for your everyday spending. You'll earn 3x points per dollar spent at gas stations, restaurants, supermarkets, and on air travel and hotels, too. All other purchases earn 1x point per dollar spent, but with so many useful bonus categories, this card is one that's worth reaching for again and again. 

All information about the Citi Strata Premier Card has been collected independently by Thrifty Traveler and has not be verified by the issuer.

 

Citi Strata Premier Card

 

Learn more about the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card.

 

Apply for Both

Put these two cards together and bam: You've got 110,000-plus American Airlines miles after meeting both minimum spending requirements – or even more if you're able to get on the bigger in-flight offer for the AAdvantage Platinum Select Card. 

That's an easier (and cheaper) path to pile up more than miles than you'll find with almost any other airline. Of course, it requires opening two credit cards and responsibly meeting the minimum spending requirement.

If you don't want to keep holding these cards past the first year and keep paying annual fees, you don't have to. You can close – or even downgrade either card to a no-annual-fee version. If you do opt to close the Citi Premier, just be sure to transfer your points to American Airlines (or another partner) first. Once they're in your frequent flyer account, they're yours for good.

Read more: What Happens to Your Points and Miles After You Close a Credit Card?

 

How Far Can 110K American Miles Take You?

“What can I even do with 110,000 AA miles?” you may ask. The answer? A lot.

Whether your goal is to fly in some of the world's best business & first-class seats or simply fly in economy for a very reasonable price, AA miles offer something for most travelers.

 

 

Book Japan Airlines Business or First Class

Looking to fly to Japan … in style? When you’re flying 10-plus hours to Asia, it’s worth some extra miles to fly in comfort. 

Japan Airlines has one of the world’s best business class seats out there, and they're called SkySuites. In the right seat, it’s both spacious and insanely private. Some of the best food you’ll find in the sky doesn’t hurt either. After our sterling review of Japan Airlines Business Class, we’re convinced it’s one of the best ways to use your AA miles, no matter the plane.

 

earn American airlines miles

 

And if you're really lucky … you might even get to ride in one of JAL's new business class suites. So far, you'll only find this new seat on the airline's Airbus A350-1000 aircraft flying between New York City (JFK) or Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Tokyo-Haneda (HND).

 

japan airlines new business class

 

The best part? This incredible flight – which normally costs $5,000 or more – could be yours for just 60,000 AAdvantage miles each way. With a minimum of 110,000 miles in your account, you've got nearly enough for a roundtrip flight (as long as you can find the award availability). 

 

Japan Airlines business class for 60,000 AA miles

 

Want to fly first class to Tokyo? Japan Airlines' First Class can be booked for only 80,000 AAdvantage miles each way – and we think it's worth it. Check out our full review of a flight from Tokyo to Chicago.

Read more: The Best Ways to Use American AAdvantage Miles

 

Get to the Caribbean or Mexico for Less

How does a trip to the beach for 17,000 miles round-trip or less sound?

With AAdvantage miles, it's easy to get to Mexico or an island in the Caribbean for cheap. Thanks to low rates and plenty of flights, there's no better way to book a trip south of the border than with AAdvantage miles.

 

AA Award Booking (MIA-AUA)

 

You'll often find even cheaper roundtrips for just 16,000 miles total to other destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico, flying from cities big and small. Just keep an eye on the connection times as the cheapest itineraries often require longer travel days. 

 

Book Qatar Airways Qsuites

Qatar Qsuites are the best business class in the world, bar none. With great meals, service, and a ton of space and privacy thanks to a door at your suite, the 15-plus hour flights to Doha (DOH) feel more like just five hours. And you can book it for just 70,000 AAdvantage miles each way. 

It's one of our favorite ways to use AA miles, period. That's why we're always looking for availability to book Qsuites with AA miles, letting our Thrifty Traveler Premium members know with an instant alert. In fact, we've sent more than a dozen alerts to book Qsuites in the last year alone!

 

qsuites aadvantage

 

Unfortunately, actually booking Qsuites with AAdvantage miles has gotten much more challenging recently: The airline has gotten incredibly stingy with releasing the award availability to actually book these suites. In many cases, your best bet is booking 11-plus months in advance using miles from Qatar or British Airways instead.

But when you can make it work with a deal like the one above, we'd argue that American Airlines miles are the single best way to book Qsuites. Here's why:

  • You can fly nonstop from a dozen U.S. cities to Doha for 70,000 miles
  • Or you can start from your hometown airport with AA service and make it to Doha with one stop for the same price
  • But you can also connect onward almost anywhere in the Middle East, India, or even the Maldives for … you guessed it, 70,000 AAdvantage miles

But there's one Qsuites deal that's arguably even better for just a few thousand AA miles more…

You can fly Qsuites from the U.S. to Doha or the Middle East for 70,000 miles … or you can tack on another 10-hour flight to the tip of South Africa for just 5,000 more American miles.

Flying in a Qatar Airways Qsuite for just 75,000 AAdvantage miles all the way from the States to Johannesburg (JNB), Cape Town (CPT), or anywhere in Africa is tough to beat, especially on the long journey to South Africa that clocks in at roughly 24 hours of flight time. It's not just one of the best ways to use American AAdvantage miles – it's one of the best deals in the world of points and miles, period.

 

dfw to cape town booking with aa miles

 

Read our full review of the Qsuites experience from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Doha (DOH)!

 

Domestic Flights from 6K Miles Each Way

Over the last few years, American Airlines started selling domestic flights for as low as 6,000 miles each way – down from the previous norm of 7,500 miles or even 12,500 miles.

It can be a bit tricky to find these rock-bottom fares – and will likely require some trial and error – but no matter if you're flying from an AA hub like Phoenix (PHX) or Miami (MIA), or even a small regional airport like Sioux Falls, South Dakota (FSD), these low fares are out there and can save you a boatload of cash or miles.

 

AA 6k award ticket FSD-SAT

 

After years of inching toward it, American finally swapped out its ironclad award chart and embraced dynamic pricing, meaning award rates to book these AA flights with miles are constantly changing. While you could easily view that as a bad thing, there's an upshot: These discounted rates are becoming even more common if you time it right.

 

Bottom Line

There is never a bad time to earn American Airlines miles … but this might be the best time. With a handful of great partner airlines and reasonable award rates, AAdvantage miles are incredibly valuable – even if you never plan to fly American. 

By combining big sign-up bonuses from the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card and the Citi Premier Card, you can quickly earn 110,000 (or more!) AA miles and book some truly unforgettable trips.