If you are trying to get your hands on as many AA miles as possible so that you can book some great premium awards before March 22, make sure you get these 2 cards now!
Get Over 100,000 AA Miles With These 2 Cards
Here’s the thing – it is getting very tight on the calendar but you still have enough time to get these AA credit cards, meet the spending, and have your miles post before the AA devaluation on March 22. The great part is that this applies even if you already have an AA card right now (depending on when you got it). That is good news if you have had one for a while but would like to get some more miles before the awards go up.
To be honest, I always knew about AA’s awesome award partners and their generous award charts but the places I normally visited were easier/cheaper to get to using United’s miles or Delta’s miles for quite a while. But, a few years ago, I started collecting more AA miles to use for some quick trips I wanted to make to Asia and they work beautifully for that!
But, it has been a few years since I opened my AAdvantage Platinum Select card so I thought I would apply for another one of those (see below for info on getting one if you already have one) and add the business one to my accounts. That would be 100,000 AA miles after spending $6,000 in 3 months. Since I have Executive Platinum status now (and free redeposits), it is the perfect time to get these miles.
Calendar Math
Now, let’s look at some calendar math. If you apply today and are approved(on one of them), you will get the card next week (though you may be able to get the number right away to start spending online). That puts us around February 9/10. The account will have already been opened and that will mean that the end of your statement will likely be, at the most, sometime in early March. AA miles post shortly after your statement closes so you should have the miles well before March 22.
Of course, there could be a delay but if you can get your card and start spending quickly, you have a shot at getting the miles you need before the devaluation occurs. The great thing is that you can hold awards for 5 days – so if you find what you want and you don’t have your miles yet, just hold the award.
After you apply, if you are not immediately approved, you will receive a phone number and application number you can call right away to talk to a CSR about your application. If you choose not to do that, you will receive an e-mail with a link to check the status of your application.
Getting The Cards
The two cards are below (and they are not affiliate links) and are both for 50,000 miles after spending $3,000 on each.
– Citi Platinum AAdvantage Platinum Select Link ($95 annual fee waived the first year)
– CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select Link ($95 annual fee waived the first year)
While both cards will help you out with your getting a bunch of AA miles, there are two things I want to highlight: the Platinum personal card will let you earn a rebate of 10% on miles redeemed in a calendar year (up to 10,000 miles) and the Platinum business card will earn you 2 AA miles per dollar on gas. Something to think about as you spend!
What If You Already Have One?
Here’s the thing with Citi and churning – they had added language that says this:
American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles not available if you have had a Citi®/AAdvantage® Platinum Select® MasterCard® opened or closed in the past 18 months
That means if the AA card you have was opened more than 18 months ago, you are good to go ahead and apply again. Just don’t close the card! Because that will trigger the 18 month clock again. In my case, I had mine for quite a while so was able to get it again without worrying about the above language. This actually awards you if you have been a Citi AA cardholder for at least 18 months!
Also, you can only get 1 Citi card in 8 days and 1 business within 95 days so check your calendar when you last applied for a Citi card! Make sure you follow this pattern when you apply!
Summary
Am I guaranteeing that you will get the miles before the devaluation? No, but this is likely your last chance to do it before then. I know I grabbed them so that I can snag a few last flights and I know that others will want to as well. Hopefully this reminder will serve to prompt you to get these!
