Earn double bonus American AAdvantage miles with this limited-time cruise deal

Attention American Airlines enthusiasts: You can rack up significant bonus miles this week by booking a cruise.

On Monday, American Airlines Cruises unveiled a new promotion that rewards customers with 2 American Airlines AAdvantage miles for every dollar spent on cruise fare (before taxes and fees). This doubles the standard offer of 1 mile per dollar spent.

For instance, if you spend $10,000 on a cruise fare during this promotion, you'll earn 20,000 AAdvantage miles.

That's a considerable amount of AAdvantage miles. According to TPG's August 2024 valuations, AAdvantage miles are valued at 1.7 cents each, so 20,000 miles would translate to $340 in value.

Alternatively, that 20,000 miles could secure you two free flights within the contiguous U.S. and Canada by booking award tickets at the lowest AAdvantage rate of 7,500 miles each—leaving you with extra miles.

A chance to double dip

Importantly, you can stack the double miles offer with another promotion from American Airlines Cruises, which provides additional miles for customers who book a balcony cabin or suite using an American Airlines AAdvantage credit card.

As always with American Airlines Cruises, you earn 1 extra AAdvantage mile for every dollar spent on a cruise when using an American Airlines AAdvantage card. However, until the end of August, you can earn an additional 2 AAdvantage miles for every dollar spent when booking a balcony cabin or suite with that same card.

The credit card bonus miles offer applies to select cruises on ships operated by Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and three other major brands.

By combining both promotions, you could earn up to 5 miles for every dollar spent on a cruise fare. That means you could rack up 50,000 AAdvantage miles on a $10,000 cruise.

Keep in mind, you need to act quickly to secure the bonus miles. The double mileage offer is available only until Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, and it applies to new cruise bookings for trips scheduled between now and Dec. 31, 2025.

Details regarding the bonus miles offer

One important point about the new double miles offer: Bonus miles are awarded per cabin and can only be credited to one passenger for each cruise booking. To be eligible, customers must book through the American Airlines Cruises portal.

Additionally, the number of miles earned through this promotion is calculated based on the total cruise fare, excluding port charges, port fees, taxes, and insurance.

The fine print also includes:

• You can earn unlimited miles.
• Your American Airlines AAdvantage number must be provided before embarkation.
• Miles will be credited to the member's account six to eight weeks after the cruise concludes.
• All cruise payments must be made in U.S. currency.
• AAdvantage members will accumulate Loyalty Points for base miles earned when booking through American Airlines Cruises, but not for bonus miles gained during this promotion.

Which credit card should I choose for booking?

You can maximize your rewards by using an American Airlines AAdvantage credit card, such as the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (refer to rates and fees). As mentioned earlier, this card will earn you extra bonus miles when booking a cruise through American Airlines Cruises. Currently, it offers 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $7,000 in the first three months after opening your account.

If you don’t have an American Airlines card, it's advisable to use a card that offers bonus points on cruise purchases. A great choice is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which provides 2 points for every dollar spent on travel, including cruises. At the moment, you can earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening, plus a $300 statement credit on Chase Travel℠ purchases within the first year.