In 2022, American Airlines has revamped the way you earn AAdvantage elite status. The only criteria for American Airlines elite status is loyalty points.
Even if you don’t care about elite status, you might be looking for a way to earn more AAdvantage miles on your next award flight. Fortunately, US residents with a Mastercard can earn American Airlines Miles and Loyalty Points on many everyday purchases through the SimplyMiles program. Here’s what you need to know.
What is SimplyMiles?
The SimplyMiles program is similar to Amex Offers, Chase Offers and Citi Merchant Offers in that you sign up for offers and receive rewards. But while you sign up a specific card for offers from credit card merchants, SimplyMiles offers allow you to pay with any linked Mastercard once you sign up for an offer.
To sign up for SimplyMiles, visit the SimplyMiles website and click the “Join” link in the top right corner.
Log into your American Airlines AAdvantage account and add at least one Mastercard to your account to get started. SimplyMiles’ FAQ page states that you can link up to three Mastercard credit cards to your account. However, it’s worth adding all your Mastercard credit cards if you have more than three; I was able to add all seven.
Related: Best uses of American Airlines miles
With SimplyMiles from American Airlines
After you sign up for SimplyMiles, you can visit the website occasionally to view your offers. Some offers award miles based on how much you spend, while others award a set number of miles when you spend a specific amount with a merchant.
As you browse your offers, add the offers you want to use to your account by clicking ‘Add to card’. There’s no harm in adding an offer and then not using it. However, some offers can only be redeemed online or in-store, while other offers require you to click through a specific link or are only valid on specific purchases. So make sure you read the terms and conditions of each offer before making a purchase.
I usually have different offers ranging from gas stations to food delivery services to shoe companies. At the bottom of the list you will see all the offers you have already added to your account.
Daily newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for the latest news, in-depth guides and exclusive offers from the experts at TPG
You’ll earn AAdvantage miles when you make a qualifying purchase with a card you’ve added to your SimplyMiles account. Unless clearly labeled as ‘bonus miles’, the miles you earn through SimplyMiles are base miles eligible for Loyalty Points. Then, each time you make a qualifying purchase, you will receive an email titled “Thank you for using your SimplyMiles offer.”
You can also check your earnings by clicking ‘Miles Earned’ at the top of the web page.
Miles typically appear in your account within five to fifteen business days of your purchase. However, please note that it can sometimes take up to 30 calendar days for your earnings to be posted.
Related: Earn American Miles (and Loyalty Points) While You Eat with the AAdvantage Dining Portal
Stack your earnings
It’s great to earn American Airlines Miles and Loyalty Points through the SimplyMiles program. Even though the terms and conditions state, “Offers cannot be combined or stacked with other offers,” the offers are often still stackable.
For example, you can combine all of the following earning methods with one purchase made with a Citi Mastercard:
- Just Miles
- Offers from Citi merchants
- Shopping portal rewards
- Credit Card Rewards
Naturally, the merchant must participate in SimplyMiles (without the requirement to use a specific link), Citi Merchant Offers, and a shopping portal for this quadruple stack to possibly work. For example, let’s say I wanted to buy accessories from Dell Technologies.
Currently, through the SimplyMiles portal, I would get 2 miles per dollar spent (up to 3,485 miles) for every purchase at Dell Technologies using a linked Mastercard.
Citi Merchant Offers would give me 5% back if I used my registered Citi AAdvantage card on a Dell Technologies purchase. With this card I would also earn 1 mile per dollar spent on my Dell Technologies purchase. If you want to add an American Airlines card to your wallet, Citi and Barclays offer cobranded Mastercard credit cards that you can link to SimplyMiles.
Finally, the AAdvantage eShopping portal would earn me 5 miles per dollar spent on Dell Technologies accessories.
The moral of the story here is to stack SimplyMiles offers when you can. You may not always get credit for the whole stack, but successfully stacking offers can accelerate your progress toward earning U.S. elite status and help you build your AAdvantage mileage balance.
Related: After 7 Years as an American Airlines Executive Platinum, Requalification Is No Longer a Must for Me: Here’s Why
In short
There’s no shortage of ways to earn AAdvantage miles and loyalty points. From the AAdvantage shopping portal to American Airlines credit cards, you don’t have to fly often to earn American Airlines miles and status.
The SimplyMiles program is a great tool if you want to earn more rewards and loyalty points while shopping. From gas stations to clothing and luggage delivery services, you’ll find a variety of merchants on the SimplyMiles website. However, offers are added regularly, so you should keep an eye out for new offers every week to maximize your earnings.