Joe McConnell
American Airlines fans, take note: You can earn a ton of bonus miles when you book a cruise this week.
On Monday, American Airlines Cruises launched a new promotion that offers customers 2 American Airlines AAdvantage miles for every dollar spent on a cruise fare (the base fare before taxes and fees). That’s double the normal offer of 1 mile for every dollar spent.
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For example, if you spend $10,000 on a cruise during the promotion, you can earn 20,000 AAdvantage miles.
That’s a lot of AAdvantage miles. According to TPG’s August 2024 valuations, AAdvantage miles are worth 1.7 cents each, meaning 20,000 miles would net you $340 in value.
Or, to put it another way, those 20,000 miles could get you two free flights in the U.S. and Canada when you book an award ticket at the lowest award fare in the AAdvantage program, which is 7,500 miles per ticket, with miles remaining.
An opportunity to double down
In particular, the double miles offer can be combined with another promotion launched by American Airlines Cruises, which can grant additional miles to customers who book a balcony stateroom or suite using an American Airlines AAdvantage credit card.
As always when you book through American Airlines Cruises, you can earn 1 additional AAdvantage mile per dollar spent on your cruise when you use an American Airlines AAdvantage card. But through the end of August, you can earn 2 additional AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on your cruise when you use an American Airlines AAdvantage card when you book a balcony or suite.
The credit card bonus miles offer is available on select cruises on ships operated by Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and three other major brands.
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By combining the two promotions, you can earn up to 5 miles for every dollar spent on a cruise fare. That’s 50,000 AAdvantage miles on a $10,000 cruise.
Please note that you must act quickly to get the bonus miles. The double mile offer is only available through Friday, August 16, 2024. It applies to new bookings for sailings scheduled between now and December 31, 2025.
Bonus Miles Offer Details
Among the caveats to the new double mileage offer: Bonus miles are earned per stateroom and are awarded to only one passenger per cruise booking. To qualify, customers must book through the American Airlines Cruises portal.
Related: How to Book a Cruise Using Points and Miles
Additionally, the number of miles customers earn through the promotion is based on the total purchase price of the cruise, excluding port fees, port charges, taxes and insurance.
The fine print also states that:
- There is no limit to the number of miles you can earn.
- You must provide your American Airlines AAdvantage number prior to boarding.
- Miles are credited to the member’s account six to eight weeks after the end of the cruise.
- Cruises must be paid for in U.S. currency.
- AAdvantage members will earn Loyalty Points for base miles earned when booking with American Airlines Cruises, but not for bonus miles earned during the promotion.
Which credit card should I use to book?
You can maximize your purchase by using an American Airlines AAdvantage credit card, such as the Citi® Mastercard® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Card (see rates and fees). As mentioned above, it will earn you additional bonus miles when you book a cruise through American Airlines Cruises. This card currently offers 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $7,000 in purchases in the first three months of your account opening.
If you don’t have an American Airlines card, it’s best to use a card that earns bonus points on cruises. A good option is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which earns 2 points for every dollar spent on travel, including cruises. Right now, you can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in purchases in the first three months of account opening.
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