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American Airlines Extends Bonus Miles for Business & First Class Flights

Jan. 08, 2016
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4 min read
AA 777 Business Class
American Airlines Extends Bonus Miles for Business & First Class Flights
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In 2015, American Airlines rolled out a program to incentivize business and first class travel by offering between 250-12,000 bonus points per segment. Good news! AA has extended the program into 2016 and will keep it in place "until the changes to earning award miles go into effect in the second half of 2016" — the exact date of which still hasn't been announced.

Earning Rates

Earning rates depend on your elite status, booking class and distance of flight.

This offer is best for AA Executive Platinum elites, who'll earn between 500-12,000 bonus points per segment — depending on the fare class and length of flight. Meanwhile, AA Platinum, Gold and general members are all treated the same for this promo, earning between 250-6,000 bonus points per segment.

The largest bonus is for AA Executive Platinum members booked into F, A, P, J, R or D fare class on flights over 3,000 miles (JFK-SFO and JFK-LAX are specifically included). Each of these segments will earn 12,000 bonus miles, which equates to $204 in value based on TPG's current valuation of 1.7 cents per mile. If you're not "ExPlat," these segments will each earn 6,000 bonus miles (worth ~$102).

The business and first class mileage bonus has been extended through at least June 30th.

Benefits

  • These bonus miles are in addition to the base miles, class of service bonus miles and elite status bonus miles you'd otherwise earn.
  • No registration is necessary for this promotion. American Airlines will automatically credit you these bonus miles after you fly.
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Limitations

  • You must book into first or business class; upgrades into first/business class don't earn bonus miles.
  • The flight must be an American Airlines-marketed flights, which means you should make sure the flight is sold as an AA flight number.
  • In addition, the flight must be operated by American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, Japan Airlines or Qantas to qualify for the bonus.
  • As can be expected, bonus miles don't count toward elite status qualification or AAdvantage Million Miler status.

Example itinerary

See how many miles you can earn on this sample itinerary.

Right now, you can book New York LaGuardia (LGA) to Dallas (DFW) for $398 round-trip in first class. This flight books into P class and the distance between these airports is 1,389 miles. So, it counts as a short/medium flight earning the larger bonus. Flyers would get a 500-mile bonus for each leg — or 1,000-mile bonus for Executive Platinum elites.

Let's break down the earnings:

StandardGoldPlatinumExPlat
Base Miles
1,389
1,389
1,389
1,389
Class of Service Bonus
695
695
695
695
Elite Bonus
--
347
1,389
1,389
Additional Bonus Miles
500
500
500
1,000
One-way Miles
2,584
2,931
3,973
4,473
Round-trip Miles
5,167
5,862
7,945
8,945
Value of Miles
$ 87.84
$ 99.65
$ 135.07
$ 152.07

While this is no mileage-run material, you can see that you can get a significant number of miles from the class of service bonus and this extended first & business class bonus.

Will this incentivize you to book upcoming travel in American Airlines first or business class?

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Apply for American Express® Gold Card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for dining at restaurants

American Express® Gold Card

TPG Editor‘s Rating
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  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.