What to Do With 5,000 or Fewer American Airlines AAdvantage Miles
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
So, you made the AAdvantage redemption of a lifetime. Maybe you're jetting off to the Maldives on American partner Qatar Airlines, or maybe you snagged an award in American's Flagship first class. Whatever the redemption may be, chances are quite good that it didn't reduce your balance to exactly zero miles. As a result, you may be wondering what to do if you suddenly find yourself with less than 5,000 miles in your AAdvantage account and no plans to earn more.
Your first thought may be to leave the points in your account. However, AAdvantage miles expire after 18 months of inactivity, so it's tough to keep the miles alive if you don't have plans to earn more miles. But fear not: AAdvantage gives its members a few ways to redeem small amounts of miles for things other than flights, so you don't have to let them go to waste.
With that in mind, let's dive into a few ways to redeem small amounts of AAdvantage miles. These redemptions don't offer the most value for your points, but they're far better than letting the points go to waste.
Redeem for Magazine and Newspaper Subscriptions
One of the most popular ways to redeem a small amount of AAdvantage miles is by redeeming for magazine or newspaper subscriptions. This can be a surprisingly good use of a small amount of miles. For example, a 50-issue subscription to Bloomberg Businessweek is 1,600 AAdvantage miles. This subscription usually costs $70, giving you a 4.4 cents per mile valuation — not too bad considering TPG's most recent valuations pegs AAdvantage miles at 1.4 cents per point.
At this rate, you could snag a few of these or possibly even give one as a gift. Just be sure to pay close attention to the terms of the subscription, as most of these only cover the first year. After that, you'll be auto-billed with the credit card you provide when you redeem your miles, so either be sure you want to keep the subscription or set a reminder to cancel before the second year.
Donate Your Miles
Alternatively, you can donate your small AAdvantage balance to one of American's causes. There is no minimum donation, so you can donate any amount of miles you see fit. American Airlines has three donation options:
- Miles for Our Heroes gives miles to organizations that support veterans, military members, and their families.
- Miles for Our Well-Being gives miles to organizations that work to raise awareness and funds to medical causes or bring treatments to patients in need.
- Miles for Our Social Good gives miles to organizations that work to improving the stability, health, and care for people in need.
Donating miles to one of American's causes can have a real impact on the recipient organizations, so definitely consider donating your small amounts of miles instead of letting them expire.
Redeem For A Domestic Upgrade (With Caution)
5,000 AAdvantage miles is enough to upgrade a full-fare economy ticket to first class within the continental United States. However, full-fare economy tickets are often more expensive than discounted first class tickets, so unless your employer is already booking you in this fare class, this option is likely not a great option for most travelers.
Earn More Miles
If none of these options sound appealing to you, consider keeping your AAdvantage miles from expiring by putting a plan together to earn more. You may not have an immediate plan to fly American, but what happens if you have a death in the family, need a last-minute plane ticket, and American is the only option that isn't astronomically expensive? What if you suddenly take a new job that'll require semi-frequent travel on the carrier? You can probably build your account back up more quickly than you imagine. Here are some simple ways to do it:
- Open a credit card: American has cobranded credit card agreements with both Citi and Barclays, so you could open a card like the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® and take home a sign-up bonus of 50,000 bonus miles after spending $2,500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. The card also carries numerous perks for flying American, including a free checked bag, 2x miles on eligible American Airlines purchases, at gas stations and at restaurants, and no foreign transaction fees.
- Shop online: If you make online purchases, you should absolutely be using an online shopping portal. While some might prefer the simplicity of cash-back tools like Ebates, I've found the AAdvantage eShopping site often provides higher earning rates than other airlines' portals across hundreds of online retailers. Tip: To quickly compare these rates, use a shopping portal aggregator.
- Dine out: A third simple way to earn AAdvantage miles is by dining out. American is one airline that participates in the Dining Rewards Network, a series of thousands of restaurants that award you bonus points or miles simply by signing up and linking your preferred credit card(s).
The information for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
For additional details on these and other options for boosting your American account balance, check out our guide to earning AAdvantage miles.
Bottom Line
If you've maximized the AAdvantage program for a recent redemption, you may have an odd number of miles remaining in your account. Fortunately you don't have to let these go to waste, as there are several ways to put them to use. These redemptions may not give you a ton of value, but they're far more valuable than letting the miles expire. After all, some value is better than no value at all.
What's your favorite way to redeem a small amount of AAdvantage miles? Let us know in the comments.
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 4X | 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. |
| 4X | 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. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
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.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | 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. |
| 4X | 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. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.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.