Act fast: American AAdvantage offer brings big bonus miles when booking cruises

Big news, American Airlines fans: You can get some serious bonus miles this month by booking a cruise.

American Airlines Cruises on Monday launched a new promotion offering customers 2 American Airlines AAdvantage miles for every dollar spent on a cruise fare (the base rate before taxes and fees). That's twice the normal offer of 1 mile for every dollar spent.

For example, if you spend $8,000 on a cruise fare during the promotion, you can earn up to 16,000 AAdvantage miles.

That's a solid number of AAdvantage miles. TPG currently values AAdvantage miles at 1.7 cents each, meaning that 16,000 miles would be worth $272 at our valuation.

In other words, that 16,000 miles could get you two free flights in the contiguous U.S. and Canada when booking a miles ticket at the AAdvantage program's lowest award rate of 7,500 miles per ticket.

An opportunity to double-dip

The double miles offer is part of a bigger promotion this month at American Airlines Cruises called America's Largest Cruise Sale that brings additional savings and perks in some cases, depending on the cruise you book (on top of any savings the cruise lines are offering).

The additional savings and perks by line are:

• Royal Caribbean: Up to $100 in onboard credit plus a specialty dining credit
• Norwegian Cruise Line: Prepaid gratuities for two passengers
• Carnival Cruise Line: Prepaid gratuities for all guests
• Celebrity Cruises: Up to $200 in onboard credit on select sailings plus exclusive rates
• Cunard: Up to $300 in onboard credit
• Holland America: Gratuities included for two passengers and exclusive rates
• Princess Cruises: Up to $100 in onboard credit and exclusive rates
• Oceania Cruises: Up to $150 in onboard credit and exclusive rates
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises: Up to $2,000 in savings
• Silversea Cruises: $500 in savings
• AmaWaterways: Prepaid gratuities for all guests on select 2024 sailings
• Azamara Cruises: Up to $500 in onboard credit and exclusive rates
• Viking: Up to a $200 onboard credit

Additionally, you can get even more miles if you book the cruise using an American Airlines AAdvantage credit card. As is always the case when booking through American Airlines Cruises, you can get 1 additional AAdvantage mile for every dollar spent on a cruise using an American Airlines AAdvantage card.

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That means that you can score up to 3 miles for every dollar spent on a cruise fare with this new promotion. That'd be 24,000 AAdvantage miles for an $8,000 cruise.

Note that you have to act fast to get the bonus miles. The accelerated mileage offer is only available through June 28. It applies to new bookings for cruises scheduled to take place between Tuesday, June 11, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2025.

Details of the bonus mile offer

Unlike some airline frequent flyer program offers for cruises, this new bonus mile offer is available to customers who book any category of cabin or suite — not just higher-category cabins.

Among the caveats: Bonus miles are earned per cabin 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

Also, the number of miles customers earn from the promotion is based on the total cruise purchase price, excluding port charges, port expenses, taxes and insurance.

Other fine print:

• There is no limit to how many miles you can earn.
• Your American Airlines AAdvantage number must be provided prior to embarkation.
• Miles are posted to the member's account six to eight weeks after the cruise ends.
• Cruises must be paid in U.S. currency.
• AAdvantage members will earn Loyalty Points for base miles earned when booking at 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® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees). As noted above, it'll earn you additional bonus miles when booking a cruise through American Airlines Cruises. As a welcome offer, this card is currently offering 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $7,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.

If you don't have an American Airlines card, it's best to use a card that earns bonus points on cruises. One good option is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which earns 2 points per dollar spent on travel, including cruises. As a sign-on bonus, you can also earn 75,000 Ultimate Rewards bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

• The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
• 15 ways cruisers waste money
• 15 best cruise ships for people who never want to grow up
• What to pack for your first cruise