American Airlines miles will no longer expire for members under 21
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
American Airlines announced a positive change for its youngest AAdvantage members on Tuesday. Starting July 1, AAdvantage members under age 21 will be exempt from mileage expiration.
“This change makes retaining miles easier for members who may have fewer opportunities to earn miles,” the airline told TPG.
For more TPG news and deals delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Once a member turns 21, the program’s 18-month activity requirement will take effect.
American tells TPG that on a member’s 21st birthday, the 18-month expiration policy will begin to apply. That means the earliest your miles would expire is at age 22.5. AAdvantage members who are younger than 21 whose miles have expired on or after Jan. 1, 2020, may reactivate their miles by calling AAdvantage customer service.
AAdvantage miles usually expire after 18 months of no activity, meaning that a user hasn’t earned or redeemed miles in this time frame.
American in April announced that that it would extend AAdvantage mileage expiration for miles set to expire to July 1, 2020 — the latest announcement related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
But if you haven’t used your American account in a while, there are several ways you can keep your AAdvantage miles active without flying. Spending on an American Airlines co-branded credit card, shopping through the AAdvantage shopping portal, donating to charity or earning miles with Bask Bank are all ways to keep your miles from expiring.
Another free way to keep your miles active is by commenting on a post on the AwardWallet blog. All you need to do is link your AAdvantage account to your AwardWallet account, and use that AwardWallet account when commenting on a post on their blog. Each comment earns five American Airlines miles.
Remember to put your birthdate into AAdvantage, as miles will still expire after 18 months in AAdvantage accounts without it.
Featured photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
WELCOME OFFER: 80,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,600
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 3X points on dining and 2x points on travel, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Enjoy benefits such as a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 80,000 points are worth $1,000 toward travel.
- With Pay Yourself Back℠, your points are worth 25% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.