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American Airlines is devaluing its award chart on March 22, 2016. American Airlines miles are worth more now than they will be then (or at any other point in the future.) Now is the time to get the American Airlines personal and business credit cards to use them for travel in 2016 or 2017 on the current award chart.
Some credit card offers in this post have expired, but they might come back. If they do they will appear –> Click here for the top current credit card sign up bonuses.
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® MasterCard® and CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World MasterCard® are each offering 50,000 bonus American Airlines miles after $3,000 in purchases made with your card in the first 3 months the account is open. Don’t be thrown off by the word “Platinum.” Both cards have no annual fee the first 12 months, and then $95.
Get both cards and meet the $6,000 total spending requirement in the next three months to have over 106,000 American Airlines miles, more than enough miles for four international roundtrips.
- Why are the miles worth more now than they ever will be again?
- Why does that mean you should get the cards now?
- How can you lock in travel for 2017 by getting the cards now?
Value of Miles over Time
For a while, the pattern has been that an award program promulgates a chart of award prices, leaves it untouched for a few years, and then puts out a new chart which requires more miles for the same awards.
That means that every few years, the value of your miles drops.
United and Delta miles dropped in value in 2014. American Airlines miles drop in value on March 22. They’ll probably all drop in value again in the next few years.
Getting the American Airlines Cards Now Beats the Drop
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® MasterCard® and CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World MasterCard® are each offering 50,000 bonus American Airlines miles after $3,000 in purchases made with your card in the first 3 months the account is open.
If you got the cards now, the minimum spending requirement would need to be met by early-to-mid March. Usually your bonus miles post at the same time as the statement closes on which you meet the minimum spending requirement.
That gets the miles into your account before their big drop in value.
It means you can book Cathay Pacific First Class to East Asia for the current price of 67,500 miles instead of the future price of 110,000 miles.
Booking Travel for 2016 and 2017
You can book American Airlines awards up to 331 days in advance of travel. You can book awards at their current award prices until March 21, 2016.
That means you can lock in the current prices for travel through February 16, 2017.
Bottom Line
Because we are 3.5 months away from the American Airlines award chart devaluation, and its credit cards have a three month period to meet their minimum spending requirements, now is the time to get the cards.
Have in mind whether you want to use them for super-cheap international travel or ultra-luxury First Class, so that you can book your award in March 2016 for travel through February 2017. Also check out my region-specific guides for redeeming American Airlines miles:
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
Editorial Disclaimer: The editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuers, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuers.
The comments section below is 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 questions are answered.
Very basic question if you dont mind. Can i book aa award travel for someone else or it will be flagged and ultimately canceled?
Yes, you can book for anyone without issue. This is true of almost all miles.
Very basic question if you dont mind. Can i book aa award travel for someone else or it will be flagged and ultimately canceled?
Yes, you can book for anyone without issue. This is true of almost all miles.
Is it ok to apply for both on one day as long as it has been 65 days since my last Citi app?
No. Space them eight days apart.
Is it ok to apply for both on one day as long as it has been 65 days since my last Citi app?
No. Space them eight days apart.
Thanks for this info. If I book in March 2016 for a much later date, say in 2017, would I be able to change my travel dates if necessary and at what cost? I’m sure you cover this somewhere–sorry if I overlooked it.
If you change after March 22, expect to pay the new more expensive prices.
Thanks for this info. If I book in March 2016 for a much later date, say in 2017, would I be able to change my travel dates if necessary and at what cost? I’m sure you cover this somewhere–sorry if I overlooked it.
If you change after March 22, expect to pay the new more expensive prices.