From now until 5th January 2020, American Airlines is offering up to 70% bonus miles when you purchase AAdvantage Miles. In this promotion, you will be offered the following tier bonus:
To push the cost to its lowest, you need to buy at least 100,000 miles in order to purchase at the rate of 2.07 US cents/mile (Max: 255,000 AAdvantage Miles for $5,288.20).
Things to Note Before You Purchase Miles
- AAdvantage accounts must be more than 29 days old.
- A maximum of 150,000 miles can be purchased per calendar year in any one account.
Should I Buy Miles Now?
| Period | US Cents Per Mile |
| Dec 2019 | 2.07 |
| Black Friday | 1.78 |
| Nov 2019 | 2.01 |
| Oct 2019 | 2.03 |
| Sept 2019 | 2.08 |
| Aug 2019 | 1.84 |
| July 2019 | 1.72 |
| June 2019 | 1.72 |
| May 2019 | 1.72 |
| March to April 2019 | 1.92 |
| Feb 2019 | 1.72 |
| Jan 2019 | 1.72 |
From the table above, you probably would have come to the conclusion that you should not use this chance to buy AAdvantage miles now. Nevertheless, I will not strongly advise against buying miles at 2.07 US cents/mile, you can still get a cheap First/Business Class ticket:
- One way between US and Asia on Cathay Pacific Business Class for 70,000 miles ($1,449)
- One way between US and Middle East on Qatar Airways Business Class for 70,000 miles ($1,449)
- One way between Europe and Middle East on Qatar Airways Business Class for 42,500 miles ($880)
- One way between Asia and Middle East on Etihad First Class for 50,000 miles ($1,035)
To find out more redemption opportunities, you may check out the American Airlines redemption charts for Oneworld and partner airlines here. If you prefer to fly with American Airlines, you can click here for their redemption chart.
Conclusion
While there is a good chance that AAdvantage miles will be selling at 1.72 US cents again in the near future, I would not stop you from buying miles through this promotion. At 2.07 US cent per mile, you can secure cheap First/Business Class tickets, especially when compared to the conventional way of booking a revenue ticket directly.
Do note that it will be American Airlines that will be processing this transaction. It is advisable to use a credit card that gives you good miles for airfare purchases.