Let’s start with some simple math: 120,000 miles is nearly five times around the world. Not many people fly that much in their life. And these days, even if you did, you probably wouldn’t earn 120,000 miles for doing so – you’d earn a fraction of the distance. Let’s do some more math: 120,000 airline miles is enough for round trip international flat bed business class. Here’s how to earn 120,000 miles without flying anywhere.

The What

There’s a rare opportunity brewing at the moment for people in the US. American Airlines offers two different credit cards, by two different banks. What this means, is that anyone can apply for both cards on the same day, earning 60,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles from each card. That’s 120,000 miles in 120 seconds. And yes, that’s enough to go almost anywhere – round trip in business class.

The How

At a minimum, miles are worth 1 cent each. But if you know what you’re doing, they can be leveraged for up to 10 cents each. At the very least – this stack of miles is worth $1200 in air travel. You’ll pay $95 in annual fees per card, but we think at least one of them is completely negated, thanks to unlimited first bag free and priority boarding on all American Airlines flights. The American Airlines Barclaycard Aviator Red has no spending requirement. Any purchase will trigger 60,000 miles. The Citi AAdvantage Platinum will require $3,000 in spending in 3 months. Here’s how to do that easily. And here’s how to earn even more miles from online shopping!

The Why

You can take two people to Europe or Asia in economy, or you can treat yourself to round trip business class somewhere fantastic, enjoying the delights of fully flat beds, champagne and meals worth eating. Turning personal finance into free travel is the greatest trick in the book – and thanks to these easily digestible and achievable offers, anyone can partake. Enjoy!

Are you taking advantage of this awesome opportunity?

 

Gilbert Ott

Gilbert Ott is an ever curious traveler and one of the world's leading travel experts. His adventures take him all over the globe, often spanning over 200,000 miles a year and his travel exploits are regularly...

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1 Comment

  1. Love all your posts! A single purchase doesn’t trigger the 60k miles provision for Barclays. The 60k miles is triggered by total payments of more than the annual fee. I had $67 on my first statement, but didn’t get the 60k miles until my next statement payment date!

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