There's no easier way to earn a huge welcome bonus than with the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®: Forget spending a few thousand dollars, you can get 70,000 miles with one quick purchase … at least for now.

Yes, it's really that simple. All you need to do is make a single purchase within 90 days of opening the card (whether it's a cup of coffee or a new refrigerator), pay the $99 annual fee, and voila … you've got 70,000 AAdvantage miles. That's up from the standard 60,000-mile bonus that comes with this card. 

But the opportunity to earn such an easy bonus might not be around much longer: Recent reports indicate Citi is set to become American Airlines' exclusive credit card partner, making this card a relic of the past. 

If you've got a good use for AAdvantage miles – and trust us, there are plenty – don't let this (potentially last-chance) offer pass you by. These are some of the easiest miles you'll ever earn!

Here's everything you need to know about this offer and why you should take advantage before it's too late. 

Read more: 7 Reasons American AAdvantage Miles Have Huge Value

 

Aviator Red Mastercard
 

Learn more about the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link).

 

Why Now?

Being able to earn 70,000 miles with a single swipe (and paying the annual fee) on a travel card is one of the easiest ways to get miles for some incredible travel – and not just with American Airlines, but with amazing partner airlines like Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines, and many more. 

The fact that American Airlines offers co-branded credit cards issued by two separate banks, is quite unique. If you look at competitors like Delta and United, their cards are issued by a single financial institution – American Express and Chase, respectively. This means you're limited to earning sign-up bonuses from a single bank … and oftentimes their internal rules will limit you from scoring multiple offers. But with AA offering cards issued by both Barclays and Citi, that isn't an issue … at least for the time being. 

 

American Airlines credit cards with a passport and glasses

 

The reason for this unique dynamic is all thanks to American's merger with U.S. Airways way back in 2013. At the time, American opted to keep its longstanding relationship with Citi intact, while also taking on U.S. Airways' card partner Barclays. For over a decade, these two have co-existed, but it seems those days are numbered as American looks set to make Citi its only card partner. 

When this will happen (if at all) is anyone's guess, but there have been hints from both banks that lead us to believe it's likely. And when it does, travelers will lose the ability to earn some of the easiest airline miles of all. Simply put: No other bank has offered such a big bonus with a single purchase, making this a golden opportunity to add valuable AA miles before it's too late. 

Related reading: How to Quickly Earn 145 AAdvantage Miles (& Why You Should)

 

AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard Card Benefits

Welcome Bonus Offer

Earn 70,000 bonus miles after making a purchase of any dollar amount in the first 90 days of opening your card and paying card's $99 annual fee in full.

Buy breakfast, a newspaper, a pack of gum, or spend any amount of money on your new card and you'll earn the 70,000-mile bonus.

Beyond that, there is no hefty minimum spending requirement like those you'll encounter with nearly every other travel rewards credit cards. That alone sets this card apart: It makes it easier (and cheaper) to earn a huge bonus than any other card.

 

First Checked Bag Free

For the primary cardmember and up to four companions on eligible bags when traveling on domestic itineraries operated by American Airlines. You don't even need to pay for your flight with the card to get free bags.

But note that caveat: This free bag benefit only applies on American's domestic flights. 

 

Preferred Boarding

For the primary cardmember and up to four companions that are booking on the same reservation for all American Airlines operated flights.

 

A Companion Certificate

Starting in year two, you can earn a companion certificate once you've spent $20,000 in a calendar year and keep your account open for at least 45 days after your card renewal date. You'll pay just $99 for your companion to tag along on the flight.

 

Onboard Wi-Fi credit

If you pay for inflight Wi-Fi with the Aviator Mastercard, you will get up to $25 back in statement credits each year.

 

Earn 2x AAdvantage miles

You'll earn 2x the AAdvantage miles for every dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, and 1x AAdvantage miles for every dollar spent on all other purchases.

 

Flight Cents Program

There's a novel option to round up your purchases to the nearest dollar to earn more miles at a rate of 2 cents per mile.

Here's an example: Let's say you make a $1.50 but decide round up to $2. Since the round-up earns 1 mile for every 2 cents rounded up, you would earn 25 additional AAdvantage miles.

Cardholders can set a maximum they'd like to round up each statement period, from $1 to $500. By default, this option is turned off. You'll have to log in and activate it yourself.

 

25% Inflight Savings

You can get 25% back in the form of statement credit for purchases of in-flight food and beverages. There is no limit to the number of times you can use this benefit.

 

$99 Annual Fee

The card has a $99 annual fee. From time to time we see offers that waive the fee for the first year but that isn't the case this time around. You'll have to pay that $99 fee straight away in order to get your big bonus.

 

How Far Can 70K AAdvantage Miles Take You?

American Airlines AAdvantage miles are some of the most valuable miles out there. Not only can you use them for flights with American Airlines, but you can also redeem them for incredible experiences for flights on their Oneworld alliance partners.

Want to fly in a Qatar Qsuite? Or how about flying Japan Airlines first class? AA is unique among the major domestic airlines in that it doesn’t charge more to redeem miles on partner airlines… at least for now. In our mind, this advantage alone makes American Airlines miles worth collecting. So what can you fly?

Qatar Airways Qsuites is widely considered the best business class seat in the world. These flights cost 70,000 AA miles one way from the U.S. You won't find a nicer business-class product in the world, period. That means that with this sign-up bonus alone you'd have enough miles to book a one-way flight all the way to the Middle-East.

 

qatar airways qsuite

 

Because of these reasonable rates, it's one of the best ways to fly to the Maldives on points and miles. It's become far more difficult to find the award availability to actually book these suites with AAdvantage miles lately, but if you can make it work, it's tough to beat.

Oneworld partner airlines Japan Airlines (JAL) and Cathay Pacific offer two of the best ways to fly business or first class to Asia. For example, a flight to Tokyo in Japan Airlines business class costs just 60,000 AAdvantage miles. That's right: Buy a pack of gum or a coffee and you'll have enough miles to book a business-class flight to Japan.

 

finding award space

 

Or if you prefer to stick closer to home, you can often score a great deal using AA miles to book domestic flights (or shorter international flights) flying American itself. Over the last few years, American Airlines has begun selling domestic flights for as low as 6,000 miles each way – down from a previous norm of 7,500 miles or even 12,500 miles.

It can be a bit tricky to find these fares – and will likely require some trial and error – but no matter if you're flying from an AA hub like Phoenix (PHX) or Miami (MIA), or even a small regional airport like Sioux Falls, South Dakota (FSD), these low fares are out there and can save you a boatload of cash or miles.

 

AA 6k award ticket FSD-SAT

 

Read more: The Best Ways to Redeem AAdvantage Miles

 

Bottom Line

Earning 70,000 miles after making a quick purchase and paying a modest $99 annual fee is pretty unbeatable. So unbeatable, that it might not be a possibility for much longer! If American Airlines decides to make Citi its exclusive co-branded card partner, the American Airlines Aviator Red card, issued by Barclays, and its big bonus would no longer be available. 

This makes now a great time to apply for this card, while you still can. You simply won't find an easier way to earn a big pile of miles!

 

Aviator Red Mastercard
 

Learn more about the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link).