Calculate The Cost of Buying American Airlines Miles

Cost to purchase AAdvantage miles

American Airlines miles will cost you 3.7625 cents per mile to purchase, no matter how many miles you purchase. The standard rate on American Airlines miles are shown in the table below.

In terms of limits, you can purchase as little as 2,000 AAdvantage Miles and as many as 150,000 AAdvantage Miles in a single transaction.

Buying the minimum of 2,000 AAdvantage Miles will cost you $64.50 and buying the maximium of 150,000 AAdvantage Miles will cost you $4,837.50.

You can buy up to 150,000 AAdvantage Miles in a single transaction and up to 150,000 AAdvantage Miles per calendar year. This may change depending on buy point promotions during the calendar year.

American Airlines buy miles calculator

If you're looking to buy AAdvantage Miles at the standard rate, the calculator below can give you an idea of how much buying miles may cost you.

Do note that the cost of AAdvantage Miles can change at any time, so you'll want to log into your AAdvantage account and check their Buy Miles page to see the most up-to-date cost.

When to purchase AAdvantage miles

The most common reason for purchasing AAdvantage Miles is to top of your AAdvantage account when you're a few miles short of a redemption. While it can be rather expensive to buy a couple thousand miles, you'll typically still come out ahead if you have a solid redemption lined up.

Another reason in which is makes sense to purchases AAdvantage Miles is if you find a redemption that will give you more value than what you paid for them.

There are redemptions on American Airlines and partner flights, especially in Business/First Class, that can give your miles more than 3.7625 cents in value. When this is the case, purchasing miles can be very well worth it.

Just be sure to find a good redemption and run the calculations before you purchase AAdvantage Miles.

How to purchase AAdvantage miles

American Airlines AAdvantage Miles can be purchased directly from the American Airlines website. You will be asked to log in so be sure that you have your AAdvantage credentials handy.

You will need to log in if you're buying miles for yourself.

Once you're logged in, American Airlines will show you your AAdvantage account number, email, mileage balance and how many miles your eligible to buy. You'll also see the option to select how many miles you wish to purchase and to specify whether or not you're gifting the miles to someone else. You can buy between 2,000 and 150,000 AAdvantage Miles in a single transaction in 1,000-point increments. If a sale is going on, AA will let you know how much you saved and/or how many bonus miles you earned.

Remember that you can only buy so many miles per calendar year.

Once you select how many miles you wish to buy, American Airlines will calculate the total charges which consists of the cost of the miles, federal excise tax, and any processing charges that may apply. GST/HST will apply for residents of Canada.

These AAdvantage Miles will cost me about 2.52 cents each once taxes are added.

If you select the option to gift miles, you will be asked to enter the recipient's information. This includes:

• First and Last Name
• Email (optional)
• AAdvantage Number
• Personal Message (optional)

You will need at least the recipient's name and AAdvantage Number to gift them miles.

Regardless of whether you're gifting miles or buying them for yourself, you'll be asked to enter your credit or debit card information. If you're logged in, most of your personal information will be filled in. Do note that if your debit card always requires a PIN (as in you can't go to the store and select credit as an option with your debit card), it will not be accepted. You can select from the following card types to purchase AAdvantage Miles:

• AA Credit Card
• Discover (US Only)
• MasterCard
• VISA
• American Express
• Diners Club International
• JCB
• Universal Air Travel Card

Address info is auto-populated if you're signed in.

Once you hit continue, you will be taken to the next page to review your purchase. It will list your information, the credit card billing information, and the total charges. Once you agree to the terms and conditions and hit 'Pay Now' you will be charged.

Review the detail, agree to the terms, and buy your miles.

Purchased points will usually post to your account (or the person they were gifted to) right away, but it can take up to 8 hours for processing.

Best ways to earn AAdvantage miles

Struggling to build up your AAdvantage Miles? The best way to quickly increase your balance is by signing up for an American Airlines credit card. These cards offer generous initial bonus miles and allow you to earn rewards on all of your everyday purchases, so you can rake in those AAdvantage Miles faster than ever!

Here's our top partner credit card picks for earning AAdvantage miles:

Credit Card	Highlights	Annual Fee
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Best For No Annual Fee Learn More Card Value & Miles Calculator	Earn 10,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles and receive a $50 statement credit after making $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. 2X miles on American Airlines and restaurant purchases 25% off in-flight purchases of food and beverage	$0
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® Best For Admirals Club Lounge Access Learn More Card Value & Miles Calculator	Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. 2X miles on American Airlines purchases Complimentary Admirals Club membership First checked bag free for yourself and up to 8 others traveling with you Up to $100 towards a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application	$495