Trying to plan a trip in the next couple months, but don’t have any points right now or know where to start?
There are a lot of ways to start building points and create a long-term points plan, but often clients come to me and they need a solution right away. Perhaps they already have a trip in mind and very little flexibility on getting time off from work or something unexpected comes up and they need to travel soon, but fares are outrageous. Either way, I feel compelled to get them taken care of – and fast.
I usually have a trick or two up my sleeve, and today I’m going to share with you one of my go-to plays when a client needs to reach a destination quickly and doesn’t have any available points. By utilizing this strategy, you’ll be able to accumulate 60k American Airlines miles in as little as 6 weeks and for only $110. Doing so will get you just about anywhere in no time.
The Aviator Red Card
The American Airlines Aviator Red Card is available through Barclays Bank of Delaware and is one of the best cards on the market that earns American Airlines miles. It also gives you valuable perks on the airline. The full list of benefits includes:
- 60k mile sign-up bonus after making 1 purchase and paying the annual fee
- Companion Certificate – allows you to bring a guest with you on a flight for only $99
- First checked bag free for you and up to 4 guests traveling on the same reservation
- Preferred boarding
- Yearly $25 wi-fi credit
- 2x points on American Airlines purchases
That’s a pretty impressive list of benefits considering this card only carries a $99/year annual fee, but what really makes this offer unique is that you only have to make 1 purchase and pay the annual fee to get the sign-up bonus. Most other cards require you to spend thousands in your first 3 months to get a bonus.
With the Aviator Red card, you could literally buy a pack of gum and then pay the annual fee in the first 90 days to receive what I value as over $1000 (about $900 for the 60k miles plus the companion certificate) worth of benefits. This makes it a complete no-brainer – especially if you live near an American Airlines hub like Miami, Charlotte, NYC, Dallas, Chicago, Phoenix, or Los Angeles.
You can find more info and sign up for the Aviator Red card here.
What Can 60k Miles Get You?
As one of the largest airlines in the US, American Airlines has an extensive list of routes available all over the country and even the world. That means that you’ll have a lot of options when it comes to using your points.
American Airlines uses 4 different classes of standard award travel as seen in the award charts below. With the lowest fares being “MileSAAvers” and the most expensive “AAnytime” fares, your total point cost will vary based on the season and flight demand. American also offers an additional category called “Web Specials” that can make the number of miles needed even lower which allows for some crazy cheap flights.
Here are some of the best ways you could use those 60k miles:
Round-trip Economy Flights Anywhere In The Lower 48 States –You could score a round-trip fare for as low as 15k miles which could net you up to four trips or get you 4 seats on the same flight for your next family trip.
Live in Phoenix and want to take the family to Disneyland? There are Web Special fares as low as 10k round-trip currently.
First-Class Flights In The Lower 48 States – If you are lucky enough to snag a MileSaaver award, you could fly in first class for as low as 30k miles round-trip.
Want to escape the cold weather in Chicago for a weekend getaway in Orlando? You can fly in first class for 35k miles.
Round-trip Economy Flights To Europe – Europe is a popular destination for many of us in the US and in off-peak season flights can go insanely low. Look at this round-trip fare from NYC to Spain for only 39.5k miles.
Round-trip Economy Flights To Asia – Always dreamed of going to Japan, but were deterred by the cost? Off-peak round-trip flights to Tokyo and other destinations in Asia can be had for as low as 54k miles.
Conclusion
There will be times when you’ll be short on points or miles and need to travel. To handle this, it’s important to have a plan in your back pocket to accommodate this situation. The American Airlines Aviator Red card is the perfect option to get a substantial amount of points in a very short period of time. When properly leveraged you’ll be able to get a massive return on your investment and get where you need to go quickly.
