Is the American Airlines AAdvantage Mileage Multiplier a Good Deal?

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If you’ve ever flown on American Airlines, you’ve probably seen an offer to purchase bonus miles presented to you when you check in online. Read on to learn what this offer is, how to get it, and if the American Airlines AAdvantage Mileage Multiplier bonus miles are worth the purchase price or not.

What is the Mileage Multiplier and How Does the Offer Work?

Every time you fly on American Airlines, you’re offered an opportunity to purchase bonus miles, known as the American Airlines AAdvantage Multiplier. The bonus miles are credited to your AAdvantage frequent flyer account along with the base miles earned on the flights. There are three ways to purchase the miles: call American reservations, online when you check in, or at an airport kiosk (select the Reprint Boarding Pass or Check Baggage option). If you’ve already checked in, you can still purchase the miles online, just visit the My Reservations section of the AA website, up to 45 minute prior to departure.

If the reservation is for multiple passengers, you can choose to buy Mileage Multiplier miles for one, some, or all of them.

It depends, since each offer is different, but chances are it’s not that great of a deal if you’re looking for low-cost bonus miles. The purchase price is often upwards of 3 cents per mile, usually lightly more expensive than just buying the points online. In this case, it’s better to find other AADvantage bonus mile offers that offer a lower cost per mile, or bonus mile offers that you receive in conjunction with the purchase of other goods or services you would be buying anyway.

One drawback of the Mileage Multiplier is that the bonus miles purchased don’t count toward elite status qualification or AAdvantage Million Miler status. On the other hand, AAdvantage members are limited to 100,000 miles purchased or received, but there is no limit on Mileage Multipler miles purchased – so if you need more than 100,000 AAdvantage miles, say to book award flights for a family trip, the Mileage Multiplier is the way to go.

Other than members needing more than 100,000 miles, AAdvantage Mileage Multiplier is really best for those who are short miles for a specific award. It also offers a quick and easy way to add miles to your account to keep it current, but there are definitely cheaper – even free – ways to do this.

[ Related: Track AAdvantage miles or redeem for gift cards at over 90 retailers and restaurants (services provided by Points.com) ]

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