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I got a US Airways MasterCard just before the program disappeared, merged into the American Airlines AAdvantage program. Today, I activated the card–a card which theoretically earns miles in a defunct program.

Screen Shot 2015-04-08 at 9.43.33 AMI’ve gotten a lot of tweets, emails, and messages from others who opened the card just recently and haven’t yet earned their 50,000 mile bonus. They’re all wondering how and if they’ll get their bonus.

Yes, with 100% certainty, I could say that if you stood to get a 50,000 US Airways miles bonus from this card, you will get a 50,000 American Airlines miles bonus. How could I be so sure before doing any investigation? A credit card company that offered a 50,000 mile bonus and then didn’t give you one would open itself up to huge penalties from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Now that I have the card, I did a little investigation. I called the number on the back and asked how my miles would be deposited into my US Airways account, since there are no US Airways accounts anymore. The first agent said she’d connect me to the rewards department to provide my American Airlines number, so that a new American Airlines number wasn’t created for me. She actually connected me directly to American Airlines AAdvantage customer support, so I hung up.

I called back, and I told the next agent that my US Airways and American Airlines accounts are already linked. Did I need to do anything else to get my bonus miles into my American Airlines account once I’ve earned them? She said no.

I said, “So you basically report my miles to US Airways, which automatically puts them in my American Airlines account.” She said yes.

We’ll see. Ordinarily after my first purchase on a US Airways card, I’d get 50,000 bonus miles the day that my credit card statement closed. It will be interesting to see whether I get the miles in my American Airlines account at the same time, whether Barclaycard creates a new American Airlines account for those 50,000 miles, or whether there is a delay.

I’m not sure how it will play out exactly, but I know I will eventually get 50,000 American Airlines miles as a bonus. No credit card company reneges on its bonus offers.

Getting More AA Miles

American Airlines miles are super easy to get.

Some credit card offers in this post have expired, but they might come back. If they do they will appear –> Click here for the top current credit card sign up bonuses.

Right now the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® MasterCard® comes with 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months. The card also comes with other awesome benefits like a 10% rebate on miles used for award bookings.

The business version, the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World MasterCard®, also comes with 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months. This card comes with 2x miles on select business purchases and a 5% miles bonus on renewal. One person can have both cards, which would be 106,000 American Airlines miles after meeting the minimum spending requirements.

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.

With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!


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