Shopping season is almost here again. Just like last year (2015), the online shopping rebate portals of these three airlines, all managed by the same company, are once again offering bonus miles. One important thing to note: this time, the promotion periods for all 3 airlines do not run through Thanksgiving. They all end at 11:59:59 PM Eastern Time on November 20! So if you want to earn the bonus, your purchase must be completed before Thanksgiving.
The deadline is based on the time of purchase. So even if you make your purchase on the last day of the promotion, you can still receive the bonus miles even if the Portal does not track the transaction until a week later. That said, since some merchants may have time-zone issues in their systems, we do not recommend waiting until the final few hours to shop, so as to avoid unnecessary disputes. Bonus miles will be posted 8-10 weeks after the promotion ends (yes, really that slow, to get past the return window). The bonus miles are tiered, and you will receive the bonus based on the highest spending tier you reach during the promotion period, so you cannot stack multiple tiers. Any shopping site in the Portal that normally earns miles is participating in this promotion, but whether a specific store qualifies should be confirmed in the Portal terms. If you want to compare earning rates across different Portals, you can use Cashback Monitor for a quick comparison.
American Airlines
Promotion link: Complete your purchases by November 20, and on AAdvantage eShopping you can earn:
- Spend $150 or more and earn 500 bonus AAdvantage miles (an extra 3.33 miles/dollar);
- Spend $750 or more and earn 2,500 bonus AAdvantage miles (an extra 3.33 miles/dollar);
- Spend $1,500 or more and earn 5,000 bonus AAdvantage miles (an extra 3.33 miles/dollar).
United Airlines
Promotion link: Complete your purchases by November 20, and on MileagePlus eShopping you can earn:
- Spend $150 or more and earn 500 bonus MileagePlus miles (an extra 3.33 miles/dollar);
- Spend $750 or more and earn 2,500 bonus MileagePlus miles (an extra 3.33 miles/dollar);
- Spend $1,500 or more and earn 5,000 bonus MileagePlus miles (an extra 3.33 miles/dollar).
Gift card purchases through MileagePlus X do not count.
Alaska Airlines
Promotion link: Complete your purchases by November 20, and on AAdvantage eShopping you can earn:
- Spend $150 or more and earn 500 bonus Mileage Plan miles (an extra 3 miles/dollar);
- Spend $500 or more and earn 1,500 bonus Mileage Plan miles (an extra 3 miles/dollar);
- Spend $1,000 or more and earn 3,000 bonus Mileage Plan miles (an extra 3 miles/dollar).
One last reminder: spend responsibly. Don’t force spending just for the bonus and end up losing out overall.