American Selling Miles at a Discount, But a Higher Price Than Before

ByEdward Pizzarello

American just announced another mileage “sale”.  This mileage sale isn’t as good as their last offer from about 45 days ago, when they offered both this same 30% bonus plus a 15% discount on the price.  The price on the current offering is about 2.4 cents a mile.

I wrote about my thoughts on their last sale, and the overall value miles have.  Those thoughts still stand.

And, View From The Wing weighed in with his thoughts on the previous sale.

I can see the value prop at 2 cents, even though I didn’t take AA up on that offer.  I don’t think 2.4 cents is anywhere near as good a value.  I can usually find uses for miles at 2 cents a piece, and definitely at higher values.  But, I don’t see myself tying up cash at this new price.

The interesting thing to me is that AA is back in the market with another offer so quickly, and one that’s noticeably more expensive than their last offer.  Was it a one-time thing to keep positive words out on the street after the BK filing?  Did a ton of people take them up on the 2 cent offer so they decided it was too generous?

Did you buy miles at 2 cents in April? I’d be curious to hear.

My goal in life is to fill my family’s passports with stamps, creating buckets of memories along the way. You’ll find me writing about realistic ways for normal people to travel the world, whether you’re on a budget or enjoy luxury. I also enjoy taking us on the occasional detour to explore the inner workings of the travel industry.

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