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4 steps to opening an American Airlines loyalty account

  • Joseph Hostetler

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    EVERYONE needs an American Airlines loyalty account. American Airlines is the largest airline in the world, and an exceptionally useful tool for reaching Europe, the Caribbean, South America, and lots of other fun areas.

    To make things even sweeter, American Airlines miles are pretty easy to collect. American Airlines credit cards are some of the best airline credit cards out there, and come with large sign-up bonuses to help you stockpile quickly for an upcoming vacation. For example you can earn AA miles by opening:

    The information for the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

    American Airlines miles value can be very high (read our post on the best uses of AA miles), so they’re worth collecting. Here’s a quick four-step guide to opening an American Airlines account.

    American Airlines miles have taken me to some of my favorite destinations, like Peru and Hawaii

    How to set up a American Airlines account

    Opening a loyalty account isn’t like opening a credit card. They’re completely free, and there is no application. Anyone can have a loyalty account!

    Step 1. Click “Join AAdvantage” on the American Airlines website

    Head to the American Airlines website.  Within the “Log in” area of the page, you’ll see a link that says “Join AAdvantage” (AAdvantage is the name of the American Airlines loyalty program). Click that.

    Step 2. Enter your personal information

    You’ll see a form with very basic questions about you. Enter your name, birth date, and gender.

    Farther down the page you’ll need to give your address, email, and phone number.

    You’ve also got the option to tell American Airlines your travel preferences, like home airport and whether you’re a window or aisle kind of person.  You can even give them details to help them with flight alerts for you.

    Step 3. Enter security details

    You’ll need to create an account username, a password, and 3 security questions in case you forget your login credentials.  And if you have TSA PreCheck or Global Entry (both save you an INSANE amount of time at the airport), you can enter your membership number under “Secure Traveler” at the bottom.

    Step 4. Start earning and redeeming points

    That’s it. Just attach your AAdvantage member number to your American Airlines flights and you’ll earn valuable miles for your travel. And if you book directly through American Airlines, you won’t have to enter your loyalty number every time. The website will fill it in for you.

    When you open an American Airlines credit card, it will ask for your loyalty number. Enter the number that appears on your account dashboard, like the example below.

    I’ve used American Airlines miles to fly to Peru, Barbados, Hawaii, Brazil, and lots more (read our post on how to use American Airlines miles). They’re one of my favorite types of miles to collect. You won’t be sorry you set aside five minutes to enroll.

    Take a look at our airline cards page to see the best American Airlines credit cards for earning lots of miles. And subscribe to our newsletter for more helpful miles and points how-tos delivered to your inbox.

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)