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If you like to eat out, one of the easiest ways to boost your American Airlines mileage balance is by signing up for the AAdvantage® Dining program. Registering takes almost no effort, and the program lets members earn bonus miles for dining at participating restaurants.
In this post, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about AAdvantage Dining. We'll cover the basics of how the program works, highlight some lucrative bonuses, and share a few pro tips to keep the miles coming in.
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AAdvantage Dining Program Basics
American Airlines partners with a nationwide network of restaurants through the AAdvantage Dining program. When you dine at a participating restaurant, the restaurant pays a small commission to AAdvantage Dining. In return, you earn bonus miles into your AAdvantage account. It's a simple way to rack up extra miles for meals you’d be buying anyway.
One of the great things about dining programs is that they don't typically cost anything to join. Even better, signing up only takes a matter of minutes.
Related: A Beginner's Guide To Using Dining Programs for Easy Points and Miles
Sign Up for AAdvantage Dining to Earn Bonus Miles While Eating Out
Signing up for AAdvantage Dining is simple. You'll provide some basic information, including your name and American Airlines number. Although you’ll manage your dining account separately from your main AAdvantage account, you still need a frequent flyer number to join. If you don't have one yet, you can sign up here.
Once you've created your new loyalty program account, make sure to link it to your AwardWallet account. Don't have an AwardWallet account yet? Sign up for free and track unlimited rewards programs and travel plans.
Next, you'll be asked to link a credit card. You might wonder, “I thought this was free?” Fear not — AAdvantage Dining won't charge your card. Adding your card number lets the program track your eligible restaurant purchases.
When you dine out and pay with your linked card, you’ll automatically earn bonus miles based on your total spending, including tax and tip.
Earn bonus miles for signing up
Occasionally, AAdvantage Dining offers a bonus for new members who complete their first dining purchase within a set time frame.
Currently, new members can earn 500 bonus AAdvantage miles by spending $25 or more at a participating restaurant within 30 days of joining. If you’re planning to dine out, order takeout, or get delivery soon, this is an easy way to boost your mileage balance.
AAdvantage Dining membership levels
AAdvantage Dining rewards you based on your membership level. The more you dine, the more you earn:
- Basic Members: Earn 1 AAdvantage mile per $1 spent if you opt out of receiving email communications.
- Select Members: Earn 3 AAdvantage miles per $1 spent if you opt in to receiving emails.
- VIP Members: Earn 5 AAdvantage miles per $1 spent if you opt in to email communications and complete 11 qualifying dining transactions within a calendar year. (VIP status kicks in starting with your 12th qualifying purchase.)
There’s no official cap on how many AAdvantage miles you can earn through the dining program. However, some participating restaurants may impose limits on how much you can earn in a single transaction, so it's a good idea to check the fine print if you’re planning a big outing.
Earning Loyalty Points with AAdvantage Dining
Beyond earning miles you can redeem for flights on American Airlines and its many partners, you’ll also earn Loyalty Points through AAdvantage Dining.
When you make a purchase using AAdvantage Dining, you will start by earning an equal number of Loyalty Points. Plus, once you accrue 60,000 Loyalty Points, you'll earn a 20% Loyalty Point bonus on AAdvantage Dining purchases (via Loyalty Point Rewards). Then you'll get a 30% bonus when you hit 100,000 Loyalty Points.
Even if you don’t dine out often, enrolling in AAdvantage Dining and earning occasional miles can help you reach elite status and unlock Loyalty Point Rewards faster than you might expect.
Related: Your Complete Guide to American Airlines Advantage Loyalty Points
How to Find AAdvantage Dining Restaurants Near You
Now that you’ve joined the program, it’s time to find restaurants where you can earn bonus miles. Click the “Browse Restaurants” button at the bottom of the AAdvantage Dining homepage to open the search page, which includes a map powered by Google Maps.
You can search using your current location, a general area, an address, or a specific restaurant name. The map also lets you filter results by price range, cuisine type, ratings, and bonus availability. As you zoom in, you'll see partner restaurants appear, and selecting one will show more details about the restaurant.
Choosing a restaurant will redirect you to a page with reviews, earning terms, and other helpful information to plan your visit.
Once you’ve found a restaurant you like, just dine there and pay with your linked credit card. Your bonus miles should post automatically to your AAdvantage account within a few weeks.
Earn a reservation bonus at select restaurants
Some restaurants also offer reservations through the AAdvantage Dining platform. After selecting a restaurant, you’ll see available dates and times. When you book through the platform and pay with your linked card, you’ll earn the regular miles, plus a 50-mile reservation bonus.
Find acclaimed restaurants through AAdvantage Dining
If you’re looking for a special night out, AAdvantage Dining offers an “Acclaimed Restaurants” filter showcasing top-rated spots in select cities. You can use this filter to easily find higher-end restaurants that participate in the program.
American Airlines Dining Program Pro Tips
Earning rewards through AAdvantage Dining is a pretty straightforward process, but there are a few tips to keep in mind to avoid missing out on bonus miles:
- Only one dining program will award miles per transaction. If you try to link the same credit card to multiple dining programs, you’ll only earn a bonus from one, usually the program where you most recently registered the card.
- Pay attention to individual restaurant restrictions. Some restaurants impose limitations, such as blackout days when bonus miles are not awarded. For example, a restaurant offering a reservation bonus might exclude Fridays. Always check the fine print before you dine to avoid missing out.
- Link your cards and forget about it. The best strategy is to link all your credit cards to AAdvantage Dining and let the rewards accumulate naturally. While extra miles are nice, dining programs generally aren’t worth changing your restaurant plans for. Think of them as an easy way to earn extra miles on meals you were already going to enjoy.
- Not every location of a chain participates. Most dining program partners are local restaurants. But just because one Pizza Hut or Chili’s participates doesn’t mean all of them do. If it matters for earning bonus miles, double-check before you order.
Maximize Your AA Dining Purchases
Bonus miles earned through American Airlines dining are in addition to any credit card rewards earned when you pay. Choosing the right card for restaurant purchases is essential for maximizing your earnings.
American Airlines credit cards
To maximize your AAdvantage earnings, consider using an AA co-branded card for your meal purchases. One of the best options could be the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®, as it earns 2X bonus miles per dollar spent at restaurants.
With these perks, it's easy to justify the annual fee of $99, waived for first 12 months.
- Free checked bags for you and up to 4 companions on domestic itineraries
- Priority boarding to help you win the race for overhead bin space
- A 25% discount on inflight food, beverage, and Wi-Fi purchases
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent at restaurants
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent at gas stations
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
Some of the other AA credit card options include:
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®: For a limited time, earn 100,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $10,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.
- AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®: Earn 70,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.
- American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card: Earn 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Bank rewards credit cards
If you're interested in maximizing your earnings regardless of currency, you'll probably want to use the best card for dining purchases. There are a lot of great options, but some of our favorites include:
- American Express® Gold Card: 4X Membership Rewards points (applicable to up to $50,000 in purchases annually, then 1x) when you dine at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees): 3X Ultimate Rewards points on dining at restaurants.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees): 3X Ultimate Rewards points on dining at restaurants.
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
- 10X points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 10X points on Chase Dining (including prepaid reservations and prepaid takeout purchased through Chase)
- 5X points on airfare purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on all other travel
- 3X points on dining at restaurants
- 1X points on all other purchases
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
Marriott Bonvoy credit cards
Another angle worth considering is using a Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit card to pay for your meal. While no major bank currency currently transfers to AA, you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to AAdvantage miles at a ratio of 3:1. Some of the best Marriott Bonvoy cards currently available include:
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card: Earn up to 135,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points. Earn 85,000 points after you spend $5,000 and an extra 50,000 points after you spend an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Earn up to 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points. Earn 100,000 points after you spend $6,000 and an extra 50,000 points after you spend an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Earn 3 Free Night Awards after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
(Terms Apply)
- 6X points on purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
- 4X points on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per year at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets
- 2X points on all other eligible purchases
(Terms Apply)
- 6X points on purchases at Marriott Properties
- 3X points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines
- 2X points on all other eligible purchases
(Terms apply)
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x Marriott Bonvoy points on each dollar of eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping
- 2x Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
Final Thoughts
Unless you spend an outrageous amount of money at restaurants every month, dining programs aren't likely to make up a substantial percentage of your mileage earnings. However, you'd be surprised how quickly miles add up if you earn them from multiple methods!
Any well-grounded points strategy involves utilizing all mileage-earning opportunities available, including shopping portals and dining programs. Considering it's free and takes minimal effort, the AAdvantage Dining Program is a terrific tool to add to your belt while building your stash of AA miles.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees), Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees), and Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees)
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