{"id":43123,"date":"2026-03-27T20:10:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T20:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/?p=43123"},"modified":"2026-04-08T14:30:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:30:57","slug":"earn-miles-or-interest-with-savings-account","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/airlines\/american-aadvantage\/earn-miles-or-interest-with-savings-account\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It Better to Earn AAdvantage\u00ae Miles or Cash From Your Savings?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Since early 2020, Bask Bank<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> has offered savers a mileage-earning savings account that earns American Airlines AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles instead of cash interest. For every dollar you deposit into your <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/BaskMileage?var2=ccid~145\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Bask Mileage Savings Account<\/a>, you currently earn 1.75 AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles annually, with no cap on the number of miles you can earn each year.<img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"?gdpr=${GDPR}&gdpr_consent=${GDPR_CONSENT_78}&us_privacy=${US_PRIVACY}&cachebuster=[CACHEBUSTER]\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 1px; height: 1px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/servedby.flashtalking.com\/imp\/8\/240517;8861566;201;pixel;AwardWallet;BASKACQMILEPROCOUSADRCPWTCPLOWFUNNELXMILEG00XXXXFPMXXXXXXXXCUSTOMEDIT1XXXXXXXCOUSAAXXENAWWTDBBMSA01ENPG001X001\/?gdpr=${GDPR}&gdpr_consent=${GDPR_CONSENT_78}&us_privacy=${US_PRIVACY}&cachebuster=[CACHEBUSTER]\" \/ class=\"lazyload\"><\/p>\n<p>If you don\u2019t already have a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/BaskMileage?var2=ccid~145\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Bask Mileage Savings Account<\/a>, now is the perfect time to apply. Through <strong>May 31, 2026<\/strong>, Bask Bank is offering 15,000 AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> bonus miles to new account holders who deposit and maintain $50,000 or more in the account for 180 consecutive days.<\/p>\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"toc_light_blue no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Page Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#Should_You_Earn_Miles_Instead_of_Interest\">Should You Earn Miles Instead of Interest?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#How_Many_AAdvantage_Miles_Can_I_Earn_On_My_Savings\">How Many AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Miles Can I Earn On My Savings?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Is_Earning_AAdvantage_Miles_on_Savings_Better_Than_Earning_Interest\">Is Earning AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Miles on Savings Better Than Earning Interest?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Valuing_AAdvantage_miles\">Valuing AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#The_tax_impact\">The tax impact<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Running_the_numbers\">Running the numbers<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Get_Outsized_Value_From_Your_AAdvantage_Miles\">Get Outsized Value From Your AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Miles<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Round-trip_Los_Angeles_to_Buenos_Aires_in_economy_245_per_mile\">Round-trip Los Angeles to Buenos Aires in economy (2.45\u00a2 per mile)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#One-way_international_flight_eg_San_Francisco_to_Sydney\">One-way international flight (e.g., San Francisco to Sydney)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Round-trip_Miami_to_Vail_in_economy_332_per_mile\">Round-trip Miami to Vail in economy (3.32\u00a2 per mile)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#International_premium_award_One-way_to_Tokyo_in_business_class_1188_per_mile\">International premium award: One-way to Tokyo in business class (11.88\u00a2 per mile)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#Final_Thoughts\">Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n<h2><span id=\"Should_You_Earn_Miles_Instead_of_Interest\">Should You Earn Miles Instead of Interest?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>During the low-interest-rate periods of 2020 and 2021, earning AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles on your savings was a no-brainer. Rather than earning less than 1% APY interest, you could earn AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles worth much more than one cent each.<\/p>\n<p>Then, interest rates rose dramatically from mid-2022 to late 2023, making it a tougher decision between earning miles or cash interest. Now, the dynamic is starting to reverse. The Federal Reserve has lowered interest rates several times over the last year and indicated it would continue to do so.<\/p>\n<p>That makes now a great time to revisit when it makes sense to earn miles instead of cash interest. Depending on your situation, keeping your savings in a Bask Mileage Savings Account can be \u201cmiles\u201d ahead of holding your savings in a typical interest-earning account. Let's break down the math to help you determine which is better for your situation.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"How_Many_AAdvantage_Miles_Can_I_Earn_On_My_Savings\">How Many AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Miles Can I Earn On My Savings?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/BaskMileage?var2=ccid~145\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Bask Mileage Savings Account<\/a> customers earn 1.75 AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles per dollar saved annually. And there's no cap on how many AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles you can earn. At current earning rates, you would earn 87,500 AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles annually if you deposit $50,000 into a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/BaskMileage?var2=ccid~145\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Bask Mileage Savings Account<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And through May 31, 2026, new account holders can <a href=\"\/airlines\/american-aadvantage\/bask-bank-bonus-offer\/\">earn 15,000 AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> bonus miles by opening a new Bask Mileage Savings Account<\/a> and holding $50,000 or more in the account for 180 consecutive days.<\/p>\n<p>How does that stack up against earning interest in a typical savings account? Let's take a look.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Is_Earning_AAdvantage_Miles_on_Savings_Better_Than_Earning_Interest\">Is Earning AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Miles on Savings Better Than Earning Interest?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Before we dig into the math, remember that each person's situation is different. There may be situations where earning interest on a certificate of deposit or a high-yield savings account makes more sense than earning AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles.<\/p>\n<p>With interest rates beginning to fall once again, the situation is changing quickly. A few high-yield savings accounts are still paying more than 4% Annual Percentage Yield (APY). However, given that the Federal Reserve has indicated that it will continue to lower interest rates, we can expect APYs for consumer savings accounts to decline as well.<\/p>\n<p>Even at 4% APY, we can make a case for earning miles over interest; we think there are plenty of <a href=\"\/airlines\/american-aadvantage\/best-ways-to-use-american-miles\/\">opportunities to get outsized value from your AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles<\/a>, and the bonuses on offer present a unique chance to bank a huge number of miles on your savings.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s consider a 4% APY savings account to illustrate the tradeoff between earning AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles and interest.<\/p>\n<p>If you deposited $50,000 for 12 months, you would earn:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>4% APY savings account: <strong>$2,000 in interest<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/BaskMileage?var2=ccid~145\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Bask Mileage Savings Account<\/a>: <strong>87,500 AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"Valuing_AAdvantage_miles\">Valuing AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To get an accurate read on whether it\u2019s better to earn miles or interest, we need to assign a value to those miles. AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles are commonly valued at around 1.7 cents per mile &#8212; although AwardWallet users average 2.56\u00a2 per mile in actual redemptions.<\/p>\n<p>As we show in the section below, it\u2019s not hard to leverage AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles for better than 2\u00a2 per mile in value. But, for calculation purposes, we\u2019ll value AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles at 1.7\u00a2 each, meaning the 87,500 miles earned on your $50,000 deposit would be worth roughly $1,500.<\/p>\n<p><em>But isn't $2,000 cash interest better than $1,500 worth of miles?<\/em><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"The_tax_impact\">The tax impact<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Taxes are another important consideration. With a traditional savings account, your bank will issue a Form 1099 for the value of interest earned. At 4% APY on a $50,000 balance, you\u2019d earn $2,000 in interest \u2014 all of which is considered taxable income.<\/p>\n<p>Bask Bank will also issue a 1099 tax form for the value of AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles earned. According to Bask Bank: <em>\u201cMiles are currently valued at 0.42 cents per mile.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>While this value is subject to change, we\u2019ll use that number for our comparison to the cost of earning traditional interest.<\/p>\n<p>If you earn 87,500 AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles in your first year, you'll be taxed on $368 in income. You'll need to factor in your tax bracket to determine the amount you actually owe the government. The amount reported on your Form 1099-INT tax form is the additional income on which you owe tax \u2014 not the amount you will need to pay.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Running_the_numbers\">Running the numbers<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Now that we have the pieces, let's walk through the after-tax value of earning cash interest vs. AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles for this example.<\/p>\n<p>4% APY at a 35% marginal tax rate:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>4% APY interest on $50,000 is $2,000 (taxable income)<\/li>\n<li>35% of $2,000 is $700 (the amount you owe the government)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Your net gain is $1,300<\/strong> ($2,000 \u2013 $700)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Bask Mileage Savings Account at a 35% marginal tax rate:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>87,500 AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles are valued at $368 (taxable income)<\/li>\n<li>35% of $368 is $129 (the amount you owe the government)<\/li>\n<li>87,500 AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles are worth $1,488 (using an assumed 1.7\u00a2 per mile valuation)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Your net gain is $1,359<\/strong>\u00a0($1,488 \u2013 $129)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Comparing the two options, we get:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/BaskMileage?var2=ccid~145\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Bask Mileage Savings Account<\/a>: <strong>$1,359<\/strong> (value of miles after deducting taxes)<\/li>\n<li>4% APY savings: <strong>$1,300<\/strong> (value of earnings minus taxes paid)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The argument for earning AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles is even stronger if you can redeem them for more than 1.7\u00a2 each, if you have a marginal tax rate of more than 35%, or if you can't earn 4% APY.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, you may prefer to earn cash interest if your tax rate is much lower or you aren't confident that you can redeem AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles for a high value.<\/p>\n<p>Here's a comparison of earning AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles vs. cash interest for a variety of mileage valuations and tax rate combinations.<\/p>\n<p><img data-aspectratio=\"900\/506\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-235216 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bask-Bank-graphic-1.75x-vs-3.9-300x169.png\" alt=\"Bask Bank cash vs interest comparison chart\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bask-Bank-graphic-1.75x-vs-3.9-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bask-Bank-graphic-1.75x-vs-3.9-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bask-Bank-graphic-1.75x-vs-3.9-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bask-Bank-graphic-1.75x-vs-3.9.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"custom-blue\"><strong><em>Does the cash interest option win out in your situation? Check out the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baskbank.com\/products\/interest-savings-account\" rel=\"noopener\">Bask Interest Savings Account<\/a>, which is currently offering 3.90% APY.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Get_Outsized_Value_From_Your_AAdvantage_Miles\">Get Outsized Value From Your AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Miles<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Plenty of American Airlines redemption options offer better than 2\u00a2 per mile \u2014 even when redeeming economy awards. Here are a few examples to demonstrate the kind of returns you can expect from your miles if you leverage <a href=\"\/airlines\/american-aadvantage\/best-ways-to-use-american-miles\/\">American Airlines sweet spots<\/a>, deals, or find the right routing and cabin-class combinations.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Round-trip_Los_Angeles_to_Buenos_Aires_in_economy_245_per_mile\">Round-trip Los Angeles to Buenos Aires in economy (2.45\u00a2 per mile)<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Using American Airlines' calendar function, you can find round-trip economy awards from New York (JFK) to Buenos Aires (EZE) from 40,000 AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles, plus a reasonable $100 in taxes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_183093\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"750\/464\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-183093 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/JFK-EZE-AAdvantage-award-300x186.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of AAdvantage award search results from New York to Buenos Aires for 40,000 AAdvantage miles\" width=\"750\" height=\"464\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/JFK-EZE-AAdvantage-award-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/JFK-EZE-AAdvantage-award-1024x634.png 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/JFK-EZE-AAdvantage-award-768x475.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/JFK-EZE-AAdvantage-award.png 1488w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><center><em>Credit: American Airlines<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>Note that this award isn't in <a href=\"\/airlines\/american-aadvantage\/american-airlines-basic-economy\/\">American Airlines Basic Economy<\/a>. American Airlines awards book into Main Cabin \u2014 which offers the regular perks of choosing a seat and getting one free checked bag per passenger. Since American Airlines permanently <a href=\"\/news\/american-aadvantage\/award-fees-eliminated\/\">eliminated fees to redeposit miles when canceling an AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> award<\/a>, it makes more sense to book award tickets.<\/p>\n<p>Comparatively, you'd need to pay $1,078 for Main Cabin economy cash flights on the same dates. That nets a redemption rate of 2.45\u00a2 per mile ($1,078 \u2013 $100 in taxes = $978 \/ 40,000 miles = 2.45\u00a2 per mile).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_183094\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"750\/437\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-183094 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/JFK-EZE-cash-booking-300x175.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of American Airlines cash booking search results from New York to Buenos Aires for $1,078 round-trip\" width=\"750\" height=\"437\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/JFK-EZE-cash-booking-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/JFK-EZE-cash-booking-1024x596.png 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/JFK-EZE-cash-booking-768x447.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/JFK-EZE-cash-booking.png 1480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><center><em>Credit: American Airlines<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<h3><span id=\"One-way_international_flight_eg_San_Francisco_to_Sydney\">One-way international flight (e.g., San Francisco to Sydney)<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Whether you're moving for work or piecing together a round-the-world trip, miles can provide a much better deal when you need to fly one-way internationally. Although American sometimes <a href=\"\/news\/american-aadvantage\/round-trip-award-discount\/\">offers a small discount on round-trip award bookings<\/a>, there's usually not much of a penalty for booking one-way awards.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_183096\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"750\/440\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-183096 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/SFO-SYD-AAdvantage-award-300x176.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of AAdvantage award search results from San Francisco to Sydney for 40,000 AAdvantage miles one-way\" width=\"750\" height=\"440\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/SFO-SYD-AAdvantage-award-300x176.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/SFO-SYD-AAdvantage-award-1024x601.png 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/SFO-SYD-AAdvantage-award-768x451.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/SFO-SYD-AAdvantage-award.png 1474w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><center><em>Credit: American Airlines<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>Unfortunately, the same can\u2019t be said for revenue fares, with one-way flights often dramatically more expensive when you pay cash.<\/p>\n<p>In the example above, flying from San Francisco to Sydney will set you back 40,000 AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles, plus $32.60 in taxes. The cheapest cash alternative flight is $700 one-way, returning 1.67\u00a2 per mile on an economy award ($700 \u2013 $32.60 in taxes = $667.40 \/ 40,000 miles = 1.67\u00a2 per mile).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_183097\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"750\/459\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-183097 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/SFO-SYD-cash-rates-300x184.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of American Airlines cash search results from San Francisco to Sydney\" width=\"750\" height=\"459\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/SFO-SYD-cash-rates-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/SFO-SYD-cash-rates-1024x627.png 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/SFO-SYD-cash-rates-768x470.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/SFO-SYD-cash-rates.png 1489w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><center><em>Credit: American Airlines<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>And that's just for an economy award. If you're considering paying for a premium cabin, miles get much more valuable:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Premium economy:<\/strong> 50,000 miles + $32.60 taxes\/fees vs. $1,888 = <strong>3.71 cents per mile<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Business class:<\/strong> 65,000 miles + $32.60 taxes\/fees vs. $4,060 = <strong>6.2 cents per mile<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>First class:<\/strong> 78,000 miles + $32.60 taxes\/fees vs. $14,602 = <strong>18.7 cents per mile<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span id=\"Round-trip_Miami_to_Vail_in_economy_332_per_mile\">Round-trip Miami to Vail in economy (3.32\u00a2 per mile)<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You can find fantastic value with AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles, even on domestic awards. Again this winter, American Airlines is operating nonstop flights from Miami to Vail. On certain dates, cash rates aren't terrible, considering the premium route.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_184358\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"750\/364\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-184358 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/MIA-EGE-American-Airlines-round-trip-cash-flight-300x146.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of American Airlines cash rates from Miami to Vail\" width=\"750\" height=\"364\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/MIA-EGE-American-Airlines-round-trip-cash-flight-300x146.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/MIA-EGE-American-Airlines-round-trip-cash-flight-1024x497.png 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/MIA-EGE-American-Airlines-round-trip-cash-flight-768x373.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/MIA-EGE-American-Airlines-round-trip-cash-flight-1536x745.png 1536w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/MIA-EGE-American-Airlines-round-trip-cash-flight-823x400.png 823w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/MIA-EGE-American-Airlines-round-trip-cash-flight.png 1659w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><center><em>Credit: American Airlines<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>But you can get an even better deal with AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles, with round-trip awards starting at 15,000 miles plus $11.20 round-trip.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_184359\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"750\/412\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-184359 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/MIA-EGE-15k-AAdvantage-round-trip-award-300x165.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of AAdvantage mileage award from Miami to Vail\" width=\"750\" height=\"412\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/MIA-EGE-15k-AAdvantage-round-trip-award-300x165.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/MIA-EGE-15k-AAdvantage-round-trip-award-1024x562.png 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/MIA-EGE-15k-AAdvantage-round-trip-award-768x422.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/MIA-EGE-15k-AAdvantage-round-trip-award-1536x843.png 1536w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/MIA-EGE-15k-AAdvantage-round-trip-award.png 1663w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><center><em>Credit: American Airlines<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>That nets a redemption rate of 3.32\u00a2 per mile ($509 \u2013 $11.20 in taxes = $497.80 \/ 15,000 miles = 3.32\u00a2 per mile). And this hot deal is during ski season.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"International_premium_award_One-way_to_Tokyo_in_business_class_1188_per_mile\">International premium award: One-way to Tokyo in business class (11.88\u00a2 per mile)<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>We\u2019ve saved this redemption for last, as we think it best highlights the benefits of earning miles over interest. Flying one-way to Tokyo from the mainland U.S. in Japan Airlines business class costs 60,000 miles plus $5.60 in taxes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_184361\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"750\/348\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-184361 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/BOS-NRT-JAL-AAdvantage-award-300x139.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of AAdvantage search results from Boston to Tokyo\" width=\"750\" height=\"348\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/BOS-NRT-JAL-AAdvantage-award-300x139.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/BOS-NRT-JAL-AAdvantage-award-1024x474.png 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/BOS-NRT-JAL-AAdvantage-award-768x356.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/BOS-NRT-JAL-AAdvantage-award-1536x712.png 1536w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/BOS-NRT-JAL-AAdvantage-award.png 1651w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><center><em>Credit: American Airlines<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>To purchase the same one-way itinerary would cost $7,136. That nets an incredible return of 11.88\u00a2 per mile ($7,136 &#8211; $5.60 in taxes = $7,130.40 \/ 60,000 miles = 11.88\u00a2 per mile).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_184363\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"750\/228\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-184363 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/BOS-NRT-JAL-cash-rate-300x91.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of one-way business class cash rates from Boston to Tokyo\" width=\"750\" height=\"228\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/BOS-NRT-JAL-cash-rate-300x91.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/BOS-NRT-JAL-cash-rate-1024x312.png 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/BOS-NRT-JAL-cash-rate-768x234.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/BOS-NRT-JAL-cash-rate-1536x468.png 1536w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/BOS-NRT-JAL-cash-rate.png 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><center><em>Credit: Google Flights<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>For reference, 60,000 miles is what you'd earn by maintaining a $35,000 balance in your Bask Mileage Savings Account for 12 months \u2014 assuming no changes to the earning rate.<\/p>\n<p>If you earn 4% APY interest on your $35k savings and have a 30% tax rate, your net gain after taxes would be around $980. Would you rather escape economy and experience one of the top business-class products in the world for 14 hours \u2014 or would you rather earn $980 cash?<\/p>\n<p>There's no wrong answer. You just have to decide what's best for you.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Caveat: Consider how much you value business class<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>If you\u2019re comparing the retail value of business class, things can get out of hand pretty quickly \u2014 especially with long-haul international flights. In some cases, it makes sense to use the price that you might actually consider paying for business or first class rather than the cash value of the ticket.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if a flight costs $7,000+ to purchase in business class but you wouldn't pay more than $2,500 for the same flight, consider using that lower rate when calculating how much you're actually saving. Or consider the cost of an economy flight on that route if you wouldn't actually pay cash for a business-class ticket.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Final_Thoughts\">Final Thoughts<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>With the opportunity to earn a lucrative bonus of 15,000 AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> bonus miles \u2014 now available through May 31, 2026, this is the perfect time to consider opening a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/BaskMileage?var2=ccid~145\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Bask Mileage Savings Account<\/a>. If you can meet the $50,000 deposit requirement for this bonus and keep those funds in the account for 180 consecutive days, you could earn enough miles for a long-haul business-class flight.<\/p>\n<p>And even a small deposit with Bask Bank can be a great way to supplement other miles-earning strategies. Since Bask awards AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles at the end of each month, even a small savings balance can generate the account activity needed to <a href=\"\/airlines\/american-aadvantage\/do-american-airlines-miles-expire\/#An_Easy_Way_to_Earn_AAdvantage_Miles\">keep your AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles from expiring<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>That's a much better return on your funds than earning interest in our book!<\/p>\n<p class=\"remark\"><b>Terms &#038; Disclosures:<\/b><br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n<em>Bask Bank is a division of Texas Capital Bank, Member FDIC.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nMile awards are subject to change at Bask Bank's sole discretion. Please see <a href=\"https:\/\/servedby.flashtalking.com\/click\/8\/240517;8861568;50126;211;0\/?ft_width=1&#038;ft_height=1&#038;gdpr=${GDPR}&#038;gdpr_consent=${GDPR_CONSENT_78}&#038;us_privacy=${US_PRIVACY}&#038;url=40150484\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Terms and Disclosures<\/a> for details.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nAmerican Airlines reserves the right to change the AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> program and its terms and conditions at any time with or without notice, and to end the AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> program with six months' notice. Any such changes may affect your ability to use AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Rewards and Benefits that you have already accumulated. Unless specified, AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> miles earned through this promotion\/offer do not count toward status qualification. American Airlines is not responsible for products or services offered by other participating companies. All third-party provider terms and conditions apply. For more information on miles and Loyalty Points, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aa.com\/loyaltypoints\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">aa.com\/loyaltypoints<\/a>. For complete details about the AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> program, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/aa.com\/aadvantage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">aa.com\/aadvantage<\/a>. For the AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> terms and conditions, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aa.com\/i18n\/aadvantage-program\/aadvantage-terms-and-conditions.jsp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> terms and conditions \u2212 AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> program \u2212 American Airlines<\/a>.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nAmerican Airlines, AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, the Flight Symbol logo and the Tail Design are marks of American Airlines, Inc.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bask just launched an offer to earn 15,000 AAdvantage\u00ae bonus miles when you open a new Bask Mileage Savings Account. On top of this excellent bonus for new customers, savers can earn 2 miles per dollar saved annually \u2014 which may be a far better value than earning interest through a traditional savings account. In this post, we&#8217;ll show you how to use your miles and help you decide if you&#8217;re better off earning cash interest or miles from your savings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":43129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12068],"tags":[12776,12621],"coauthors":[36387],"class_list":["post-43123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-award-programs","tag-american-aadvantage","tag-earning-strategy"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43123"}],"version-history":[{"count":101,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":253059,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43123\/revisions\/253059"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43123"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=43123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}