According to the Big 4 airlines, the time for back-to-school shopping is NOW. That at any rate is the pitch they’re using to promote their newly launched shopping bonuses.
American
Through August 18, AAdvantage members can earn up to 2,000 bonus miles for purchases made at the AAdvantage shopping portal, as follows:
- Earn 500 bonus miles after spending $150
- Earn 1,000 bonus miles after spending $300
- Earn 2,000 bonus miles after spending $500
Delta
Through August 3, SkyMiles members can earn up to 1,000 bonus miles for purchases made at the SkyMiles shopping portal, as follows:
- Earn 500 bonus miles after spending $150
- Earn 1,000 bonus miles after spending $350
Southwest
Through August 18, Rapid Rewards members can earn up to 2,000 bonus points for purchases made at the Rapid Rewards shopping portal, as follows:
- Earn 250 bonus points after spending $125
- Earn 900 bonus points after spending $300
- Earn 2,000 bonus points after spending $550
United Airlines
Through August 18, MileagePlus members can earn up to 3,000 bonus miles for purchases made at the MileagePlus Shopping portal, as follows:
- Earn 500 bonus miles after spending $150
- Earn 1,500 bonus miles after spending $350
- Earn 3,000 bonus miles after spending $600
Deal or No Deal
More miles are always better than fewer miles. Choose the program that you’re most engage with, and take advantage of the extra earnings.
If you’re not earning miles by shopping at the airlines’ mileage malls, you should be. There’s no reason not to; the prices are the same. And by making your purchases through the airline’s portal, you’ll be earning miles — typically between one and 10 miles per $1 spent — that you don’t get when dealing direct through the merchant.
Related:
Making a good deal even better are the periodic bonus promotions, like these, that amp up the mileage-earning. Such offers generally proliferate around Christmas and other heavy buying periods, although recently the airlines have used back-to-school shopping and other recurring events as the hook to hang their promotions on.
So, if you’re going to be shopping online anyway, it always makes sense to do so through an airline’s mileage portal, to earn miles for the purchases. And when there are extra bonuses in place, it makes even more sense.
As always, when shopping via an airline’s mileage mall, you must first stop at the mall’s landing page to log in with your loyalty-program credentials. Thereafter, purchases at any of the mall’s hundreds of participating merchants can be tracked and credited to your account.
Shop on!
Reader Reality Check
You do earn miles for online shopping, don’t you?
After 20 years working in the travel industry, and almost that long writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.
This article first appeared on SmarterTravel.com, where Tim is Editor-at-Large.
