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What would you do with 100,000 airline miles? Our advice: anything you want. While most credit cards require $1000’s in spending to earn points, you can go from 0 to 100,000 in a days, using the most amusing purchases to net your points. Here’s how to earn 100,000 miles- and fast.

a plate of food on a white surface
Flaveur restaurant, Nice, France

Two Cards, Two Purchases

It’s hard to describe the joy of spending $3 at Starbucks and getting 60,000 miles in return. Or when you do it again, and get 40,000 miles in return. Barclaycard is offering a 60,000 point bonus on their personal American Airlines Aviator Red card, and a 40,000 point bonus on the business Aviator card. As we mentioned earlier this week, business cards are a great idea for anyone.

an airplane bed with a white pillow and a wood cabinetTwo Purchases, A Ticket Anywhere

There’s no spending requirement for either card, making this a no brainer for someone at any income level- so long as they have solid credit. 100,000 points is enough to go anywhere in the world one way in business class, and nearly enough to go round trip to places like Europe. All for *almost* free- just for using your personal finance wisely.

an airplane flying in the sky*Almost Free*

Each credit card carries a $95 annual fee. But- you get a lot in return. You and anyone in your reservation get the first bag free, up to eight people. You can use this an unlimited amount of times. Considering a bag costs $50 round trip, one trip for two, or two trips for one would cover the fee. Plus- you get priority boarding thrown in too. The personal card also will net you free elite rental car status- via a clever workaround. This makes at least one of the cards totally worth it, but if you’re griping about the second one- the points are worth fare more than the fee.

a balcony with a table and chairs and a tower

Take Me There

We get nothing out of this deal, for showing you how to fly business class for buying gum, lattes, burgers, clothes or something more substantial. We just think it’s an awesome deal. You can apply for the personal card with 60,000 points here, and the business card with 40,000 points here. Send us a postcard.

Copyright: freeartist / 123RF Stock Photo

Gilbert Ott is an ever curious traveler and one of the world's leading travel experts. His adventures take him all over the globe, often spanning over 200,000 miles a year and his travel exploits are regularly...

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2 Comments

  1. Totally sick. The first deal was awesome, and I thought about getting an AA Citi card to break 100K total. Now I don’t have to! Can’t wait to turn these into an Etihad flight.

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