3 Ways to Earn Bonus Miles for Year-End Shopping

All shopped out?

If not, and if there are still items on your wish list that can be purchased online, three of the largest airline e-shopping portals are offering bonus miles for purchases at any of their hundreds of participating online merchants.



Alaska Airlines



Between December 26 and January 8,

Mileage Plan

members can earn up to 1,000 bonus miles when shopping at the Mileage Plan Shopping mall, as follows:

• 500 bonus miles after spending $150
• 1,000 bonus miles after spending $300
  
  American
  
  
  
  Between December 26 and January 3,
  
  AAdvantage
  
  members can earn up to 1,000 bonus miles when shopping at the AAdvantage eShopping mall, as follows:
  
  
  
• 500 bonus miles after spending $150
• 1,000 bonus miles after spending $300
  
  United
  
  
  
  Between December 26 and January 6,
  
  MileagePlus
  
  members can earn up to 1,000 bonus miles when shopping at the MileagePlus Shopping mall, as follows:
  
  
  
• 500 bonus miles after spending $150
• 1,000 bonus miles after spending $300
  
  
  
  So, with the exception of a slight variation in the end dates, the promotions are identical. Pick the program you're most in need of miles in, or take advantage of all three offers.
  
  
  
  Related: Good to Know: Best and Worst Days for Holiday Travel
  
  
  
  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.
  
  
  
  Deal or No Deal
  
  
  
  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.
  
  Making a good deal even better are the periodic bonus promotions, like these, that amp up the mileage-earning. Those promotions 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.
  
  
  
  Reader Reality Check
  
  
  
  If you're not shopping through an airline's mileage mall, why aren't you?