Earn AAdvantage miles with Stand Up to Cancer

August 15, 2024

Editor’s note: Citi is a TPG advertising partner.

American Airlines is launching its annual donation push in partnership with Stand Up to Cancer — and it’s offering a significant deal-sweetener for American Airlines AAdvantage members who donate.

Between now and Sept. 30, AAdvantage members who make contributions of at least $25 (up to $10,000) to the nonprofit can earn 25 bonus miles per dollar.

And, get this: Donations of between $25 and $10,000 made with a cobranded AAdvantage Mastercard will earn a whooping 50 bonus miles per dollar from now through Sept. 30 or until $3 million has been donated (whichever comes first). However, note that bonus miles from donations do not earn Loyalty Points — more on that below.

Stand Up to Cancer is a nonprofit that raises money for cancer research. As of April 2024, the organization’s funding supported more than 3,100 scientists conducting cancer research at 210-plus institutions.

American has partnered with the organization since 2016 and even operates an Airbus A321 jet with special SU2C livery featuring names of individuals who have battled the disease.

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S. after heart disease, according to the American Cancer Society. More than 1.7 million new cancer cases were reported in 2021, the last year for which there’s data, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2022, more than 600,000 people died of cancer in the U.S.

How to donate to Stand Up to Cancer

To take part in this donation push with American and Stand Up to Cancer, visit SU2C.org/AA.

While contributions to the organization any time of year can have an immeasurable effect on cancer research, giving during this joint push by American and Stand Up to Cancer can also be quite lucrative for your AAdvantage account — particularly if you’re paying for your donation with an AAdvantage Mastercard.

Once on that webpage, you’ll be able to enter your AAdvantage number and name before making your donation.

An American Airlines Boeing 777-200ER aircraft at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

How many AAdvantage miles can you earn?

At 50 bonus miles per dollar, a $150 donation would earn you 7,500 bonus miles. As of August 2024, TPG values AAdvantage miles at 1.7 cents apiece, so that’s a return worth $123.

With 7,500 miles, you could book a one-way flight within the contiguous U.S. and Canada at the lower end of American’s redemption thresholds.

If you use an eligible AAdvantage Mastercard, a $10,000 donation would earn you a whopping half million miles. That’s on top of the base earnings you’d accrue by charging the purchase to your card.

Is Stand Up to Cancer tax deductible?

Donations to Stand Up to Cancer are tax deductible. However, receiving frequent flyer miles may affect that.

The donation terms state the following:

“For charitable deduction purposes, each mile is valued at 3 cents per mile. The receipt of miles may reduce the tax deductibility of your contribution.”

Best American Airlines credit cards to use

Here’s a look at some of our favorite AAdvantage Mastercards you can use to earn the 50 miles per dollar offer for your donation:

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees): Earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $7,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. The card comes with a $595 annual fee and includes Admirals Club access.
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $2,500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. The card has a $99 annual fee that’s waived for the first 12 months.
Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees): Earn 65,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first four months of account opening. The card has a $99 annual fee that’s waived for the first 12 months.
AAdvantage® Aviator® Red Mastercard®: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after paying the $99 annual fee and making one purchase.

The information for the Citi Platinum Select and AAdvantage Aviator Red credit cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Can you earn Loyalty Points?

Generally speaking, no.

AAdvantage members do not earn Loyalty Points on bonus miles, so the bonus miles earned through a Stand Up to Cancer donation would not count toward AAdvantage elite status qualification.

An American Airlines plane at the gate at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

However, certain AAdvantage credit cards earn Loyalty Points on base miles earned for each dollar spent. So, a $1,000 donation made with the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard, for instance, would earn 1,000 Loyalty Points.

Bottom line

While donating to cancer research is always a noble and worthwhile cause, between now and Sept. 30, American Airlines is offering a way to reap significant rewards for customers’ generosity in the form of lucrative returns of AAdvantage miles.