Sorry I was writing my post at the same time he was.
@Anonymous wrote:
@CreditCuriousity wrote:Data point.. Was approved for the aviator a few months ago while it was at 40k then a few days later was raised to 50k.. Sent an in message mail to them and they honored the extra 10k miles. They said they would research and get back to me after I paid the AF when posted the 10k miles showed then shortly after the other 40k miles. So certainly if you got the AA card recently at 50k send them a message and ask them to match the new offer as they do at least in my case.
Lucky you got the full 50K... but 60K with no spending requirements is a plus for several members here.
oh i agree, that is why I said they need to send them a message! I wonder if I could double dip and try to get them to honor 60k from the 40 to 50k one lol.. Not going to even try 
.. Card has seen about 70 in spend total since I have had just got it for the bonus.
@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:While the AA program has been devalued, if you're patient and plan ahead, there are still deals to be had. My Aviator Silver gets 3X AA miles but of course with a higher AF.
Yeah I have to run some numbers. I fly. A LOT. All personal travel but I probably take 60 flights a year on average -- always to and from AA hub cities. The thing is, I usually compare my flights (Spirit/Frontier) with AA/United prices and the $120-$150 difference in airfare alone mean AA isn't valuable enough to me. I never, ever have a carry-on or checked bag, I can fit 9 days of clothes in my free "personal item" with vacuum bags.
But I do plan on doing more international and island flights in 2018 and on, so I have to really analyze ticket prices, award redemption and the opportunity to use a carry-on or checked bag on some flights. I think AA might become a valuable provider for me IF the award redemption works out.
The biggest benefit I think is the 500 mile upgrade, and the option to buy-up to business class on international flights. But it's been 10 years since I regularly flew AA so I have totally lost any sense of what works. I definitely need to park myself on travel reward blogs and analyze things.
I would have zero issue paying $150 more per roundtrip if it meant I could save $151 aggregate later on upgrades and free flights, etc. That $1 is still $1 more in my pocket. Since I am changing my hubs significantly in 2018+, I need to do the homework.
That Aviator Silver might be better for me -- 3X versus 2X should offet the annual fee if I am flying 250,000-300,000 miles a year. Right now I only fly 150,000 miles a year so I think it wouldn't overcome the difference between 3X/2X but doubling my miles (and overall spend) may get me there.
You fly 60 times a year on Spirit/Frontier? Ouch. People who fly as frequently as you do can generally get great value from the major airline reward programs (you're their target audience and they will treat you like royalty). You could make lifetime million miles in 3-4 years. Definitely agree that you should check out some of the blogs for the best strategy.
Getting back to this card, 60k miles with no initial spend is really nice. Even if you can meet the spend easily, you could just direct that spend and get a sign-on bonus with another card while still getting these 60k miles.
