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AT&T customers can get 5,000 free AAdvantage miles for linking accounts, while the first 65,000 slots last

Eligible AT&T postpaid, Fiber and Internet Air customers earn 5,000 American Airlines miles for linking their AAdvantage account. After the first 65,000 customers, the bonus drops to 2,500 miles.

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American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 departing Boston (representative photo)
American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 departing Boston (representative photo) · Photo: 4300streetcar, CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

AT&T customers can pick up free American Airlines miles this week, but the full amount is first come, first served. As reported on October 26, eligible AT&T customers who link their AT&T account to their AAdvantage account get 5,000 bonus miles. The offer is capped: only the first 65,000 eligible customers get 5,000 miles. After that, the bonus drops to 2,500 miles.

The deal was first reported by Miles to Memories and was quickly picked up by View from the Wing, Doctor of Credit and InsideFlyer.

Who qualifies

According to View from the Wing's write-up of the terms:

  • Eligible: AT&T postpaid wireless, AT&T Fiber and AT&T Internet Air customers
  • Not eligible: prepaid accounts, Cricket Wireless and AT&T OneConnect
  • Names must match on the AT&T account and the AAdvantage account

No purchase is required. InsideFlyer notes that no end date has been published. The only stated limit is the 65,000-customer cap on the larger bonus. That means the 5,000-mile tier could run out at any time.

How to link your accounts

InsideFlyer says customers reach the offer by signing in to AT&T & More Benefits and opening the Explore section. Posts on X describe the same path in the myAT&T app: myAT&T, then AT&T & More Benefits, then Explore. From there you connect your AAdvantage number.

A few things to check first:

  • Use the right AAdvantage account. If your household has more than one, make sure the miles go where you want them.
  • Check names and contact details. Several readers in View from the Wing's comments said the link failed when the email addresses on the two accounts did not match. One said they had to unlink and relink before it worked. These are reader reports, not published rules, but they are worth knowing before you start.
  • Expect some marketing. View from the Wing points out that AT&T pays American for access to its customers. Linking may bring more offers by email. You can unlink later if you want.

A separate, bigger AT&T offer

This linking bonus is not the only AT&T deal on American's site. American's AT&T offer FAQ page also describes a 20,000-bonus-mile offer for switching a line to AT&T from another carrier. That one has real strings attached:

  • You must activate a smartphone on a postpaid AT&T plan.
  • You submit AT&T's redemption form with a unique AAdvantage number for each line within 14 days of activation.
  • The line must stay active and in good standing for at least 60 days.
  • Miles post 8 to 10 weeks after that 60-day period.
  • American says those bonus miles do not count toward AAdvantage status or Million Miler status.

The switching offer only makes sense if you were already planning to move a line to AT&T. The 5,000-mile linking bonus, by contrast, costs nothing if you are already a customer.

What 5,000 miles can do

Five thousand miles will not book a trip on its own. It can still top off an account that is a little short of an award, or keep an account active. Before you count on the miles for status, remember that AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points are two different things. Our guide to how AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points differ explains why. The published terms for this linking offer do not say whether it earns Loyalty Points.

What people are saying on X

Deal accounts moved fast once the offer surfaced. Travel Hacked's post drew tens of thousands of views:

View on X ↗

Price Errors spelled out the eligibility rules and the menu path:

View on X ↗

MaxUrPoints also flagged that names on both accounts need to match:

View on X ↗

The Points Frog take

If you have AT&T postpaid, Fiber or Internet Air, link your accounts today. It takes a few minutes and costs nothing. The 65,000-customer cap is the only real deadline, and a deal this easy tends to fill quickly. If you miss the first tier, 2,500 miles is still free. Just make sure the names, and ideally the email addresses, on both accounts match before you start.

Sources

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