American AAdvantage has long had a partnership with Stand Up To Cancer, which is a fantastic charity. At the moment, donating to Stand Up To Cancer can be particularly lucrative, and is essentially a way to acquire AAdvantage miles for two cents each, while also doing good.
Earn AAdvantage miles on cancer research donations
American AAdvantage ordinarily offers 10x miles when donating to Stand Up To Cancer. However, once a year we tend to see an elevated offer, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing right now. Between August 13 and September 30, 2026, these donations can be much more rewarding:
- When donating $25 or more, you can earn 25x AAdvantage miles per dollar donated
- When donating $25-10,000 using an American AAdvantage Mastercard issued in the United States, you can earn 50x AAdvantage miles per dollar donated
While there’s no cap on the number of donations on which American will offer 25x miles, the 50x miles is only available for the first $5 million in eligible donations. I imagine the website will be updated if/when that cap is reached, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s relatively soon.
Note that the miles earned through this offer are AAdvantage redeemable miles, and wouldn’t count as Loyalty Points (aside from any base points from spending on co-branded American cards, at the rate of one Loyalty Point per dollar spent).
When you make a donation, on the payment page you’ll see that the option to “cover transaction costs” is automatically selected, and that can be as much as 4.9%. However, that’s not mandatory, and you can uncheck the box — everyone can decide for themselves what they want to do there.
The other catch to be aware of is that it can take several weeks for miles to post, so don’t expect the miles posting to be an instant process.
This is a rewarding opportunity to do good
If you have an eligible credit card, you could essentially be buying American AAdvantage miles for two cents each. Is that a rate at which I’d proactively pick them up? No, probably not. However, it’s a great opportunity if you want to acquire miles while also doing good, and it’s even lower than the cost at which American usually sells AAdvantage miles. Cancer research is of course a worthwhile cause.
Personally, I value AAdvantage miles at ~1.5 cents each, so as far as I’m concerned, you’re getting a 75% “return” on your donations in the form of miles. Other people will value miles differently, and can do their own math.
Some people may wonder if these donations are tax deductible. You’ll want to consult your tax professional, but the 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.
A valuation of three cents per mile would put the reward at higher than the donation amount (for those earning 50x miles). I suppose you could dispute the value of miles, but still, most wouldn’t be looking at getting a significant tax benefit here.
Bottom line
At the moment, you can earn up to 50x American AAdvantage miles when donating to Stand Up To Cancer. This is a way to acquire AAdvantage miles for two cents each while doing good, so it’s something worth considering. I plan to make a donation, and encourage others to as well.
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