American Airlines just relaunched its annual bonus-mile promotion with Stand Up To Cancer, and it's one of the better ways to pick up AAdvantage miles right now while supporting a genuinely worthwhile cause.

The offer: From now through September 30, 2026, any AAdvantage member who donates $25 or more to Stand Up To Cancer earns 25 miles per dollar donated. If you pay with an American Airlines AAdvantage co-branded Mastercard, that jumps to 50 miles per dollar on donations between $25 and $10,000, though that top tier is capped once combined Mastercard donations hit $5 million. Based on how quickly this cap has been reached in past years, it's worth donating sooner rather than later if you want the 50x rate.

Why it's worth a look: At 50x, you're effectively acquiring AAdvantage miles for about two cents each. That's a solid price. We generally value AAdvantage miles between 1.3 and 1.8 cents apiece depending on how you redeem them, so even on the conservative end you're roughly breaking even, and on a strong business or first class redemption you'll come out well ahead. For a deeper breakdown of how we get to that number, see how we value airline miles and points. It also beats what American typically charges when it runs a sale on buying miles outright.

The fine print:

• Minimum donation is $25; the 50x rate caps out at $10,000 per donation
• Miles earned here don't count as Loyalty Points, so they won't help with status
• Expect several weeks for miles to post to your account, historically by early December
• The checkout page defaults to covering transaction fees (up to about 4.9 percent), and you can uncheck that box if you'd rather skip it
• For tax purposes, American values each mile at 3 cents, which can reduce how much of your donation is deductible, so check with a tax professional if that matters to you

If you've been sitting on a card like the Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard or the Barclays Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard, this is a rare case where doing something generous and doing something savvy with your points strategy line up. Not sure which AAdvantage card fits your spending? Check our full guide to redeeming AAdvantage miles to see what your miles could be worth before you decide how hard to chase this promo. Donate through the official Stand Up To Cancer American Airlines page, enter your AAdvantage number, and you're set.

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