How long did it take for me to get my AA welcome miles from my Aviator card?

This post is geared towards newbie travelers on miles and points.

Back in June, I applied for the Barclays AAdvantage Aviator World Elite Mastercard when the welcome bonus was 70,000 AA miles after just one purchase and paying the card’s $99 annual fee. Currently, the card has a lower welcome bonus, so I advise you to wait until the bonus increases again.

This card really is one of the easiest ways to earn miles for free travel. But, the miles don’t come as quickly as you might expect.

My timeline for the Barclays AADvantage Aviator World Elite Mastercard

Card approval date: 6/15/23

First purchase date: 6/23/23

Annual fee appeared online: 6/30/23

Note: The website would not let me pay any amount until after my first statement.

First statement: 7/12/23

Payment received: 7/13/23

Second statement: 8/12/23

Bonus miles appeared in my account: 8/13/23

So as you can see, it took almost 2 months from the day I was approved for the card until the day the miles were deposited into my AA account. This is not uncommon at all, and in fact, it takes 3-4 months for some bonuses to hit your account when you have to meet a minimum spending threshold over a 3-month period.

For travelers, it’s important to understand the timeline for earning mileage bonuses because you need to factor that into your plans. If you’re trying to book multiple award tickets to Europe, it’s best to have those miles ready 11 to 12 months in advance. That means you need to start your credit card applications a few months before that to allow time for your miles to be deposited.

Of course, you don’t always have to be ready that far in advance. Award availability varies by day, and sometimes you can  get decent award bookings on short notice. But, in my experience, it pays to book well in advance. The early bird catches the worm.