The American Airlines AAdvantage debit card sweet spots: work expenses and HMRC - Part two

American Airlines and Currensea have launched two AAdvantage debit cards in the UK, and I've gone through everything they include in a separate article.

This piece is about the bits that make these cards interesting.

Every mile you earn from spending on these cards also earns an AAdvantage Loyalty Point, and Loyalty Points are how American decides your status.

There is no cap on how many Loyalty Points you can earn with these cards. This compares to the British Airways Premium Plus American Express which from April is capped at 3,000 tier points per year.

AAdvantage status also comes with oneworld status, so it's recognised on British Airways, Qatar Airways and the rest of the alliance.

As a reminder, here's what you need for each tier:

AAdvantage tier	Loyalty Points needed	oneworld tier (BA equivalent)
Gold	40,000	Ruby (Bronze)
Platinum	75,000	Sapphire (Silver)
Platinum Pro	125,000	Emerald (Gold)
Executive Platinum	200,000	Emerald (Gold)

On everyday UK spending alone, that's a lot of shopping: £60,000 a year for Gold (getting you oneworld Ruby) on the Black card. But there are two sweet spots: if you travel abroad for work, and if you pay tax to HMRC.

Both work best on the Black card, so that's what I've used throughout. There's also a calculator at the end, so you can see how far your own spending would get you.

Scenario one: you travel abroad for work

This one depends on your employer's expenses policy, so do check first. Don't come back to me telling me you've had a disciplinary!

If you travel abroad regularly for work, you will no doubt have expenses to claim back: hotels, meals, taxis and so on. Switch the Turbo Miles on, and every £1 of that spending earns 2 miles and 2 Loyalty Points, even in Europe.

The FX fee goes up to 2.95% while the Turbo Miles is on, but the fee is built into the sterling amount you're charged. So a €200 hotel bill comes out of your account as one sterling amount, fee included, and that's the amount you claim.

In other words, your employer covers the higher fee, and you get the miles and Loyalty Points at the higher rate.

£20,000 of expenses abroad in a year would get you AAdvantage Gold on its own. Add in your everyday spending and any oneworld flights you credit to American, and you could get yourself to Platinum quite easily.

Scenario two: paying HMRC

It has always been possible to pay HMRC with a Currensea card, but you did not earn any miles from the payment. This changed in the last couple of months, and now for a small fee, you can earn miles on HMRC payments, and as you also earn Loyalty Points on top of your miles using this card .... you see where I am going.

Let's walk through this with an example. Say you owe HMRC £10,000.

Step 1: You pay HMRC with your AAdvantage Black debit card.

The money comes out of your bank account like any other debit card payment.

Step 2: Currensea adds a 0.95% fee on HMRC payments.

On £10,000, that's £95. So in total, £10,095 leaves your account.

Step 3: You earn miles.

Tax is paid in pounds, so it earns the UK rate of 0.67 miles per £1. On £10,000, that's 6,667 AAdvantage miles.

Step 4: You also earn Loyalty Points.

Every mile you earn from spending also earns a Loyalty Point. So on top of your 6,667 miles, you get 6,667 Loyalty Points, which count towards AAdvantage status.

Step 5: If it's business tax, offset the fee.

If you're paying VAT, PAYE or Corporation Tax for your business, the 0.95% fee should count as a business expense, so it reduces your tax bill. You should also be able to claim the annual card fee back on the business.

This doesn't work for self-assessment income tax, because that's personal tax. You'd still earn the miles and Loyalty Points, but you pay the full fee. I'm going to give myself a massive out here and say check with your accountant before putting anything big through the card.

And lets scale up the payment to achieve status.

Gold needs 40,000 Loyalty Points. To earn that from HMRC payments alone, you'd need to pay £60,000 of tax on the card, which on the Black card comes with a fee of £570. You'd also end up with 40,000 miles, worth around £400.

Here's how much tax you'd need to put through the card to reach each tier:

Tier	Loyalty Points needed	Paid to HMRC	Fee
Gold	40,000	£60,000	£570
Platinum	75,000	£112,500	£1,069
Platinum Pro	125,000	£187,500	£1,781
Executive Platinum	200,000	£300,000	£2,850

Again, pair this spend with your normal oneworld flying credited to your American frequent flyer number, and your normal spend, and this card shines.

How many miles and Loyalty Points could you earn per year on the AAdvantage debit cards?

Below you'll find a calculator that'll help you work out if either of the American Airlines debit cards make sense for you.

A status year (so earning Loyalty Points) with American Airlines runs from 1st March to 28th February, so your Loyalty Points WILL go back to zero on 1st March 2027.

Should you get one?

For some people, this card could replace a BA Amex. For others, it's a very expensive way to earn miles.

It should be stressed that, like any card, these cards are not for everybody.

If you have a specific use case where you do a lot of oneworld flying already and you put a high amount of spend through a card, this card could legitimately be the best way to achieve your goals.

Here's who I think should get it:

Who	Why it works	The catch
Anyone chasing oneworld status	Loyalty Points on every mile from spending, with no cap.	From UK spending alone, Gold takes £60,000 a year on Black. It really adds up with spending abroad, tax payments or flights credited to American.
High spending BA Amex holders thinking of switching	There is no cap on Loyalty Points earned on the AAdvantage cards, unlike the 3,000 tier points cap on the BA Premium Plus from April 2027.	You give up the Companion Voucher and your Avios earning.
People who spend a lot abroad	Turbo Miles triple the normal European earn rate.	The FX fee rises to 2.95%.
Anyone who doesn't want a credit card	No credit check, no interest and no impact on your credit file.	There's still an annual fee, and no Section 75 protection, only Mastercard chargeback.

For most people, the Platinum card is a slow way to earn miles. But if you run a business or travel abroad for work, the Black card is perhaps the most compelling route to oneworld status we've seen in the UK.

If you think these cards are of interest, then you can read more and apply for the AAdvantage debit card here. 

Any further questions you may have about these cards, leave them down below, or DM us on Instagram.

Sam

Points Well Made is a passion project from Sam and Helena. If you've enjoyed this and want to help us keep the lights on, please consider buying us a Ko-fi or subscribing monthly. You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for more of the same. Thanks for reading.