There’s been a Flyertalk thread over the past two months on how to earn 10,000 American miles at more or less no cost by opening a Citibank checking and e-savings account and linking an American Airlines Mastercard to those accounts. Even though I have an AA Mastercard!

(After all, you can get 20,000 miles or more with first purchase or $250 in purchases with fee waived the first year — and you can cancel before the fee is due, and they’ll give you signup bonuses many times).

But the Free Frequent Flyer Miles website has done a writeup on the offer, and now I have no excuse not to participate.

Cribbed from their latest update:

Super offer through December 31, 2006: Get 10,000 American Airlines miles for linking your existing American Airlines credit card to a new Citibank e-savings account within 30 days of funding the new account. You need not be a new Citibank customer to accept this offer. It is o.k. if you already have these accounts. Just open new ones. You need $100 to fund the required new checking account that goes with this account, and $1 to fund the e-savings account, but after funds clear there is no minimum balance required so long as you keep open both accounts, and no monthly maintenance fees. The procedure:


• You must first have a Citibank American Airlines Mastercard. Getting one now will earn you an additional free 20,000 miles. See the Annual Fee Cards page (though the card is free for a year) of my Credit Card section to see how.
  

• Call (877) 681-9200 and tell the rep you want full information on offer code CS2R. If asked, say that you heard if from a friend. Sorry, I can find no way to get the details online. I have spent a great deal of time tracking them down for you (and me).
  

• Open the new e-savings and checking accounts during that phone call. You risk the system not registering you for this offer if you do anything online. You may fund the account by transfer from another bank account while on the phone(very easy if it is an existing Citibank account) or by check after the accounts are opened.
  

• Within 10 business days you will receive a welcome kit and (I am told) the details of this offer. (As of November 11, 2006, I haven’t received mine yet.)
  

• After you receive the kit and within 30 days of opening the account, call (800)745-1534 and chose option 1. Tell the rep you want to link your Citibank American Airlines Mastercard to the new e-savings account, and give the info required. Be sure to give your American Airlines AAdvantage frequent flyer number.
  

• The 10,000 miles should post within 120 days of the closing date of the statement within which you got all of this done. (But the Flyertalk thread I tell you about below starting with post #89 says that the miles actually post 5 days after linking your credit card.) Keep the accounts open until you see the miles post. But you will probably like them anyway. On November 11, 2006, the e-savings account was paying an APY of 5%.