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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We live in a small midwestern city and only have American Airlines at our local airport. We are hoping to take a trip to Europe next summer (2026) - we have 3 kids. Is there some trick for maximizing miles or accruing miles? I have about 110K miles atm, platinum status, but it seems like it will take all 110K miles just for one person to fly basic economy to a hub like London, let alone one of our preferred destinations (though we are willing to go just about anywhere). It would be just slightly better if we flew out of one of the larger airports a few hours away (think STL/Kansas City).

I see a lot of people post about how they use miles for int'l family vacations- are you traveling that much for work and just accruing hundreds of thousands of miles? I already put about 95K/year on the credit card and take a handful of domestic flights each year. Is there a certain time that is better to book? Times of year that are cheaper? Or is that just what it costs to go to Europe? Any alternative destinations that would be more miles-friendly? We love traveling around the US but have the urge to get out of our comfort zone just a bit. I went to Mexico City this fall with my older two (tweens) - that was actually cheaper and quicker for us than flying to NYC. So open to ideas like that as well.  [/quote]

Timing is the single biggest factor in AA mileage cost.

In summer peak season, it would cost me 100k+ miles for RT to Paris.

First week of November? 49k.

Also, if you can travel with little advance notice and be flexible on destination, costs can be much lower in the week prior to flight if they have unsold seats. I've found domestic RT's for &lt;20k miles a few days prior to travel.

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