More Miles for Dining From American, US Airways

In a recent blog post, I lamented the decline in the lucrative miles-for-dining bonuses that were once a fixture of the travel rewards landscape.

As if to prove me wrong, American and US Airways are offering 500 bonus miles for dines at Rewards Network restaurants where program members have not previously earned miles.

Offer Details

The bonus is 500 miles, and both offers require that a dining survey be completed within 30 days, but the two offers differ slightly in the minimum spend requirement and the promotion end date, as follows:

• American – 500 bonus miles for new restaurant dines of $25 or more by September 30
• US Airways – 500 bonus miles for new restaurant dines of $30 or more by August 31

Again, the bonus is for dines at restaurants at which you haven’t earned miles in the past.

The new bonus can be combined with the ongoing double-mile promotion (double miles for dining on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, and filling out a restaurant review).

Deal or No Deal

If you live in an area where there are just a handful of Rewards Network restaurants, or you’re simply not a miles-for-dining fan, this offer probably won’t whet your appetite.

For the rest of us, though, the math is pretty mouth-watering, especially if the two current promotions are combined.

Let’s say you spend $25 for a Monday lunch at a new restaurant, and fill out the online review form for that restaurant. By qualifying for the early-week promotion, you earn 10 miles per dollar spent, or 250 miles. Add to that the 500 miles from the new promotion, for a total of 750 miles. That’s 30 miles for every dollar spent.

Reader Reality Check

I’m writing up a list of restaurants that will qualify for this bonus. And I plan to visit them on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays.

You?

This article originally appeared on FrequentFlier.com.