American Airlines AAdvantage miles are by far the airline currency that I redeem the most. After all, there are some excellent AAdvantage sweet spots , and the AAdvantage program has customer-friendly award cancellation policies .

But to redeem a lot of AAdvantage miles each year, I must earn a sizable amount of AAdvantage miles. So, here's what you should know about earning American miles.

As you'll learn, there are many ways to earn AAdvantage miles. But there are two different types of American miles you can earn: base miles and bonus miles.

The difference between base and bonus miles isn't important if you're primarily interested in redeemable miles, as both types are equally redeemable. But if you're interested in earning American Airlines elite status and Loyalty Point Rewards , know that base miles — not bonus miles — are what get you Loyalty Points.

Related: American AAdvantage miles vs. Loyalty Points: What's the difference?

You can earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles on paid flights with the carrier and its partners when you list your AAdvantage loyalty number on your booking.

However, how you earn American miles will depend on which airline markets (in other words, sells) the flight. The marketing airline is often different from the airline that operates your flight; it's the one indicated by your flight number. For example, on Oct. 10, AA175 is operated and marketed by American Airlines, while JL7013 is the exact same flight marketed by Japan Airlines.

On flights marketed by American Airlines, you'll earn 5 base miles per dollar spent on the ticket cost, excluding government-imposed taxes and fees, if you don't have any elite status with American. Meanwhile, AAdvantage elite members earn base miles at the following rates: