Maybe this has been a topic in the past but I wanted to make sure this info was out.
Amex Financial Direct no longer offers a 10,000 sign-up bonus but does offer 1 Mem mile for each $10 of securities or cash moved to a Finacial Direct account. I know this in not for everyone but the max per year is 50,000 miles earned this way. Thus, if you have stock or bonds or (some, not all) mutual funds, you can transfer them into the Amex account, leave them in for 90 days and earn the miles. No trades are required.