Welcome to FT! What a way to start.

When you go out with a bunch of friends, ask them to hand you the cash, and then use your credit card to pay of all of their purchases.

Buy a fully-refundable airline ticket. Then after the miles post, refund it. But continue in good faith to use the card until the credit hits $0. This trick works with other carriers; but check on the AA board to see if this works with your cAArier.