Though the American Airways AAdvantage program has skilled devaluations in recent times and moved to dynamic pricing, you may nonetheless discover loads of candy spots. American provides an intensive community of home and worldwide routes. It’s also part of the Oneworld alliance and has greater than 20 airline companions, lots of which supply a few of the most coveted experiences within the skies. It is also the one Large Three U.S. airline that hasn’t totally eradicated award charts — at the least not but.
Due to this, your AAdvantage miles are extraordinarily versatile. You possibly can even use them for aspirational luxurious on Qatar Airways, Japan Airways and different airways with stellar laborious merchandise, each in economic system and premium lessons.
On this article, we’ll go over how one can redeem AAdvantage miles for each American and partner-operated flights. We’ll additionally evaluation alternate methods to redeem your miles and whether or not or not they’re value utilizing.
Associated: Greatest makes use of of American Airways AAdvantage miles
Redeem miles for American Airways flights
Probably the most easy methods to redeem AAdvantage miles is on American-operated flights.
This system now makes use of dynamic pricing for its personal award seats, although it hasn’t but eliminated its associate award chart. (We’ll get to that later.) Because of this for American flights, the worth in miles can fluctuate drastically relying on the route, day, demand and different components.
American launched Economic system Internet Specials in 2018, and it has shortly expanded to different areas and premium cabins. These awards begin at simply 5,000 miles for one-way short-haul home flights. Up to now, we have even seen American provide economic system tickets to Mexico and the Caribbean for as few as 5,000 miles every method and Flagship First Class seats from Los Angeles to London for simply 110,000 AAdvantage miles every method.
Redeeming AAdvantage miles for American flights is straightforward: Head to the American Airways web site and seek for your flight, ensuring to examine the “Redeem miles” field. American is not identified for having plentiful award availability, however you will discover good offers when trying to find awards far prematurely. When the search outcomes seem, click on “Calendar” to check costs throughout a whole month; one of the best offers will probably be highlighted in inexperienced.
Associated: Selecting one of the best bank card for American Airways flyers
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Redeem miles for associate flights
You may discover some variations when reserving American Airways companions, certainly one of which is consistency in worth. For instance, you may count on to pay 57,500 miles when flying to Europe in enterprise class — no wonderful offers, however no 200,000-mile pricing, both. That is as a result of AAdvantage nonetheless makes use of an award chart for associate redemptions. Head to this hyperlink to enter your origin and vacation spot areas and see how a lot your ticket will price.
Additionally, look ahead to carrier-imposed charges and surcharges. British Airways is notorious for routinely tacking on a whole lot of {dollars} in surcharges to Europe-bound flights. These are handed on to AAdvantage members along with the miles they’re going to spend.
That is to not say there are not any good AAdvantage associate redemptions — it is truly fairly the alternative. As mentioned earlier, American Airways companions with many world-renowned airways that supply stellar business- and first-class merchandise with affordable carrier-imposed charges.
Here is an inventory of all of American’s present companions:
Oneworld airline companions:
- Alaska Airways
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airways
- Malaysia Airways
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian Airways
- SriLankan Airways
Nonalliance airline companions:
- Aer Lingus
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Cape Air
- China Southern Airways
- Etihad Airways
- Fiji Airways
- Gol Airways
- Hawaiian Airways
- IndiGo
- JetSmart
- Silver Airways
You possibly can e book most of those companions on-line via American’s web site, however some could require you to name. In that case, you may seek for award seats on the airline’s personal website after which name American to e book with AAdvantage miles. You should not encounter this downside typically, as the primary gamers are bookable on-line.
If you name American, the cellphone agent offers you a quote for each mileage and taxes and charges. These taxes and charges are normally the identical as quoted on the associate airline’s web site, however they could fluctuate relying on the award.
Ensure you word particular flight numbers if you find an out there associate award seat. As a substitute of claiming, “I am hoping to make use of my miles to fly from New York to Abu Dhabi,” after which counting on the agent to seek out the award house, say one thing like, “I’ve discovered award house on Etihad flight X, departing on date Y, however I can not e book it on-line. Are you able to please assist?”
Associated: The most effective web sites for looking out Oneworld award availability
Redeem miles for journey add-ons
You may as well redeem your miles for numerous add-ons, comparable to seat upgrades and Admirals Membership lounge entry.
Upgrading your seat with miles is barely out there on flights operated by American and three of its companions: British Airways, Iberia and Qantas. Take a look at this web page to see what number of AAdvantage miles you may have to improve your subsequent flight.
Sadly, you may should pay a hefty co-pay (beginning at $75) on most American fares. For upgrades on American’s companions, you will not have a co-pay, however the mileage charges are a lot larger.
If you e book a Most important Cabin Further seat with miles, the fee correlates to the money worth at a charge of roughly 1 cent per mile. On this case, you need to use 3,500 miles for a Most important Cabin Further seat that will usually price $37. Equally, an Admirals Membership day cross will set you again $79 or 7,900 miles.
Each of those choices offer you a worth of round 1 cent per mile, far beneath TPG’s November 2024 valuation of American miles (1.6 cents every). That is why we advise avoiding them, particularly in case your AAdvantage elite standing supplies Most important Cabin Further seating as a profit or if in case you have the Citi® / AAdvantage® Govt World Elite Mastercard® (see charges and charges), which entitles you to Admirals Membership entry.
When you have Govt Platinum or Platinum Professional standing, you even have the choice to redeem 20,000 or 24,000 miles, respectively, for an entry cross to the unique Flagship First eating facility.
Associated: Is American Airways premium economic system value it between London and New York?
Redeem miles for rental vehicles, accommodations or actions
The AAdvantage web site provides a number of extra avenues for redeeming your miles, together with:
The above checklist offers you loads of choices, particularly if in case you have an enormous stash of miles you can’t use anytime quickly. Nonetheless, these redemptions will virtually all the time present a poor worth.
For instance, we priced out a one-day midsize automobile rental via AAdvantage Vehicles and have been quoted 15,557 miles. The identical rental prices simply $87 when booked straight via Thrifty, providing you with a worth of 0.56 cents per mile; that is far lower than half of our November 2024 valuation of 1.6 cents apiece for AAdvantage miles. Some AAdvantage elite members and cobranded cardholders will get a small low cost on the worth in miles, however not sufficient to deliver that worth up considerably.
In fact, worth is within the eye of the beholder, and solely you may resolve how greatest to make use of your miles. However on the whole, redeeming AAdvantage miles for award flights offers you essentially the most bang to your mile, particularly when you will discover aspirational associate awards.
Associated: Greatest instances to e book business-class award flights: Final-minute vs. superior bookings
Backside line
There may be greater than meets the attention relating to redeeming AAdvantage miles.
Be sure to do your analysis and discover one of the best routes to your redemption, and do not rely solely on American’s web site for award availability. In spite of everything, the most suitable choice to your subsequent journey will not be on American however on certainly one of its many alliance or nonalliance companions. Simply make sure to be careful for pesky gasoline surcharges.
