American Airlines Miles

Breaking Points

April 10, 2023
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Mini Points - April 2023

- Citi Premier MasterCard - Limited Time Offer - 75,000 Points, after spending $4000 in 3 months, $95 Annual fee.

- Citi AAdvantage Platinum - Special Offer - $75,000 AA Miles, after spending $3500 in 4 months, $0 Annual fee for the first year, then $99.

- Chase Sapphire Visa - Limited Time Offer - 80,000 Points, after spending $4000 in 3 months, $95 Annual fee.

- Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard - Limited Time Offer - 70,000 Points, after spending $2000 in 3 months, $89 Annual fee.

October 6, 2022
AAdvantage Executive World Elite
Citi AAdvantage American Airline Executive Offer

Citi has an awesome sign up offer on it's AAdvantage American Airlines Executive World Elite Mastercard. Earn 85,000 bonus miles after spending $6500 in 3 months. And a limited time Admirals Club membership comes with this card - that's up to $650 value to help off-set the $450 annual fee.

October 3, 2022
Barclaycard
New Sign Up offer with Barclays AAdvantage Card

AAdvantage Aviator World Elite Business Mastercard has a new limited time offer. Earn 80,000 miles after spending $2000 in 3 months, $95 Annual fee.

June 16, 2022
American Airlines Miles
American Airlines Citi Card 60,000 Sign up Bonus

AAdvantage Citi card is offering a 60,000 miles sign up bonus after spending $3000 in 3 months with a $0 annual fee for the first year and then $99 after that.

Award System

American Airlines Miles

Max. Point Value 1.300¢

Do Points Expire? Yes

Point Transfer Options

Transfer To Spouse/Partner Yes - $$

Transfer To Friends Yes - $$

You load your points. We’ll show you valuation and transfer options.

Add My Points

Travel Partner Transfers

Outside Point System American Airlines Miles

Transfers In From
Point Transfer Options
IHG Rewards

5:1 43% value retained

Point Transfer Options
Marriott Bonvoy

3:1 72% value retained

Point Transfer Options
World of Hyatt

5:2.5 41% value retained

The Highlights

American Airlines has had its ups and downs over the past few years. And while it’s not a top pick for everyone, AA miles can be exceptionally valuable and surprisingly easy to collect piles of them in a relatively short period of time. Your bonuses come through different cards and even different banks. The main contributor at this time is Citi, who has increased sign-up bonuses. Barclay also offers a line up of AAdvantage Aviator cards. And there are the American Express Rewards that are transferable to AA.

Booking can be tricky and probably one of the main reasons why people shy away. Finding non-stop flights is almost impossible; sometimes the greatest deals involve an unpleasant red-eye; and when using your points to book with one of their partners, you normally have to actually pick up the phone and talk with someone directly through the airline. (Who wants to do that anymore?)

American Airline partners up with OneWorld, opening up amazing seats even for business and first-class options without the restrictions attached to Star Alliance or the pricing inconsistency of SkyMiles. By not relying on the American Airlines website to find the best route for redemption, you can get you some pretty sweet seats on stellar partners.

Here's a trick: Cathay Pacific has a better OneWorld search. If you find a desirable One World flight there, there's a decent chance you can call American Airlines for the same flight even though it doesn't show on their site.

Or, if you decide to redeem right through the American website, there are standard “MileSAAver” seats, “MilesSAAver Off Peak” options, “Reduced Mileage Awards” and their new “Economy Web Specials Program,” where you can get flights all over the world for just 5,000 points one way.

While it may not be for everyone, it's worth having at least some AA points for when the stars align with one of their discount programs and your travel schedule.

WHAT IS AN AMERICAN AIRLINE WEB SPECIAL?

American Airlines started Web Specials in 2018. And for those of us traveling with points and miles, this was exciting -- especially when they started to include international routes and first and business class. The specials are based on demand rather than on a specific award chart. As an example, one staff member went from NY to Los Angeles for 5,000 AA Miles one way last winter. And another was able to book New York to New Zealand for the same amount of miles. So what’s the catch? If you need to cancel your trip, the cost of getting your points back could be more than the points are worth. You can cancel your trip and reinstate your miles for $150, the first award ticket and $25 for each additional ticket. Unless of course you’re an Executive Platinum member, in which case, reinstatement comes with no penalties.

Bottom Line:

Web Specials are fantastic in our opinion, especially if you’re flexible and a bit of a risk taker. We’re not Executive Platinum members, and some of us had to kiss 5,000 miles and $6 away when our plans changed this spring and our hiking trip got canceled. But if you’re holding up 5,000 AA Miles against a flight across the country, it’s really not a huge sacrifice. The fact that you can hop onboard an AA or OneWorld Alliance plane and travel for under 20,000 points is a steal. And we’re willing to take the risk of losing a few thousand miles if need be.

Associated Alliance

oneworld AllianceAirlines within oneworld Alliance

Status Levels Explained

American Airlines is not only for America, although they definitely deliver when it comes to domestic flights. It’s also one of the better international brands. Especially being a part of Oneworld Alliance, which will get you anywhere you’ve ever dreamed of going. So let’s break down the Status levels, how to get there, and what they mean for you personally.

American Airline AAdvantage Gold

Requires 25,000 EQM’s or 30 Elite qualifying segments + $3,000 EQD’s

  • Unlimited complimentary upgrades on flights under 500 miles
  • 500 Mile Upgrades on flights over 500 miles
  • Upgrade a friend for 500 miles
  • 40% Mileage bonus
  • Priority Check-in
  • First checked bag free
  • Complimentary Preferred seat in the main cabin
  • Complimentary Same-day stand-by
American Airline AAdvantage Platinum

Requires 50,000 EQM’s or 60 EQS’s + $6,000 EQD’s

  • All God Benefits, Plus
  • -60% Mileage bonus
  • -2 Free checked bags
  • -Priority bag delivery, your bags will be among the first in the baggage claim
  • -Complimentary main cabin extra seats, up to 6” of additional legroom
American Airline AAdvantage Platinum Pro

Requires 75,000 EQM’s or 90 EQS’s + $9,000 EQD’s

  • -Upgrade to First-class - confirmed 72 hours prior to departure
  • -80% Mileage bonus
  • -Complimentary Same-day flight changes
American Airline AAdvantage Executive Platinum

Requires 100,000 EQM’s or 120 EQS’s + $15,000 EQD’s

  • -Unlimited complimentary priority upgrades on flights under 500 miles, includes award tickets
  • -Upgrade to First-class - confirmed 100 hours prior to departure
  • -4 Systemwide upgrades, can be used toward any paid ticket, even friends and family that aren't traveling with you
  • -120% Mileage bonus
  • -3 Free checked bags, 70lbs or less
  • -Complimentary Same-day flight cancelations
  • -Complimentary drinks and snacks in the Main Cabin

What to Know Before Canceling

AA miles are not tied to having any particular card so you are safe to cancel your AA credit cards and not lose your points.These points do expire within 18 months of inactivity, so if you do cancel out your card, make sure you have some strategically timed account movement so as not to lose your stash.

Breaking Points

April 10, 2023
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Mini Points - April 2023

- Citi Premier MasterCard - Limited Time Offer - 75,000 Points, after spending $4000 in 3 months, $95 Annual fee.

- Citi AAdvantage Platinum - Special Offer - $75,000 AA Miles, after spending $3500 in 4 months, $0 Annual fee for the first year, then $99.

- Chase Sapphire Visa - Limited Time Offer - 80,000 Points, after spending $4000 in 3 months, $95 Annual fee.

- Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard - Limited Time Offer - 70,000 Points, after spending $2000 in 3 months, $89 Annual fee.

October 6, 2022
AAdvantage Executive World Elite
Citi AAdvantage American Airline Executive Offer

Citi has an awesome sign up offer on it's AAdvantage American Airlines Executive World Elite Mastercard. Earn 85,000 bonus miles after spending $6500 in 3 months. And a limited time Admirals Club membership comes with this card - that's up to $650 value to help off-set the $450 annual fee.

October 3, 2022
Barclaycard
New Sign Up offer with Barclays AAdvantage Card

AAdvantage Aviator World Elite Business Mastercard has a new limited time offer. Earn 80,000 miles after spending $2000 in 3 months, $95 Annual fee.

June 16, 2022
American Airlines Miles
American Airlines Citi Card 60,000 Sign up Bonus

AAdvantage Citi card is offering a 60,000 miles sign up bonus after spending $3000 in 3 months with a $0 annual fee for the first year and then $99 after that.