American Airlines Miles

The Highlights

American Airlines is a great utility point system.

• Points are relatively easy to collect, though we don’t love the bank partners or transfer options as much.
• We love direct flights, and American can be a good option for finding those with points.
• Rewards flights start at 7500 miles each way.
• You can use AA miles to travel with eligible Oneworld partner airlines worldwide.

What to Know About This Point System

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.

How to Redeem

The best way to use your American Airlines AAdvantage miles is to book award flights. Go to the American Airlines home page and check the box labeled Redeem miles when you search.

Results default to a weekly view. Switch to the monthly calendar to spot lower-priced award dates. Use filters to include or exclude specific airlines, including American and eligible partners, so you can compare all redemption options in one place.

There are many sweet spots when redeeming AAdvantage miles, especially on partner airlines. American still uses a published award chart for most partner redemptions, listing the starting mileage for each route and cabin class.

Use the interactive chart to select your departure and destination regions to see the minimum miles required for economy, business, or first class awards. Partner flights often deliver the best value, especially on long-haul routes and premium cabins.

Other redemption options

You can redeem miles for hotel stays through AAdvantage Hotels, but the value is rarely competitive. The number of miles required depends on your AAdvantage elite status and whether you hold a co-branded American Airlines credit card. Even with top-tier status, you’ll almost always get better value by booking a sweet spot flight instead.

American Airlines also offers AAdvantage Cars for car rentals. The same rule applies: while you can redeem miles for a vehicle, the value is typically around 1 cent per mile or less. If you want to maximize value, save your miles for flights—not hotels or cars.

Visit American Airlines Miles