#2 Among Airlines
Point Value
1.4 ¢
Program Score
8.1
Citi AAdvantage BusinessCiti AAdvantage BusinessAmerican Airlines is a strong, practical points program, especially for straightforward redemptions.
American Airlines Miles associated alliance is oneworld Alliance
Visit oneworld Alliance
The obvious way to earn miles is by flying with American Airlines or one of its partners. You can also quickly build your balance through AAdvantage credit cards or by transferring Citi ThankYou Points to American Airlines.
You’ll earn 5 miles per dollar spent on flights marketed by American Airlines or select partners. Taxes and fees don’t count toward mileage earnings. You do not earn miles or loyalty points on basic economy fares.
AAdvantage elite members earn bonus miles based on their tier level (note that even elite members do not earn miles or Loyalty Points on basic economy fares):
Tickets that don’t earn miles include:
When you book flights on partner airlines through American Airlines, you can still earn AAdvantage miles. Earning rates vary by partner, so check the partner page before booking to confirm how many miles you’ll earn for your fare type and cabin class.
The other top way to earn American Airlines miles is through a co-branded credit card. American Airlines partners with Citi to issue AAdvantage miles-earning cards. Each offers varying sign-up bonuses, which provide most of the miles you’ll earn when opening a new card.
Most eligible spending on AAdvantage credit cards also earns 1 Loyalty Point per dollar toward American Airlines elite status. Bonus-category multipliers and welcome bonuses do not earn additional Loyalty Points.
Citi AAdvantage Business exception: Loyalty Points earned from purchases made by authorized users normally post to the authorized user's own AAdvantage account. Through December 31, 2028, some primary cardholders are targeted for an offer that also awards them matching Loyalty Points from authorized-user spending, allowing both people to earn toward elite status from the same purchases.
American Airlines is a transfer partner of Citi, so opening certain Citi cards lets you transfer points to American to top off your balance or book flights.
Eligible cards include:
If you have any other Citi card, you can’t transfer points to AAdvantage. Citi is the only major credit card issuer that partners with American.
American Airlines lets you transfer AAdvantage miles to any other member, but you'll pay $5 per 1,000 miles transferred. Each member can send or receive up to 200,000 miles per calendar year.
Because of the transfer fees, we don't recommend sharing miles because it is rarely a good value. In most cases, it's better for each traveler to book awards from their own account. Paid transfers generally only make sense when topping off for a specific redemption.
Special Offers Related to American Airlines Miles. Click the arrow to see more.
It's easy to tell the calendar has flipped to November, as shopping promos are popping up all over the place. Five airline shopping portals have launched limited-time promotions offering bonus miles or points on eligible purchases. These bonuses are in addition to the rewards you'd normally earn through each portal, making them worth considering for your holiday shopping. Here's what each portal is offering:
Alaska, American, United, and Delta also have card-linked in-store offers that can count toward the spending requirements.
November 2, 2026 Update: American Airlines Vacations has extended its promotion offering up to 11x AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points on vacation packages. The earning rates and other terms remain unchanged, but the booking and travel deadlines have been extended to include booking through December 31, 2026 for travel through November 30, 2027.
American Airlines Vacations is offering up to 11x AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points on vacation packages booked between July 1 and September 30, 2026, for travel through July 31, 2027. There is no minimum spend or minimum stay requirement, and the promotion is valid on all destinations booked through AA Vacations. The biggest catch is that the miles and Loyalty Points earned are split equally among everyone on the reservation rather than being credited solely to the primary traveler. The earning rate is based on the highest elite status held by anyone on the booking, so everyone benefits if one traveler has status. Be sure every traveler has an AAdvantage account, or their share of the miles and Loyalty Points could be lost.
Citi is increasing the annual fees on both the AAdvantage Platinum Select and AAdvantage Business cards from $99 to $150, while also introducing several new benefits. Both cards will now offer 3x miles on eligible AAdvantage Hotels and Cars bookings, up to $100 per year in statement credits on inflight purchases (replacing the existing 25% discount), up to $120 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years, plus improved travel protections. The Platinum Select will also add 2x miles on select streaming services, EV charging, and eligible rides and rail purchases, plus a complimentary annual Walmart+ membership and a 50% discount on FOX One. Its annual American Airlines flight discount increases from $125 to $150 after spending $20,000 and renewing the card. The Business card will add 2x miles in one selected category (shipping, office supplies, or advertising) and a 25% discount on a Melio subscription. The changes are effective immediately for new applicants. Existing cardholders will receive the new benefits starting January 24, 2027, with the higher annual fee taking effect at their next card anniversary after that date.
The American Airlines Citi AAdvantage Business card is offering 75,000 miles after spending $5,000 in 5 months. That’s up 10,000 points over their standard offer of 65,000 points, which requires $4000 in 3 months. The annual fee is waived the first year and is increasing from $99 to $150 starting on January 24, 2027. So if you apply for this elevated offer, you won't pay an annual fee in the first year, but your annual fee starting in year two will be $150.
The best way to redeem your American Airlines AAdvantage miles is to book award flights. On the American Airlines home page, check the Redeem miles box when searching.
Discover your points' highest-value redemption options. Use the filters to find the optimal sweet spot for your next trip.
American dynamically prices its own flights, but partner awards can still offer excellent fixed-price value. Check partners like Japan Airlines, Qatar, Iberia, and Finnair before using miles on expensive AA-operated awards.
American opens award bookings about 331 days in advance, so check early for hard-to-find awards. Some partners, including Japan Airlines, may also release more space close to departure.
British Airways awards can carry high taxes and fees, especially on flights to or through London. Look for lower-fee options on American, Iberia, Finnair, or other partners instead.
American’s Miles Finder Map can help you explore award prices from your departure city. It does not show real-time availability, but it’s a useful starting point for seeing what may be possible.
AA.com does not always show every partner award option. If you find saver space on a partner site, note the flight details and call American to confirm availability and pricing.
We rank American Airlines as the top airline loyalty program. AAdvantage miles are for those who fly American regularly and/or live near one of their hubs. The sweet spot redemptions are typically with American’s partner airlines, so it’s important that you have some experience in the points and miles world to be able to maximize your miles.
With a variety of co-branded credit cards offered by Citi, you can rack up a good amount of miles. And with Citi as a transfer partner of American, options are even better, though Citi only has two cards that have full transfer potential.
Though we think highly of American Airlines miles, this doesn’t mean the program is without faults. While partner awards offer the best value for your miles, finding availability can be time-consuming and often frustrating. It’s not uncommon to find a redemption with a partner that doesn’t show up on American’s site. You’ll then have to call American to verify space and pricing before booking the flight.
You’ll find the best deals on premium cabin flights, typically on international routes, but it’s hard to consistently find good redemptions. The addition of Citi as a transfer partner makes collecting miles easier, though.
American Airlines has four tiers of elite status. You must earn Loyalty Points during a 12-month qualification period (March–February) to reach each elite status level for the following year.
You can earn Loyalty Points in a variety of ways, but the most common are:
Each eligible mile you earn also earns one Loyalty Point.
Exceptions include:
Note that basic economy tickets are not eligible for complimentary seat selections, systemwide upgrades, cash upgrades, upgrades using miles, or complimentary elite upgrades, no matter your status level. Checked bags are also $5 more for those flying basic economy.
Here’s what it takes to qualify for each American Airlines elite status tier and what you’ll earn along the way
Beyond elite status, you can unlock additional rewards by reaching specific Loyalty Point milestones during the March–February qualification period
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You should receive a full refund of your annual fee if you cancel or downgrade an American Airlines card within 37 days of the fee posting. However, there have been reports of refunds being prorated even within that window.
Canceling a card does not affect your balance since miles earned from American Airlines credit cards are deposited directly into your AAdvantage account. Your miles expire after 24 months with no account activity (any earned or redeemed miles will extend their validity). You can transfer miles to another AAdvantage member, but it is expensive at $5 per 1,000 miles, with an annual limit of 200,000 miles.
The lowest one-way redemption on American is 7,500 miles for domestic U.S. or Canada routes. Partner awards start at 12,500 miles one-way and can offer better value on select international itineraries when availability lines up. Domestic pricing can vary by date and demand.
You can fly to Europe from 25,000 miles one-way in economy or 75,000 in business/first on American. You can find partner redemptions starting at 22,500 in economy or 57,500 in business, but you have to find saver availability. Be careful of high surcharges on certain partners.
American has five co-branded cards, all offered by Citi (all previous Barclays cards transitioned to Citi in 2026). The Citi AAdvantage Executive offers the highest welcome bonus and premium perks (like lounge access), but it also carries the highest annual fee. "Best" card depends on how often you fly with AA.
The Citi AAdvantage Executive includes full Admirals Club membership for the cardholder, immediate family, and two guests. The Citi Strata Elite and AAdvantage Globe cards both offer four annual Admirals Club passes as part of their benefits.
Loyalty Points determine your elite status; AAdvantage miles are the currency you use redeem for flights. You generally earn one Loyalty Point per base mile earned—not on credit card welcome bonuses, multipliers, or promotional bonus miles.
Tracking Points & Transfer Options
