Max. Point Value 1.40 ¢
Do Points Expire? Yes
Transfer To Spouse/Partner Yes - $$
Transfer To Friends Yes - $$
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Outside Point System American Airlines Miles
1:1 88% value retained
5:1 47% value retained
3:1 67% value retained
5:2 33% value retained
American Airlines is a great utility 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.
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.
Airlines within oneworld Alliance
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.
Booking flights with your American Airlines AAdvantage miles is the best way to redeem them. Go to and check the box to redeem miles when searching for a flight. Results are shown by week, but you can view the monthly calendar to compare prices. You can also filter by airline, including both American and eligible partners.
Hotel stays and car rentals
You can book hotel stays through AAdvantage Hotels. The number of miles required depends on your AAdvantage elite status and whether you have a co-branded American Airlines credit card. Even with top status and a card, you’ll get far more value by using your miles for flight redemptions.
American Airlines also has an AAdvantage Cars portal for car rentals. The same logic applies—redeeming for flights almost always provides better value. At best, you’ll get about 1 cent per mile for car rentals, and often less
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:
Since any points earned are tied to your American Airlines account and not to a specific credit card, canceling a card won’t impact your miles. As long as you have some type of activity on your account, such as redeeming or earning miles through spending or flying, your points will remain active.
If there is no activity on your account for 24 months, your miles will expire.
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
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