How do aa miles work

Another temporary option to get a boost of American miles without buying them directly is to transfer points in from the Citi ThankYou program. You can transfer Citi points to AAdvantage through Nov. The non-discounted price for buying miles from American Airlines is about 3.

TPG values American Airlines miles at 1. However, if your travel goals are similar to the flight examples listed above, you may very well save money with this promo over purchasing the flight with cash.

The miles should be available in your account instantly but may take up to eight hours to process. In our past experience, AAdvantage mileage purchases code as airfare. This means you should earn bonus points when using many of the top travel rewards cards , such as:. This will also apply to the above American Airlines cobranded cards. You could earn 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar on these eligible purchases by making them with one of these cards. Related: The best cards for airfare purchases.

As of July 23, this is the only card that offers Admirals Club lounge access so if you are an AA flyer this card might make sense for you. Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser.

Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. Because the cash cost increase from an economy ticket to a business or first class ticket is less than the cost increase in miles from an economy ticket to a business or first class ticket. For example, a round-trip award from the continental U.

Economy award. After deducting the cost of taxes, you arrive at a 0. Business class. In business class, the redemption looks very different given the high cost of the flight.

This redemption results in a value of 2. This disproportionate miles to money increase explains why a premium cabin award often provides a much higher redemption value. Everyone has different travel preferences and destination goals, and some people may not care at all about a premium cabin experience.

Remember that miles should be used for travel rather than hoarded for the best imaginable redemption. Using your AAdvantage miles to book a hotel with points yields a low value. In one search for a hotel in Miami, the value of using the miles for a hotel room was around 0. A better bet would be to use hotel points or rewards earned from a cash-back credit card for hotel bookings.

As seen below, this redemption would result in a valuation of only 0. In general, you can earn AAdvantage miles on flights with Oneworld partners and redeem your miles for flights on Oneworld airlines. On airlines outside the Oneworld alliance, your ability to earn or redeem miles is more limited. You may be able to earn miles but not redeem them, for example, or you may be able to redeem only for certain flights. Other partner airlines include:.

Although you can redeem miles for most of these partners on AA. Awards not bookable online include:. The flight award chart for partner airlines tells you how you can earn flights on carriers other than American for no cost.

Anyone can sign up for the AAdvantage program , but basic membership only comes with a frequent flyer number and an account where your points accumulate. The real goodies come when you earn elite status. No upgrades are available on Basic Economy fares. Main Cabin Extra seats have up to 6 inches more legroom and are at the front of the main cabin.

Preferred seats have standard legroom but are at the front of the main cabin. What's more, as of Oct. Elite qualifying dollars , or EQDs for short, are earned based on how much you spend on tickets with American and its Oneworld partners excluding government taxes and fees. Your earnings will change based on which class of service you book, and partner restrictions. Elite qualifying miles , or EQMs, are the actual miles you fly every year aboard American and its Oneworld partners.

Your earnings may vary on other partner airlines, based on what class of service you book. Visit the American website to learn more about what qualifies for elite status and how it may affect your plans. Elite qualifying segments , or EQSs, are earned based on how many takeoff-to-landing flight segments you take.

A nonstop flight from L. To earn this status, you must have EQDs of at least:. American Airlines is unusual among U. Cards that earn AAdvantage miles include:. American Airlines flies to 50 countries through its Oneworld partners , providing ample opportunity for passengers to use its service. To contact American Airlines by phone in the U. You can also reach American Airlines on Twitter at americanair. Award flights with American Airlines start at 7, AAdvantage miles for a one-way economy flight under miles long in the contiguous U.

For more information, see How We Make Money. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for some American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress. Last updated June 4, All reviews are prepared by NextAdvisor staff. Opinions expressed therein are solely those of the reviewer. The information, including card rates and fees, presented in the review is accurate as of the date of the review.

Trending 1. In your inbox every Tuesday. A valid email address is required. You must check the box to agree to the terms and conditions. Thanks for signing up! Sign up. Follow Us Facebook externa link icon. Twitter externa link icon. Instagram externa link icon. LinkedIn externa link icon. On any award routing you want to book, there must be a published fare between the two cities. If an agent believes you are flying an indirect routing, they can split your ticket into two awards.

Reduced Mileage Awards and Partner Awards Are the Best Use of Miles Without a doubt, booking with partner airlines and enjoying their superior onboard products is my first strategy when looking to redeem AA miles. Bottom Line AAdvantage certainly allows you to gain considerable value from your miles — you just need to look at other options besides trying to fly domestically on a weekend.

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