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If you’re ready to put your AAdvantage miles to use, you may be wondering exactly how to redeem American Airlines miles. The process is relatively easy no matter what you decide to do with your miles. You can redeem miles for award flights on American or its partner airlines, as well as for other options like seat upgrades and car rentals. This article will guide you through the redemption process with step-by-step instructions.
How to use American Airlines miles for flights
American Airlines makes it easy to redeem AAdvantage miles for award flights. You can browse award flight options at AA.com to find and book your tickets.
Redeeming miles for American Airlines flights
Here’s what to do to redeem AAdvantage miles for American Airlines carrier flights:
1. Visit AA.com and log in to your AAdvantage account.
First, you’ll need to visit AA.com and log in to your AAdvantage loyalty account. (Don’t worry if you forget to log in — you’ll be asked to do so before booking.)
2. Search available flights.
Enter your desired flight details to search for available flights. Make sure that you check the “Redeem miles” box to view award flight options.
3. Review award flight options and find the award flight that appeals to you.
Review all details, including airport information, travel time, layover details, ticket type and pricing details — including the number of miles and total fees. You can also filter your options or select the calendar view to see a month’s worth of award fares.
4. Confirm details and select the award flight that you want to book.
Select your flight of choice to move on to the next step.
5. Click “Continue” to begin the checkout process.
Once you click “Continue” you’ll be able to confirm passenger details, select your seat and begin the checkout process.
If you’re booking an award flight with miles, you’ll still need to pay taxes and fees.
You’ll be prompted to choose a payment method, enter payment details, and complete the checkout process. Then, your booking is finalized.
» Learn more: Your guide to the American Airlines award chart
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Redeeming AAdvantage miles for partner flights
You can also redeem AAdvantage miles for flights with partner airlines, like Alaska Airlines and Japan Airlines, and the process is fairly similar to the steps above.
Here’s how to redeem American Airlines miles for Oneworld airline flights and partner flights:
1. Follow steps 1 and 2 above.
Log into your AAdvantage account, enter your trip details, select “Redeem miles” and search for reward flights.
2. On the next page, click “Airlines” and select which airlines you want to include in your search.
This is where the process for redeeming miles with a partner airline differs from the process for an American flight. You have the ability to search for partner airline flights only — select or deselect airlines based on your preferences. When you’re finished, click “Done,” and the search results will be updated.
3. Review award flight options and select the flight you want to book.
Once the reward flight options are narrowed down to your selected partner airline(s), you can follow the same steps previously described to choose your flight and continue with your booking.
4. Click “Continue” to confirm passenger details, select seats and complete the checkout process.
As noted before, you’ll need to pay taxes and fees when booking an award flight. Remember, taxes and fees may be higher when booking award partner flights.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
China Southern Airlines, Etihad Airways, and GOL Airlines partner award flights can’t be booked online. You’ll need to contact an American Airlines booking agent to book award flights with these partners. » Learn more: Plan your next redemption with our airline points tool
How to redeem American miles for other items
If you’re not interested in using your miles to book a flight, you can also redeem American Airlines miles in other ways.
Are you wondering what other redemption choices you have? For one, you can redeem miles for cabin upgrades on American, British Airways and Iberia flights. Additionally, you can redeem miles for seat reservations, car rentals, hotel stays, vacations, travel experiences, gift cards for major retailers and Admirals Club memberships. Miles can also be redeemed for retail products through AAdvantage Exchange or donated to charity.
You can use your miles for these redemption options through the redeem miles page on AA.com. Once you choose which option works best for you, you'll be guided through the process to make your redemption.
Best ways to redeem American miles for maximum value
Before rushing to redeem your American Airlines miles, consider the best use of your miles. By taking the right steps, you may be able to get more value out of your miles.
Here are some ideas for excellent award redemptions using American miles:
Domestic flights on American
American offers reasonable redemption rates for flights within the U.S., whether you want to fly a short hop between New York and Washington, D.C., or go across the country from New York to Los Angeles. Short-haul awards start at 5,000 AAdvantage miles, while transcontinental routes can be booked for under 15,000 miles (and sometimes much cheaper, if you're willing to take a connection).
Business class flights on Qatar's Qsuites
One of the best business-class products out there is Qatar Airways' Qsuites. If you're lucky, you can snag one of these awards from the U.S. to the Middle East for 70,000 AAdvantage miles, as both airlines are a part of the Oneworld alliance. However, these awards can be rare, so you'll need to plan far in advance to book. Using an award search tool can help make that process a lot easier.
Business or first class flights on Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines is another Oneworld member, and it offers one of the swankiest ways to travel from the U.S. to Asia. If you're headed to Tokyo (and have AA miles to splurge), you'll want to score a business or first class seat on Japan Airlines. That'll cost you 60,000 or 80,000 miles, respectively, assuming you can find availability.
Business class flights to Europe
If you're headed to Europe from the U.S., take advantage of American's award chart for business class flights on partner airlines like Finnair and Iberia. Those flights will cost you 57,500 miles each way — one of the best options for flying across the Atlantic in style. While British Airways is also an option, you'll generally want to avoid the airline, which is notorious for its high taxes and fees.
Tips for redeeming American miles
The following tips may help you get more out of your AAdvantage miles:
- Award flight redemptions usually result in the best use of miles. If you want to maximize the value of your AAdvantage miles, redeeming them for an award ticket is likely your best bet. NerdWallet values American Airlines miles at 1.3 cents apiece. Other redemption options, like hotel stays, typically offer less value.
- Review American Airlines’ calendar to find the most affordable award flight dates. You can use the calendar tool to find travel dates with the cheapest redemption options. This tool is available once you get to the search results page. If you have flexibility with your travel dates, you may be able to use fewer miles for your award flight redemption.
- Don’t ignore taxes and fees. When redeeming award flights, you’re responsible for paying the taxes and fees. Review the total cost of fees before booking to make sure you’re still getting good value and use out of your AAdvantage miles.
Before redeeming your miles for an award ticket, calculate how much your points are worth. You can do that by using this formula to compare the cash price of the flight to the award price: ( Cash price of ticket - Award ticket taxes and fees ) / Number of miles required to redeem. If the number is above NerdWallet's valuation of 1.3 cents, then it can be a good candidate for a redemption.
» Learn more: Which American Airlines credit card should you choose?
Earn AAdvantage miles through credit card spending
If you don't already hold a co-branded American Airlines card and want to boost your mileage count before looking for more award flights, consider applying for one of these credit cards:
American Airlines personal cards
Annual fee
$0.
$99, waived for the first 12 months.
$350.
$595.
Welcome offer
Earn 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Earn 60,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $7,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
Earn rate
• 2 miles per $1 at grocery stores, including grocery delivery services, and on eligible American Airlines purchases.
• 1 mile per $1 spent on other purchases.
• 1 Loyalty Point per 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases.
• 2 miles per $1 at gas stations and restaurants, and on eligible American Airlines purchases.
• 1 mile per $1 spent on other purchases.
• 1 Loyalty Point per 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases.
• 6 miles per $1 on eligible AAdvantage Hotels bookings.
• 3 miles per $1 on eligible American Airlines purchases.
• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants, including takeout and delivery, and on eligible Rides and Rails purchases, including taxis, rideshares and public transit.
• 1 mile per $1 on everything else.
• 1 Loyalty Point per 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases.
• 10 miles per $1 on eligible car rentals and hotels booked through AA.
• 4 miles per $1 on eligible American Airlines purchases (5 miles per $1 after spending $150,000 total on the card in a calendar year).
• 1 mile per $1 on everything else.
• 1 Loyalty Point per 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases.
Learn more
Final thoughts on how to redeem American miles
Now you know how to redeem American Airlines miles. It’s easy to redeem miles and you have quite a few redemption choices. No matter what you plan to do, consider all of your options before redeeming miles to ensure you get the most out of your miles.
Photo courtesy of American Airlines.
How to maximize your rewards
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