AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
This promotion has ended; please review current/active promotions.
In recent years, American Airlines' flight award chart has become more of a suggestion than a rule. It's not unusual to see actual award pricing far exceeding the “starting at” pricing.
Today, American Airlines announced an award sale, offering 1 million seats with pricing advertised as “starting from 7,500 AAdvantage® miles.” However, we are seeing some routes pricing at just 5,000 miles each way! Even better, availability is wide open on many dates. And you can even fly internationally from 7,500 miles each way.
Here's a look at the newest AAdvantage award sale.
American Airlines Award Sale Details
From November 4 through 18, American Airlines is boasting “more than one million Main Cabin seats on domestic flights (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) redeemable at just 7,500 AAdvantage miles one way.” But even American Airlines sale page is showing routes pricing at just 5,000 miles each way.
Here's a look at some of the domestic routes pricing at just 5,000 miles:
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Miami (MIA): 5,000 miles + $5.60
- Miami (MIA) to Los Angeles (LAX): 5,000 miles + $5.60
- Chicago (ORD) to Orlando (MCO): 5,000 miles + $5.60
- New York (NYC) to Miami (MIA): 5,000 miles + $5.60
- Miami (MIA) to New York (NYC): 5,000 miles + $5.60
- Philadelphia (PHL) to West Palm Beach (PBI): 5,000 miles + $5.60
- Miami (MIA) to Denver (DEN): 5,000 miles + $5.60
- Charlotte (CLT) to Denver (DEN): 5,000 miles + $5.60
- Washington DC (DCA) to Orlando (MCO): 5,000 miles + $5.60
- Orlando (MCO) to Philadelphia (PHL): 5,000 miles + $5.60
But this discount isn't just limited to domestic flights. American Airlines is offering award flights to:
- Mexico and the Caribbean from 7,500 miles each way
- South America from 16,000 miles each way
- Europe from 17,500 miles each way
- Doha and Delhi from 20,000 miles each way
- Japan, Australia, and New Zealand from 25,000 miles each way
European flights are discounted as low as 17,500 miles each way. Even on surely high-demand routes such as Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Paris (CDG), availability is wide open at these rates:
Your mileage may vary when you search for awards. You can head to AA's promotional page and enter various from/to combinations to see potential flights.
Key details
There are a few terms you'll want to make note of, such as:
- This award sale is advertised through November 18, 2025.
- Advertised travel dates are between January 12 and February 28, 2026, but we are seeing cheap options outside of these dates.
- Offer valid only on American Airlines and American Eagle-operated flights, but not on codeshares.
For a look at the complete list of terms, visit AA's promotional website and scroll to the bottom of the page.
Earning AAdvantage Miles
If you find an award route that works for you, you'll want to book it quickly. Availability is fleeting, so there's no time to go out and earn a signup bonus on one of American Airlines' co-branded credit cards.
Thankfully, American Airlines is a transfer partner of Citi ThankYou Points. Even cardholders of no-annual-fee Citi cards can transfer ThankYou points to American Airlines, just at a lower rate. You also have the option of transferring Marriott Bonvoy points or even World of Hyatt points to American Airlines, but the transfer rates are poor enough that it's generally not worth doing so.
- For a limited time, earn 100,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com
- Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time
- Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
Final Thoughts
American Airlines' cheap award sale is surprisingly good. Seats to not only the U.S. and Caribbean but Europe, Japan, and even New Zealand make this the perfect opportunity to make winter travel plans.
Ultimately, you'll want to book quickly if you see something you like. The promotional booking period ends on November 18, but you shouldn't wait until the end to make your reservations. And note that you'll generally find the best prices during the advertised travel period between January 12 and February 28, 2026.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
