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One of the most important ways to increase the potential value of your miles is to learn about all of the ways you can use them. Did you know American Airlines AAdvantage miles can be used to book flights with 22 different airlines? If you limit yourself to American-operated flights, you can visit around 365 destinations in 61 countries. If you include partner airlines, your choices balloon to over 1,100 destinations in 180 countries and territories.
American partner airlines are an exceptional group. AAdvantage miles give you access to some of the world's best business- and first-class products—like Etihad, Cathay Pacific, Qatar, and Japan Airlines. They also put some of the most exotic destinations within your reach, like the Maldives, Mykonos, Fiji, and Tahiti.
Citi recently announced that ThankYou points can be transferred to American AAdvantage miles. This is currently being promoted as a temporary transfer option which is scheduled to end on November 13, 2021. With the all-time-high 80,000-point offer on the Citi Premier® Card (full review), now is a great time to get to know the American partner airlines and start planning your next adventure.
- 80,000 point signup bonus worth $800 towards airfare through the ThankYou Travel Center, or potentially much more when transferred to airline partners
- 3X points per $1 on airfare and hotels and at gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets
- Annual Hotel Benefit: Save $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when you book through ThankYou.com
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 3X points per $1 spent on airfare, hotels, and at gas stations
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining at restaurants, including cafes, bars and lounges
- 3X points per $1 spent at supermarkets
- 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
Page Contents
Huge Improvements to Online Bookings
Over the last two years, American Airlines has improved its online booking capabilities by leaps and bounds. In early 2018, I booked premium cabin award flights on Qatar Airways using American Airlines miles. This meant I scoured the British Airways and Qantas award search engines to find availability before calling American Airlines reservations to complete the booking.
To book the same itinerary now would mean just a few clicks on the American Airlines website. AAdvantage members can now book award flights on 19 total airlines (including American) on AA's website.
American Airlines' Airline Partners
American Airlines' partner airline page lists 22 total airlines for potential travel: 14 Oneworld members and 8 additional partners. All airline partners in bold are available for online redemptions:
Oneworld Partners
Award flights for all 14 Oneworld members can be booked using AAdvantage miles right on AA's website:
- American Airlines
- Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian Airlines
- S7 Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
Non-Alliance Partners
American Airlines' AAdvantage program also has 8 non-Oneworld partner airlines. Of these, 6 are bookable online (in bold):
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Cape Air
- China Southern Airlines
- Etihad Airways
- Fiji Airways
- GOL Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Seaborne Virgin Islands
The subset of airlines bookable online covers nearly all destinations across the globe.
| North America | Europe | Asia | Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific | Africa & Middle East | South America |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | British Airways | Cathay Pacific | Air Tahiti Nui | Etihad Airways | GOL Airlines |
| American Airlines | Finnair | China Southern | Fiji Airways | Qatar Airways | LATAM (ended May 1, 2020) |
| Cape Air | Iberia | Japan Airlines | Qantas | Royal Air Maroc | |
| Hawaiian Airlines | S7 Airlines | Malaysia Airlines | Royal Jordanian | ||
| Seaborne Virgin Islands | Sri Lankan |
Redemption Costs
American Airlines utilizes a variety of mostly-zone-based award charts for both its own flights and partner flights. Below is an example of the American Airlines award charts for flights on its own planes, which can be found here, organized by origin and class of cabin:
American maintains a separate spot on its website for partner awards, also organized by region of origin. Note that awards on partner airlines do not vary by the same levels as awards on American metal. One flat redemption cost applies, subject to award availability of course.
Many additional qualifiers follow this chart on American's webpage, like routing rules and airline stipulations. Before planning travel to any of these regions on partner airways, make sure to read these conditions carefully. The rest of this article details all of the various redemption options available to AAdvantage members.
American Airlines
AAdvantage members have several different ways to redeem their miles for American Airlines flights:
- MileSAAver Awards — saver-level awards
- AAnytime Awards — up to 5 levels of additional award levels
- Web Special Awards — dynamically-priced awards
- Reduced Mileage Awards — a discount program available to certain AAdvantage cardmembers
Web Special redemption costs vary by many different factors. Apart from these, other options follow the mostly-zone-based charts that American provides on its website. At the moment, American Airlines' global network does not reflect its usual reach. Once the airline begins its planned services to Casablanca and Bangalore (and resumes its complete route network), travelers can reach every award chart zone on American Airlines metal.
Miles may be difficult to accumulate as American Airlines isn't a transfer partner of any major bank points program. You can transfer points from several hotel loyalty programs to AAdvantage. However, these are generally a poor value—with the exception of Marriott Bonvoy points.
For shorter flights that cross regional boundaries—such as Miami to Caribbean destinations—award travelers should consider booking with British Airways Avios instead. Not only can it reduce the total point cost of redemptions, but also it can let you change or cancel your trip plans with lower fees.
Oneworld Partners
Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air
American's on-again-off-again relationship with Alaska Airlines and its subsidiary, Horizon Air, is most certainly back on. The two airlines enjoyed a fruitful relationship that slowly began to splinter a few years ago. But all of that is water under the bridge now. Alaska Airlines formerly joined the Oneworld alliance on March 31, 2021. And Alaska and American Airlines are even offering reciprocal elite upgrades.
While AAdvantage miles could already be used for Alaska Airlines flights, the strengthened partnership between the carriers opens up many potentially valuable points and miles opportunities in the near future.
British Airways
If you can find award space on AA.com for travel between the United States and Europe, chances are at least one segment will be on British Airways metal. British Airways might offer a higher number of transatlantic seats than American Airlines does, but not without an offsetting cost: taxes and fees. Taxes and fees on premium cabin award tickets can exceed $600 each way. If your itinerary calls for transatlantic travel on British Airways, consider booking with Asia Miles instead of AAdvantage miles to save on exorbitant surcharges.
As a U.S.-based traveler, I typically think of British Airways as an avenue to travel to Europe and beyond. However, British Airways operates a few unique fifth-freedom routes within the Caribbean as well. The flights are part of triangle routes, operated by Boeing 777 aircraft. Island hoppers won't be able to redeem AAdvantage miles for these flights, though, as any flight within the Caribbean requires a separate award and is only valid on Seaborne Virgin Airlines.
For these routes, use British Airways Avios instead to experience (brief) premium cabin luxury without breaking the points and miles bank.
Cathay Pacific
Operating from its main hub in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific offers a logical and comfortable way to jet around Asia. Cathay Pacific typically serves eight destinations within the United States as well. This means that from select cities in the United States, travelers can redeem AAdvantage miles and reach many popular destinations within Asia with a single connection. Cathay used to fly a fifth-freedom route between JFK and Vancouver, too, though sadly this route is no longer operated.
The Hong Kong-based carrier operates from what American defines as “Asia Region 2,” meaning the following award chart applies for flights on Cathay Pacific metal:
Finnair
Finnish flag carrier Finnair only flies to a few cities in the United States. New York's Kennedy (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) are the only two cities with year-round service. Chicago (ORD), Miami (MIA), and San Francisco (SFO) enjoy seasonal service as well. Below is the applicable award chart for travel from Finnair's Helsinki (HEL) hub to its global destinations.
Finnair might not offer quite as many destinations across all continents as other partners—like British Airways or Cathay Pacific—but it makes exploring Scandinavia possible with American Airlines miles.
Iberia
Based in Madrid (MAD), Iberia operates routes to over 100 countries across Europe and three other continents, including North America. Routing through any of nine North American cities served by Iberia allows travelers to avoid sky-high taxes and fees that British Airways passes along.
For direct flights between North America and Spain, consider using Iberia Avios instead of American Airlines miles. Iberia charges as few as 17,000 Avios in economy or 34,000 Avios in business for a one-way flight between the East Coast and Spain. Compare that against 22,500 AAdvantage miles for off-peak economy class or 57,500 miles for business class awards booked through AAdvantage.
If you're booking round-trip flights or for multiple passengers, the savings really add up. Plus, 50% flash sales on these already low redemption rates pop up from time to time, making for deeper savings and insane redemption values.
Japan Airlines
Want to visit Asia and fly comfortably, regardless of class of cabin? Japan Airlines leads the way. The airline serves ten airports throughout the United States plus one in Canada. Redemptions start at 35,000 miles in economy up to 80,000 miles for first-class awards (plus very reasonable taxes and fees) for travel between the U.S. and Japan, which falls into the “Asia 1” region as defined by American Airlines.
Travelers can continue on from Japan to anywhere in Asia 2 for a reasonable number of extra miles. Add another 2,500 miles in economy, 10,000 in business class, or 30,000 in first class to reach Asia 2. Oddly enough, traveling in premium economy between the United States and either of Asia 1 or Asia 2 costs the same number of miles: 50,000 miles.
Another thing to keep in mind with Japan Airlines: they serve more than just Oneworld hubs and major cities in the United States. When piecing together award travel plans, remember that Japan Airlines offers direct service to smaller airports such as San Diego. If more popular west coast routes out of Los Angeles or San Francisco do not have award space, think about routing through San Diego instead.
Malaysia Airlines
Malaysia Airlines does not operate routes to North or South America or to Africa, and the Kuala Lumpur-based airline operates just one route to Europe (London). Still, travelers might want to book award flights on Malaysian for connecting flights within Asia, or for travel between Kuala Lumpur and surrounding destinations. The chart below encompasses all direct Malaysia Airlines routes bookable with American Airlines miles:
Qantas
For a brief period, Qantas operated the longest commercial flight in the world between Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) and Sydney. That route has fallen to the seventh-longest direct flight in the world and isn't even the longest Qantas flight anymore. That title is now held by the route between Perth (PER) and London Heathrow (LHR). American Airlines categorizes Australia as the South Pacific, meaning one-way flights between the United States and the land down under abide by the following prices:
Qantas continues to expand its flight offerings between Australia and the U.S. Though delayed due to COVID-19, the newest Qantas route connects Brisbane and Chicago and will be the fourth-longest flight in the world once it begins.
Qatar Airways
My personal favorite way to redeem American Airlines miles is for travel in business class on Qatar Airways. For 70,000 miles each way, travel between the United States and the Middle East or Indian Subcontinent in Qatar's incredible Qsuites. For an extra 5,000 miles, reach many tourist destinations within the African continent as well, all with just one stop in Doha.
At this point, nearly every one of Qatar's 10 U.S. destinations is serviced by Qatar Qsuite—the airline's incredible business-class product. The two that do not—Atlanta and Miami—were scheduled to start offering Qsuites during 2020. However, COVID-19 may now change those plans. Before you book, you can ensure your plane is equipped with Qsuites using directions spelled out in this post. If you don't have the miles or award availability to travel up front, Qatar's economy class provides a perfectly pleasant experience as well.
Royal Jordanian Airlines
Like Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian Airlines offers a connection point in the Middle East for Oneworld travelers. Unlike Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian does not offer enclosed suites in business class. Also, North American travelers have just four options for flights directly to Royal Jordanian's hub in Amman: Chicago (ORD), Detroit (DTW), Montreal (YUL), and New York (JFK).
You'll have to redeem just 40,000 AAdvantage miles between any of these cities and Jordan in economy class. Plus, you can add on an extra flight in either the U.S. or beyond Jordan for the same cost.
S7 Airlines
Ever seen S7 Airlines on an arrivals board? If so, you were somewhere other than the Americas. Legally named “Siberia Airlines”, S7 Airlines operates out of its two Russian hubs and four additional focus cities across Russia. If you happen to fly with the airline, expect a single-aisle aircraft similar to what you'd find many domestic routes within the United States.
However, that doesn't mean you can't get far on a single S7 flight. For example, S7 Airlines flies nonstop between Moscow and Tenerife in the Canary Islands off the coast of northwestern Africa. Heading west, this 3,272-mile journey is scheduled for 7 hours and 40 minutes, operated by an A320neo plane.
The good news? Because the Canary Islands are property of Spain, they fall into American Airlines' definition of Europe. And Russia is included as part of Europe as well. As a result, the almost 8-hour journey costs AAdvantage members just 12,500 miles.
In theory, you should be able to add on a domestic connection within Russia as well. Flying from Yakutsk to Moscow to Tenerife would span over 6,300 miles and should cost the same 12,500 miles. However, my searches for such an award on AA.com errored out. Despite this, ExpertFlyer shows award space on such a routing. Perhaps by calling AA, you could ticket this award.
SriLankan Airlines
SriLankan Airlines—the flag carrier of Sri Lanka—connects Oneworld with much of the Indian Subcontinent. Cities serviced include a mix of big cities on opposite sides of the globe and smaller cities within the region.
For example, flyers can get from London to Melbourne with a single stop in SriLankan's hub airport in Colombo. They can also reach many major and secondary cities within the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent. SriLankan Airlines even serves a secondary city within the Maldives! See below for the number of American Airlines miles required for award flights on SriLankan Airlines metal.
The carrier's website includes a complete listing of destinations served by the airline.
Non-Alliance Partners
Air Tahiti Nui
With just four total planes—all Boeing 787 Dreamliners—in its current fleet, Air Tahiti Nui has the fewest destinations of any American Airlines partner bookable online. These four planes fly to a total of four destinations from the French Polynesian hub in Papeete: Auckland (AKL), Los Angeles (LAX), Paris (CDG, via Los Angeles), and Tokyo (NRT).
Using AAdvantage miles for flights to/from each of these cities is subject to the following mileage chart:
A couple of items in this chart stand out. First, it costs just 5,000 miles extra to fly in business class to Paris compared to Los Angeles. Continuing to Europe from California more than doubles the length of the journey, yet there's a very minor mileage cost. Award space for these routes is scarce though. So, grab it if you see it!
Also, travel within the South Pacific in economy class costs just 15,000 miles. That means travelers can fly through Auckland and connect onto Qantas-operated flights to other parts of Australia for no extra cost. This comes in handy if you want to get from French Polynesia to—for example—Perth, Australia, nearly 6,000 miles away.
Cape Air
The first time I saw a Cape Air plane on the runway at Boston Logan Airport I thought it was a private plane. The Cape Cod-based airline has historically flown a number of small Cessna aircraft that seat less than a dozen passengers, though they are in the process of modernizing its fleet with newer Tecnam planes. Despite the “Cape” namesake, Cape Air enjoys a presence outside of greater New England as well.
Not all Cape Air flights are available for award booking using AAdvantage miles. AA members can only redeem miles to book award travel on Cape Air between St. Louis, MO (STL) and Ft Leonardwood, MO (TBN); Kirksville, MO (IRK); Marion, IL (MWA); and Owensboro, KY (OWB).
An American Airlines-operated nonstop flight under 500 direct flight miles costs just 7,500 miles in economy. All of the eligible Cape Air routes are less than 500 miles. However, these short Cape Air flights do not qualify for such pricing.
As a result, consider using Chase Ultimate Rewards to redeem points for these flights, especially if you hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. For flights under $187.50 one way (or $375 round trip), you'll pay fewer Ultimate Rewards points at a redemption rate of 1.5 cents per point than the 12,500 AAdvantage miles one-way.
Etihad Airways
Similar to Qatar Airways, Etihad's hub in the Middle East (Abu Dhabi) offers travelers an option to reach faraway destinations with a single connection on a single airline. Etihad serves four U.S. destinations plus Toronto, meaning North American-based travelers have a few options should they wish to redeem miles with this partner.
A popular aspirational mileage redemption involves flying in Etihad's A380 first-class cabin, which the airline dubs the “Apartment”. If you want to redeem American Airlines miles for one of the few opportunities to shower in the sky, be prepared to pay. Flying Etihad Airways first class between its Abu Dhabi hub and JFK, the only North American destination for Etihad's A380, costs 115,000 miles one way.
Not ready to part with your hard-earned miles all at once? Etihad remains a great option, especially for those returning to the United States. The Abu Dhabi airport offers a U.S. immigration pre-clearance facility, allowing passengers to avoid lengthy lines upon landing.
Fiji Airways
Flying out of its Nadi International Airport (NAN) hub, Fiji's namesake airline offers flights to and from major global cities, like Los Angeles and Singapore, as well as remote destinations such as Kiribati and Vanuatu. American Airlines' award chart for travel on Fiji Airways looks very similar to the one for Air Tahiti Nui as both carriers have hubs in the South Pacific:
Similar to awards on Air Tahiti Nui, Fiji Airways business class award space is hard to come by. From the West coast of the U.S., keep in mind that both the outbound and inbound flights operate overnight. For business class travelers, this might be a blessing. However, it might make a tough trip for those flying in economy.
Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines operates the longest domestic flight in the United States: between Boston and Honolulu. However, don't expect to use your American Airlines miles for this flight. AA only allows award redemption on Hawaiian Airlines flights for three route options:
- Intra-Hawaii
- Hawaii to/from Asia
- Hawaii to/from South Pacific
Below is the corresponding American Airlines redemption chart:
Similar to the Caribbean, any flight within Hawaii requires a separate award ticket and is only valid on Hawaiian Airlines.
Seaborne Virgin Islands
The name “Seaborne Virgin Islands” sounds a lot more like a Caribbean island rather than a Caribbean airline. The Puerto Rico-based carrier enjoys a codeshare agreement with American Airlines on flights from its San Juan hub to other Caribbean destinations.
While the option to redeem miles on intra-Caribbean flights sounds great, in practice these miles might be better spent elsewhere. Under the terms of the AAdvantage program, any flight within the Caribbean requires a separate award (costing 7,500 miles) and is only valid on Seaborne Virgin Islands. Often times the inter-island hops offered by the airline cost under $75 each way, meaning your redemption value would be less than 1 cent per point.
Final Thoughts
No matter where you want to fly, American Airlines miles can take you there. From tropical islands in the South Pacific for a beach vacation to the frozen tundra of the Arctic Circle to see the northern lights, American Airlines allows mileage redemptions with nearly two dozen other airlines to help you get from point A to point B.
Thanks to the functionality American has added to its website over the last couple of years, you'll be able to make many of these award bookings without having to pick up the phone too. If you need to travel on an airline not available online, you'll need to contact American Airlines Reservations at 1-800-882-8880. If the award can't be booked online, ask the agent to waive any booking fees that might otherwise apply.
During the planning process, keep in mind two key details: the value you place on American Airlines miles, and the possible points and miles alternative available. Depending on the airfare cost and routing, other frequent flier programs might offer a better redemption. Other times, paying cash might make the most sense.
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The Award Wallet System is very useful to find travel information. I will be using my AAdvantage miles this year. The blog gives a lot of excellent travel tips.
AA pt are very devalued !!
American airlines should have a pt expiry period of a min.of 24 months.
Sería muy bueno que puedan realizar una alianza con Aerolíneas Argentinas, para lograr cubrir América latina. Hoy en día sólo Gol no es suficiente.
Una pena que hayan finalizado la alianza con Latam, era muy buena para Sudamérica, ojalá próximamente puedan restablecerá!
The AwardWallet system is awesome! Thank you for the useful information. I will be using my Advantage miles in British Airways this year, seems like a smooth process!
Muy buena la informacion brindada por awardwallet, pero lamentablemente se complica bastante el canje de millas con las aerolineas asociadas.
No es un proceso sencillo de realizar ( por lo menos es lo que me ocurrio con British airways),
Gracias por los excelentes posteos.
I guess I’m not sure how this works to get a ticket on a partner airline. Do you go the partner airline or do you go thru American? For example, when I try LAX to Lisbon, all I get are BA and AA. How do I get Iberia airline?
You always call the entity whose miles you want to use. If you want to redeem AA miles, you need to book through AAdvantage. Iberia doesn’t always show up in the online search, so a phone call may be necessary.
Hi! I have been attempting to get Goal airline tickets with my American Airlines rewards miles, but don’t seem to be able to do it. Any idea how to go about that process? Thanks in advance!
Aadvantage is the best mileage program by far…
Thanks for sharing!
I´d been looking foward to use my AAdvantage miles and this information is really helpful
Best rewards AAdvantage!!
Thanks for sharing . All the information in one page . Very convenient . Save a lot of time for searching this in the web .
Great Post .
Thanks
Great post. I tihink American Airlines’ AAdvantage si a very complete Miles programa with a lot of airlines partners.
I think the AwardWallet system is great.
I’ve already lost several miles due to lack of control over my accounts. Now I don’t miss it anymore… The blog also gives a lot of excellent tips!
I never seem to find supersver business class from US to Europe. Anyone have any hints?
Why does it cost so much when I try to book flights on British using miles?
Fuel surcharges. This might help: https://awardwallet.com/blog/avoid-paying-high-fuel-surcharges-booking-flights-avios/
And also, check out the section on “Out-of-Pocket Costs” from this post: https://awardwallet.com/blog/how-many-airline-miles-for-a-free-flight/
it would be good if more Airlines are added to those miles award program
It is a great program, looking forward to when they eliminate the miles expiration dates, as the main competitors have already done.
It’s great to be able to use American Airlines AAdvantage miles on partner airlines as well.
Having a variety of products from different companies and being able to enjoy exotic destinations is a unique opportunity. All this, together with the improvement in the online reservation system, makes American more much more attractive from the customer’s point of view.
Excelente, muy buen informe con las actualizaciones de la alianzas.
Cada vez es más simple lograr los cambios de millas dentro de la aerolínea y con las socias también
Gracias
Has something changed with AAdvantage miles and the partner airlines within last few years? Previously I was unable to upgrade myself to Finnair’s Business class with AAdvantage miles, but I was able to use my miles for a Helsinki-New York-Helsinki flights. I think I also tried to use my Miles with JAL, but they weren’t accepted either. I do understand that Finnair/BA/JAL etc and AA miles aren’t 1:1 comparable with each other, but not being able to use them at all while living here in Europe just seemed unfair. Perhaps this has changed recently and I can start colleting my miles once again after this pandemic is finally over.
You should be able to book Finnair award flights with AAdvantage miles, although Finnair is very stingy with award space. However, upgrades are a whole different story. AAdvantage currently only allows mileage upgrades on AA, British, and Iberia flights: “Use your AAdvantage® miles to upgrade on American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia flights” https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-program/miles/redeem/award-travel/upgrade-with-miles-on-partner-airlines.jsp
My wife and i have been flying 2 times a year for 20 years on American to foreign and domestic cities and have always used award miles! That is a wonderful benefit of using credit cards to get award miles and thus great vacations. We have been to Europe 6 times during that time! I highly recommend the hobby of collecting miles. Now that we are retired and don’t have separate businesses and American cards are limiting how often one can earn miles, it is not so easy to do. However this site tells you the very best way to collect the most that can be gotten. Thank you Award Wallet!
This is helpful! i’ll have to bookmark this article to reference the next time i book travel!
Hello!
Great web. Very usefull.
Do you know if there is a place where you can exchange miles between AA.com anda LAtam?
Thanks
Victor
Unfortunately not. Points.com has some limited options for transferring miles between airlines, but AA and LATAM aren’t participating airlines.
This is so helpful – I had no idea! We’ll have to bookmark this article to reference the next time we book our vacation!
Thank you for such useful info. I live outside the US and believed AA was the only airline I could use my AA miles
American sends emails indicating we can register for shortcuts to keeping elite status, but there is no way to sign up for the promos. Very disappointing.
Hola. queria saber si por este medio alguien podria guiarme para poder utilizar millas de aadvantage para volar desde argentina a tokio Japón. Agradecería cualquier recomendación. La verdad es que esta sistema de AwardWallet parece muy practico para los que no conocemos como aprovechar nuestras millas. Gracias
I am so glad I discovered AwardWallet. It has opened my eyes to information that is not readily available and will be a great resource for my business travels moving forward!
The list of Partner airlines that are valid to American Airlines millage program is very interesting as it covers Asia, America, Europe and Oceanía, so practically the whole world is covered with their miles
Fantastic to organise a trip when the pandemic was over
Thanks American Airlines!!!
This is a useful abiltiy and guide, particularly for people who might be based outside the US and therefore have less opportunity to fly on AA than a local carrier.
Alaska air is the way to go. Hawaiian isn’t so bad either.
It’s great to learn about the partners that AAdvantage miles can be redeemed with. In the past, (pre-pandemic) I was able to use mine to book a roundtrip domestic flight with GOL Airlines when I traveled to Brazil. Here’s hoping for safer travels for everyone in the future!
I agree that the best option to use the miles is Qatar airways in their incredible qsuites. And taxes are usually quite low
From Buenos Aires to Madrid with Iberia, 100k miles + $260… not worth it.
Thanks for the information!
Good info, will make it easier to use the miles in a beneficial way. Thanks.
It’s a shame Latam has exited OneWord.
It was a good way to use AAdvantage miles within South America
Interesting that AA still considers all of Russia to be Europa (in the case of S7). Some value to traveling to the far east for sure.
I have loved CX redemptions in the past with AA miles. Even MAS can have a sweet spot sometimes – and that satellite golden lounge at KUL is glorious. Online searchability is helpful. Thanks for the updates, Award Wallet!
I wish Chase would add AA to their list of partners.
I recently started on AwardWallet to track my various programs (and just added some new ones). Took a while to locate all my programs to get them added but now they are all in one place with easy access… Thanks AW.
Awesome that Alaska is part of One World. More choices for domestic flights!
Good to know, always looking for ways to extend point expiration
Good to know, always looking for ways to extend point expiration
There are some great partner options for using AAdvantage miles – just avoid British Airways to/from Europe – those surcharges on BA are often about as much as buying a ticket outright on another airline…..use those BA miles for domestic AA flights to avoid the surcharges.
What is a good credit card to get to earn AA miles? I have the AAviator Business Mastercard.
That’s a great topic for an entire post!
Since you have a business, the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® is great for a large sign-up bonus (currently 65k) and 2X earnings on a bunch of categories: https://awardwallet.com/blog/citibusiness-aadvantage-card-review/
Or, since Citi points transfer to AA through November, you can get the Citi Premier Card – which currently has an 80k bonus plus 3x earnings in a bunch of categories: https://awardwallet.com/blog/review-of-the-citi-thankyou-premier-card/
hoy he leído en un blog de infoviajer.com que JetSmart firmaron una carta de intención donde anuncian sus planes de asociación para crear «la red más amplia y la oferta más beneficiosa para los clientes en América, Se trata de una propuesta de inversión en JetSMART por parte de American Airlines que lograría ampliar las redes de ambas aerolíneas gracias a un acuerdo de código compartido, ofreciendo más conexiones para los viajeros. Vean cómo quedaría tentativamente el mapa American Airlines + JetSMART en América
excelente noticia si es que terminan efectivizando dicho acuerdo
american has gotten me from point a to point b safely every time i have flown their airline!
Even more important – this post shows how you can earn a few miles and keep your miles active AAdvantage is great for Qantas redemptions, and they return the miles and taxes paid almost instantly – Qantas wont do this and charges more miles and taxes on its own metal through Qantas Frequent Flyer – very important now here in Australia with all our lockdowns – ive had to cancel a couple of AAdvatage Awards on Qantas metal – its is imho much better to redeem AAdvantage points for Qantas flights than QFF points
Qantas should take note. 🙂
Hoping that American will follow Delta’s lead and extend elite status another year. Just as we get ready to be back in the air, the Delta variant raises its head.
Es una pena que Latam haya salido de OneWord.
Era una buena forma de usar millas de Advantage dentro de sudamerica y en especial dentro de Argentina.
Estoy muy contento de haberme podido suscribir a AwardWallet que me permitirá una administración más simple de mis puntos, recordar vencimientos, analizar distintas alternativas, etc.
Very grateful for AwardWallet’s tracking program letting me know my AA miles were getting ready to expire and giving me an easy way to keep them up to date!
Que lastima que han dejado de operar con latam, deberían asociar aerolínea para sudamerica
Do not forget that a good way to extend extend the validity of your AAdvantage balance if not have been flying for a while, due to the corona virus or for other reasons, is to post a message on the award wallet blog. It is truly a great way to keep AAdvantage miles from expiring.
Isn’t the expiration date has been pushed all the way to 2024 by AA due to the health crisis?
I’m still amazed that this is a thing. I wish more places would do stuff like this.
This article was helpful and helped me understand the different airlines that are associated with American Airlines. I will bookmark this page and keep it for an easy reference. It also is helpful to keep AAdvantage miles current, especially with the pandemic.
This is a great way to keep the American Airlines miles from expiring. Thanks for starting this partnership!
It has been impossible to contact American Advantange, so thank you so much for this!
Que buena información, muchas gracias. Es genial la idea para que no se venzan las millas. Todas las Compañías tendrían que copiar la idea Estoy muy conforme con el servicio que brindan son verdaderamente muy amables.
Estoy feliz de haberme encontrado con AwardWallet
Estoy decepcionado ya que el banco donde actualmente tengo mi tarjeta de credito, haya finalizado el convenio con el plan AAdvantage de American Airlines, y viviendo en el ARGENTINA no hay posibilidad de volar actualmente.
I’ve found that the best routed flights are generally not offered on international travel when paying with award points. Instead I’ve found much better flights that are deep discounted for cash.
This was helpful information, thanks! It is really a shame that AA haven’t extended the period in which miles don’t expire – there are still no way to travel overseas.
This is a great way to keep the American Airlines miles from expiring. Thanks for starting this partnership!
I’m happy I came across AwardWallet. Since we hardly travel these days, our hard earned loyalty points and miles are at risk of evaporating into thin air unless we stay on the ball. I was about to start a spreadsheet and manage points and deadlines manually, but then read about AwardWallet! Great work guys!
The review of the partner choices and improvements in redemption mechanism are useful. However, is this ease of redemption just likely to reduce availability compared to the old, less efficient way?
Possibly, but it depends on what you intend to book. I still find AA miles to be relatively easy to use for the international routes I want to travel.
This site provides solid information on miles awards for AA airlines partners
I am grateful for AwardWallet’s miles tracking program! I had nearly 90,000 accrued American Airlines miles nearly expire because of lack of activity due to living overseas during the pandemic. Now, if only American would follow United and Delta’s suit and stop allowing miles to expire!
I agree completely! Why do they expire? I almost had the same issue. My husbands were extended during the pandemic and mine were not which is very confusing. Trying to get those extended now.
Thank you for this comprehensive explanation of reward bookings! I’ve struggled over the years to navigate the partner bookings and this would have been (and will be) so handy! Great content!
Does anyone know if in Argentina there is a way to earn miles using a credit card?
Unfortunately, AA ended its partnership with Banco Santander in August 2020. That was the only AA credit card available in Argentina. In AA’s statement about the end of this partnership, they made it clear AA is ‘committed to the Argentine market’: https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-program/miles/partners/credit-card/aadvantage-credit-cards.jsp?locale=es_AR
en que forma estaría comprometida AA con el mercado Argentino aparte de alianza con banco?, lamentablemente el Citi se fue de este país . hay info de que otra manera se suman millas? si conoces la forma, las podrías comentar por favor? gracias
Unfortunately, my contacts at American Airlines aren’t going to be much help.
I think that this information is extremely useful for comparing the cost of miles for international travel. While I do not have any international plans at the moment, I will certainly come back to this blog spot to check the cost in different airlines. However, I have a preference for flying American to Europe and Latin America.
This is a great site with lots of useful information. Also a great idea to keep track of expiration dates in one place.
After AA and Latam ended partnership, the value of keeping AA miles dropped a lot for Latin America customers. Hope AA partners with another company in the region.
I wish they would add one of the two Korean Airlines.
My experience in using AA miles/points for flights with partners that originate in Europe (i.e., BA and Iberia) is that the fees and taxes added are so high that it can sometimes be cheaper to flat out purchase a ticket and not use the AA points.
As a follow up…I checked AA’s website to see the cost of a reward to book Iberia nonstop from Amsterdam to Madrid in late August: 25,000 miles plus $80 in fees and taxes for a round trip, per person. These high fees/taxes seem to be problem for award flights originating in Europe on many airlines. Booked directly with cash only on Iberia, a basic economy ticket would cost $131, including fees and taxes, Thus, redeeming 25,000 in AA points, instead of cash only on Iberia, would save only $51 ($131 – 80). My experiences using AA awards for flights within Australia, Japan and Latin America were much better, or at least a couple of years ago. Summary: don’t expect that you can get a good deal on awards that originate in Europe. Use your points elsewhere.
Thank you for miles
Aegean Airlines Miles+Bonus extended member tiers by 6 months back in March 2020 and lowered tier qualification requirements by 25% in October. Also extended tiers of some members who had not qualified by full 12 months in March and has done another batch for those expiring in April.
No es fácil usar las millas de American para canjearlas por vuelos de las otras aerolíneas, y además cuestan más millas.
So surprised to realize that this miles program is sooooo good!
This is really helpful! I had no idea this many airlines worked with American.
you can comment on this and earn 5 points? this is awsome!
Great feature. I linked my AA account to my AwardWallet!
I just registered for AwardWallet and linked to my AAAdvantage account. Thanks!
So happy to know the AwardWallet website can help organize and manage my rewards programs. Besides, earning bonus AAdvantage miles is a big plus to keep my miles from expiring. Thanks and keep the good job going.
So glad there was this post. I am glad that to know that there are alternative ways to use my points other than just through the one airline itself. It is a great way to keep mileage from expiring.
Love this new site! Great way to keep track of all my frequent flyer plans!
Hoping Award Wallet will be an easier way to keep track of my AA miles and expirations!
I’m ready to start flying again, but had to choose Delta for an upcoming flight due to the limited schedule on the commuter contractors and high prices out of my airport. How the airlines handle their businesses now that the pandemic is easing will contribute a lot to their future success.
Why is American Air the only major airline that still has expiration dates on your frequent flyer miles? Pausing the expiration to June not very helpful given the lack of air travel for most of us.
Great way to keep the points from expiring!
Esta es una muy buena opcion para utilizar tus millas, sobre todo cuando American suspende vuelos hacia tu pais, como es mi caso. Finalmente podre usar mis millas acumuladas.
I’m a bit disappointed that AA haven’t extended the period in which miles don’t expire, living in the UK there is no chance to fly at present.
I recently used AA credits from a cancelled 2020 trip to Jamaica. I was able to contact an AA agent that rebooked us to St Croix for June 2021. The best thing is that AA is still allowing to rebook this flight without penalties. AA did a very good job for clients during Covid!
For our family, the American Airlines partnership with Alaska and Japan Airlines has been great. It is very easy to transfer points. Alaska gives us great connections from the Midwest and Japan Airlines has great non-stops to Japan from the west coast or from Chicago.
new award wallet member. Just learning how to redeem miles. hope to travel soon
No es tan fácil usar las millas con las aerolíneas asociadas con AAdvantage.
I sincerely hope the relationship with Alaska and Horizon it’s going to be a bit more stable than before. I do like their connections and service even though simple it is reliable. I am a great American Airlines loyalist and always look for a good deal. Hence getting some extra connections thru Horizon and Alaska is awesome
The AA Anniversary contest seems promising, but so far I’ve won nothing but an FTD discount.
It’s a pity AA does not allow me to use the miles on Hawaiian airlines. Hope that they will start a partnership soon
Hopefully LATAM returns with AA and has better benefits since Argentina no longer has credit cards that add AAdvantage Miles.
Award Wallet makes it so much easier to keep track of where and how to get points. Thank you
I have recently created my account in AwardWallet, the information they provide about the AAdvantage program is very useful, complete, explaining in detail how the program works and ways to earn miles. I will continue to inform myself on your page what is extremely interesting and very useful.
Great info thanks
Awesome content, very rich in details. I’ll definitely continue to see more information in AwardWallet!
Greeting from Brazil.
Definitely a lot of changes in 2020 in the aviation industry, members leaving Oneworld like LATAM will affect those who wanted more options to go to Latin America.
One strength of AA is the number of Middle-East airlines in Oneworld, and I was impressed by the relatively short Etihad connecting flight I took years ago out of Kuwait to Muscat. There’s plenty of ways to earn AA miles even though its not a transfer partner, and there’s some AAdvantage (pardon the pun) to holding one of the credit cards. This was a great overview of how to maximize AA’s alliance partners, and takes some of the guesswork out of their extended route network.
I just created my AwardWallet Account. Looks pretty interesting, I have added a few other of my rewards programs as well. I would like to get more information to see if its possible transfer points from other rewards programs over to American Airlines and be able to extend miles.
I’d like to know if it’s possible to transfer from AA to elsewhere….
I just read in app “melhores destinos” that posting a comment on the AwardWallet blog will earn 5 miles to your American Airlines mileage account, hence extending the expiration date of your miles. I once lost 5,000 miles with American Airlines so I am glad to find an easy way to prevent that from happening again.
Thanks AwardWallet!!
Came across Cape air while flying between the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Inexpensive and frequent connections made this my “island hopper” of choice. Interesting to see other parts of the US have Cape Air service as well.
Terrific detail, thanks for this post. S7 was the one I’d never heard of — imagine planning a trip to Canary Islands via Russia! Europe, broadly defined 🙂
Great post! Thanks for breaking down the information by airline.
For Latin American folks, just want to add that LATAM left the OneWorld alliance last year and the information on their website is very confusing on whether or not it’s still possible to redeem AA miles on their frequent flyer program (LATAM Pass).
Tried to do so by phone last week after getting mixed information from them, but finally they said it’s not possible.
Cheers,
All the benefits offered by this loyalty program are due to the lack of solutions that offer in relation to the problems arising from the pandemic situation caused by Covid 19.
The consulates of the United States in several Latin American countries are not renewing visas for tourism and there is no estimated day to reestablish this service.
Some countries like Argentina have substantially reduced the frequency of their international flights, which obviously reduced the supply of international flights.
Given these problems, it is not understandable that this loyalty program does not automatically extend the expiration date of the miles.
For all these reasons, the benefits that are explained in this note are not very useful for Latin American travelers, who will practically not be able to travel this year.
Great info on AA miles. All my questions answered there, thank you!
I just read that posting a comment on the AwardWallet blog will post 5 miles to your American Airlines mileage account, hence extending the expiration date of your miles. I once lost 20,000 miles with American Airlines so I am glad to find an easy way to prevent that from happening again. Thanks AwardWallet!!
Es muy conveniente, muchas gracias por la información.
Esta informacion es de muchisima utilidad para mi, ahora que muchas aerolineas han suprimido o restringido vuelos hacia Europa. Ahora puedo pensar en utilizar aeropuertos de USA como ‘hubs’ para continuar hacia el viejo continente usando mis AAdvantage points. Muchas gracias Award Wallet por postear informacion de esta calidad.
Awardwallet is very practical for me to be able to have all the information of my mileage plans in one place. Very good article, unfortunately in Argentina Americam Airlines no longer has an agreement with any bank.
Award Wallet is already saving me money by extending my miles instead of buying miles. Plus with all the different ways to travel the world i can look forward to a more exciting retirement. MAHALO
No resulta sencillo encontrar el modo de usar el bonus que ofrecen por rentar con Budget.
Hay muchas limitaciones para aprovechar el bonus de Budget. No es tan amugable.
This post has been very helpful specially for me. I have travelled Asia using many of the helpful things mentioned in this post. Thanks to the author and awardwallet for keeping it up to date.
Glad we could help! And yes, Ross does some amazing work here at AwardWallet!
It’s a fact that American Airlines has contributed widely to the travel industry, and it leaves me no doubt that this article has helped me deepen my knowledge regarding AA. Thank you!
Hi,
It is a pity that american airlines charges an extra for the main cabin and that you cannot request the change to a higher category. your mileage plan is still recommended
Hi Guys! This post is very useful to compare Flights Costs from differents flight Company.
And now i can use my Smiles Mileage (Brazil Gol AirLines) to fly American Airlines! Very Happy:)
Thankyou!!
Muito bom! Interessante conhecer os programas de milhagem.
I’ve rented cars several times from Budget Rent-a-Car using the link directly from the aa.com (American Airlines) website, and the AAdvantage Miles never posted to my account. Beware when using the link and offer code U072400 to rent from Budget.
Budget mentions the offer here:
https://www.budget.com/en/programs/miles-points-partners/airlines/aero-american
and it’s also available from the aa.com website.
The most I ever received was 100 AAdvantage miles, never the 500 I was supposed to have received using the offer.
That’s really disappointing. Not sure, but that Budget code might be old. I’m seeing coupon MUAZ001 and AWD# U072411 on AA’s website for earning 500 miles: https://www.aa.com/car/budget/terms-and-conditions/ad
Esta información ha sido muy valiosa. Permite comparar los costos de los diversos vuelos con las diferentes aerolíneas asociadas a American. Muchas gracias.
Wow, what a piece of work… Never thought I could find the whole information package inside a single, word-by-word useful article. Thanks lot!!
Hi,
Now that LATAM is gone, how can I book flights with my AA Miles within SouthAmericas outside GOL Airelines? With Latam the destinations available where countless, now I am afraid that outside going to Brazil the options are limited, maybe none. Comments appreciated.
Thanks,
Lucas
It would be very useful if they inform the expiration of miles by mail
Gracias a American Airlines por las mejoras incluidas en los últimos tiempos al programa AAdvantage, Es mucho más sencillo reservar on line, sin tener que usar el telófono.
Muchas gracias American!
I just signed up with Award Wallet because my American Airlines miles are expiring. My wife and I flew to Scotland on AA in April ‘19 and I used AA for a domestic business flight a few months prior. Due to Covid, our vacation plans to England were canceled this year. A bit frustrating that our miles are expiring due to 18 months of inactivity. We would love to jump on a plane and go pretty much anywhere right now but most countries are off limits. I know the airlines are hurting but I think AA is being a bit short sighted.
I recommend do not use Iberia’s Avios. It is better to use your AA Miles, and collect as miles every time you fly with Iberia, you will get more mile in comparison with Avios.
When will AA join the other major carriers and stop expiring frequent flyer points? If all else is equal, that could drive flyers to another carrier. Delta seems to have done well for years without expiring miles and now others like United have jumped on the band wagon.
I wish AA would get on board with the rest of the airlines and stop expiring points. This year has been challenging for planning travel and no end is in sight.
Una pena la ruptura de latam con aadvantage!
DEBERIA BAJAR LA CANTIDAD DE MILLAS PARA CANJE DE PASAJES
It is a shame that American have removed complementary premium seating benefits for members of other oneworld airline programs.
As a Qantas elite, that transPacific front row main cabin extra seat I was able to sit in last year for $0 now will cost me an additional $130+.
It’s a pity I didn’t enter this blog before, I was completely unaware of this flight alliances, I traveled with British airways last year, now I have 2836 miles with British, miles that I’ll never use because as AA is the program I regularly travel with. I learned that it’s far better to have all miles in one program instead of having miles among different airlines.
Achei o site incrível, vocês estão de parabéns, o conteúdo é de primeira qualidade, espero agora conseguir uma melhor performance em relação as milhas, que por muitas vezes ficaram esquecidas e acabaram se perdendo com o tempo.
Quanto ao AAdvantage, eu só tenho elogios a esse programa, esse foi o primeiro programa de milhas que adquiri, já utilizei em varias viagens com milhas sem nenhum tipo de problemas, e mesmo tendo sido modificado, na minha opinião ainda permanece o melhor programa de viagem, espero em breve utilizar em mais viagens.
For me, awardwallet.com is the best mileage tracking system in the world, with it I can track all my mileage credits and hardly ever lose any miles. I highly recommend the awardwallet to all friends who want to improve their mileage account, and will never lose any miles again.
Hopefully, the zone based partner awards will stay for many, many, many years to come.
I would like to be able to use my AAdvantage miles in any latam airline or latam program, any suggestion? On the other hand, do you have information abut consideration from airlines regarding expiration of miles considering the current situation due to COVID-19?
Thanks! excelent info !!! thinking about my next roadtrip
I’ve checked a few times on the AA site for these awarebookings and I get a notice they are working on the site… Anyone able to get in?
Despite some criticisms leveled at the updated search tool, this is a vast improvement for those of us needing to travel on partner airlines. Currently living in Singapore, I have always had to call agents to check CX or JL availability, and you sometimes feel like you’re playing the lottery and not sure if the particular agent is running the best alternatives. While sadly I probably won’t be able to fly for a couple of months yet, I’ve just gone in to “simulate” far enough in the future and I am seeing all sorts of feasible options. Whether that’s due to reduced reservation levels or because the tool is excellent I guess remains to be seen.
One of the things they should add to the program is the capability of having the family miles in the same account so that one can make reservations directly combining the miles of the family members.
Yes, British airways Executive Club operate a Household account which makes it much simpler for families to use their scheme, both to earn miles and spend them. Works well. (Though, what isn’t as good with the BA scheme is the additional charges they apply over and above taxes and fees for many award bookings.)
excelente informacion ,detallada y completa para dejar archivada y recurrir a ella cuando sea necesario , y una muy buena herramienta que estaba faltando en america airlines
Good to know so many options as no one is able to fly from my country right now
Been feeling nervous about whether AA is going to go bankrupt.
Do you know if GOL Airlines from Brazil is now a partner?
Tks
It sure is! GOL is listed in the article under AA’s non-Oneworld partners. Since it’s not bookable online, we didn’t focus on it in this post. But we have a lot more information here: https://awardwallet.com/blog/aa-adds-gol-mileage-earning-redemption-partner/
Good info! A few weeks ago, AAdvantage members can earn miles on Gol operated flights (and viceversa) but it’s a pity that we can’t redeem miles on G3 there is a lack within south America
Etihad bookable again on AA?
Thanks. Well summarised article, very useful. Will bookmark for when we can fly again!
This is a great comprehensive list. I like travelling outside North America and seeing all the partners certainly helps. The redemption cost table also helps with comparing to other reward programs.
That is certainly a comprehensive list. The problem I find that a lot of available flight choices are still not available on the system. It seems like I can find more available flights on the websites of other airlines.
Great information – have bookmarked for future reference!
Great research and post. AA’s partners are indeed a valuable group.
Really great post! Thanks!
Bookmarked for future use! thanks!
In my experience, Royal Jordanian doesn’t always show on AA’s website even when there is award space available.
Thanks Ian, we’ll take a look at this. There are definitely a few that are technically online, but don’t show all the options or result in errors when confirming certain itineraries.
Thanks! This is a great summary to take into account when flights are back (at least in my country where the lockdown is still present)
Some interesting redemption options here.
I used AAmiles to get one way from PPT to Sydney Australia on Air Tahiti Nui. 30K in business. Bargain.
Then I had to book by phone and assist the CS reps in finding the fares, but now it’s on-line it’s easier-though that means possibly less availability as everyone can do this now with little effort.
Congratulations to your success! It is fantastic to get everything done online.
I love all of your writeups!! Could you guys do one for BA too since that’s a Chase transfer partner? 🙂
We have it on our list to do!
You guys are amazing! You’re a fairly small team and don’t put out a ton of content but all of the content you do put out is top notch. I can think of another major site that constantly writes articles like ‘This major airline just added a new route to Asia.’ I’ve called them out a lot in very constructive fashion to increase their reputation and credibility but to no avail.
You guys though get your clicks through quality work, not buzzfeed-esque headlines. Bravo to you all and a huge thank you.
And, how long is that to do list? 🙂 Hey, you could write an article just listing your to do list. I’m serious, as any “coming soon” would surely excite some folks.
Interesting idea! I’ll discuss with the team and maybe we can provide teasers in the AwardTravel 101 group of the big guides we plan to publish in the next week. (And the to do list is VERY long right now!)
Thanks! I hear that booking on partners is often a better plan, but have never had time to research the process. This really helps!
More high quality stuff from Award Wallet. 🙂 I never expect anything less.
This is such helpful information. Thank you for all of your hard work.
Thanks! I hear that booking on partners is often a better plan, but this post really helps me with the research process!
Thank you for helping me to navigate through all the options. I really don’t know how else I could find out all of this information!