Save Up To 7,500 Miles on American Airlines Awards (October 2019)

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American Airlines has published a new set of destinations for its popular Reduced Mileage Awards promotion—an ongoing award sale, allowing you to book discounted award tickets through to January 31, 2020. This offer is specifically targeted for folks that have Citi or Barclaycard American Airlines credit cards. Depending on which card you have, you’ll save anywhere from 1,000–7,500 miles for a round-trip ticket.

What are Reduced Mileage Awards?

American Airlines Reduced Mileage Awards are discounted award tickets to and from select cities for AAdvantage co-branded credit cardholders. Destinations change every month, and the miles you save depends on the flight distance and which AAdvantage credit card you hold.

• Itineraries with a distance of 500+ (nautical) miles will get a 7,500 or 2,000-mile discount
• Shorter flights will get a 5,000 or 1,000-mile discount.

If either your destination or origin airport is on the Reduced Mileage Award list for the month you're traveling, you can take advantage of this deal. It's also worth noting that you can use this promotion for one-way flights and get half the discount that would apply to a round trip.

A conservative estimate would value American miles at around 1.7 cents apiece, so the maximum discount would be roughly $125 on a round trip and $62.50 for a one-way.

Which Cities Are Included On The List?

The current list is valid from October 1, 2019 through January 31, 2020, but you need to book travel before November 30 before American rolls the list over to new cities.

The latest list is extensive, covering 178 airports. Below we've gathered a few of the highlights.

• Aspen, CO (ASE)
• Austin, TX (AUS)
• Burbank, CA (BUR)
• Charleston, SC (CHS)
• Cincinnati, OH/Covington, KY (CVG)
• Fort Walton Beach, FL (VPS)
• Houston-Intercontinental, TX (IAH)
• Indianapolis, IN (IND)
• Jackson Hole, WY (JAC)
• Kansas City, MO (MCI)
• Nashville, TN (BNA)
• New Orleans, LA (MSY)
• Santa Barbara, CA (SBA)
• Steamboat Springs/Hayden, CO (HDN)
• Vail/Eagle, CO (EGE)

How To Book Reduced Mileage Awards

We've covered how to book a Reduced Mileage Award in more detail, but here's a quick overview:

1. Check award availability on American Airlines' website. (You'll need an economy or business-class “saver award”)
2. Find the discount code that applies to your American Airlines co-brand card
3. Call American Airlines reservations at 1-800-882-8880 (A phone booking fee, $30, will not be charged as there is no mechanism to complete this booking online).

Key Terms

• For the list of cities linked above, you must book by October 31 for travel before January 31, 2020.
• There must be a MileSAAver award available for the flight you wish to book.
• Award travel must originate in the 48 contiguous United States or Canada.
• Travel can be in Main Cabin or First Class; the discount is the same regardless of your class of service.
• You don't need both your origin and destination to be on the list; either city will make your trip eligible.
• One-way awards can be booked for half the discount of a round trip.
• American will still charge the $75 booking fee on awards booked less than 21 days prior to departure. This fee is waived for AAdvantage elite members when they are using miles from their account.
• American allows free date changes on awards when your origin and destination stay the same; however, date changes on Reduced Mileage Awards are limited to the dates your airport is on the list.

Final Thoughts

Reduced Mileage Awards are another great way to find discounted AAdvantage award tickets for flights on American Airlines. Even if your travel plans don't match up right now, the cities change on a regular basis, so it is worth bookmarking this post so you can check back regularly.

Pro Tip: British Airways Avios points can also be redeemed for travel on American Airlines. If your itinerary is a nonstop flight, it's often cheaper to book with Avios (and you'll also avoid a $75 close-in-booking fee for flights booked less than 21 days before departure.)

AwardWallet Tip of The Day

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