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Ever daydream about getting an upgrade on your flight? Me too! But without high-level elite status on an airline, escaping the cabin you booked and easing yourself into a business- or first-class seat may feel like an unattainable dream. But if you're traveling with American Airlines, it doesn't have to be.
American Airlines lets AAdvantage® members — even those without elite status — upgrade into business or first class using miles. Here's how to do it and how much it costs.
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American Airlines Mileage Upgrade Chart
The options and cost to upgrade to American Airlines business or first class depend on the route and type of ticket you booked. If you booked an economy or premium economy ticket, you can upgrade to business class using miles. And if you booked business class, you can upgrade to first class. Full-fare tickets can be upgraded for as little as 5,000 miles while full-fare business class tickets can be upgraded to first-class seats using as few as 15,000 miles.
American lets travelers upgrade from almost all other fares (double-check that your specific fare class is eligible) using a combination of miles and cash. The two notable exceptions: Award and basic economy tickets are not eligible for upgrades with miles.
Here's a closer look at the full table of eligible routes and rates to upgrade:
As you can see, upgrade pricing is determined by your route, the ticket you originally booked, and the type of upgrade you're seeking. Unless you purchased a full-fare (read: very expensive) ticket, you'll need to pay a cash component when using your AAdvantage miles to upgrade your flight.
How To Upgrade With Miles on American
You cannot submit an American Airlines mileage upgrade request online. Instead, you must contact the reservations team.
Further, you can request an upgrade when you book your trip, but you must do so by phone. If you want to use miles (or miles and cash) to upgrade a previously booked ticket, have your reservation details handy before calling.
Related: The Complete Guide to Earning American Airlines Miles
Finding American Airlines Mileage Upgrade Availability
While using miles to upgrade your American Airlines trip looks appealing, upgrade space is limited. The number of upgrades available on each flight is limited, and requests often outnumber the upgrades available on popular routes.
You have two tools for finding American Airlines mileage upgrade space before booking or calling: ExpertFlyer and Seats.aero.
Finding American Airlines upgrade space with ExpertFlyer
The most reliable way of finding mileage upgrade availability is by using ExpertFlyer. Use ExpertFlyer's Award & Upgrade Availability Search, enter your flight information, and select the option for either:
- Business — Upgrade (Including 2-Cabin Domestic First) (C) — for mileage upgrades to business class
- First — Upgrade (for 3-cabin flights only) (A) — for mileage upgrades to first class
ExpertFlyer will show you the number of upgrades available on each flight on your desired route that day. The screenshot below shows that multiple flights on the Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to New York-LaGuardia (LGA) have available mileage upgrade space on the day we searched.
The downside is that ExpertFlyer requires a paid subscription to run such searches. Plans start at $4.99 per month.
Finding American Airlines Upgrade Space With Seats.aero
A less reliable (but free) way of finding when there's mileage upgrade space is Seats.aero.
Use Seats.aero's award search tools to find business class availability. If there's business class award availability on a flight, it's likely — but not guaranteed — that there's mileage upgrade availability. Just note that Seats.aero uses cached data, meaning seats on the website may no longer be available when you search for them on American.
To look for flights, just head to Seats.aero's free search tool, enter your desired flight information, and click the blue search button. Unfortunately, you can only search more than 60 days from departure if you have a pro account.
Click the “Programs” button and select “American Airlines” from the drop-down menu. Look for flights with open business class award space, as these should be available to upgrade with miles.
Waitlist Priority for American Airlines Mileage Upgrades
When you call to submit your request, you can opt to be waitlisted if no confirmable upgrades are available. The waitlist is prioritized based on:
- AAdvantage elite status level
- Upgrade type
- 12-month rolling Loyalty Points
The waitlist can move, especially if you make the request well in advance. Even if your upgrade request is not confirmed before check-in, all is not lost. American will add you to the airport upgrade standby list as long as you have enough miles in your account to pay for the upgrade 48 hours before your departure. So you may be that lucky passenger called up just as boarding begins to accept your upgrade — a dream come true!
Related: Do American Airlines AAdvantage Miles Expire?
Is It Worth Using Miles To Upgrade An American Airlines Flight?
Whether or not it is worth redeeming miles for an upgrade is a topic worthy of debate. The numbers alone won't tell the whole story. Is this an overnight flight where you need the rest? Is this a quick hop where you won't care much one way or the other? Whatever the context, it's wise to dive into the details and do the math to make an informed decision. Since there isn't a fixed value assigned to American Airlines miles, let's value them at 1.5 cents apiece. In that case, here's a look at how much upgrades cost:
Full-fare economy (Y), premium economy (W), and business (J, D, or R) tickets have lower mileage requirements and no cash component to upgrade. If you booked one of these tickets, the following miles are required to upgrade:
| To / from | To / from | Miles Needed to Upgrade from Economy/Premium Economy | Miles Needed to Upgrade from Business | Value of Required Miles at 1.5 Cents Each |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contiguous 48 U.S. states, Alaska, Canada | Contiguous 48 U.S. states, Alaska, Canada | 5,000 | 15,000 | $75 / $225 |
| Contiguous 48 U.S. states, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean | Contiguous 48 U.S. states, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Carribean | 8,000 | 15,000 | $120 / $225 |
| Contiguous 48 U.S. states, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean | Hawaii | 8,000 | 15,000 | $120 / $225 |
| North America | Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname | 8,000 | 15,000 | $120 / $225 |
| North America | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, South Korea, China, Indian Subcontinent, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Middle East, Africa | 15,000 | 25,000 | $225 / $375 |
Full-fare tickets can be pricey, so it's also worth looking at the discounted tickets. Discount economy (fare class H, K, M, L, V, G, Q, N, O, S, and military or government fares booked in Y), premium economy (P), and discount business (I) require miles and cash fees to upgrade:
| To / from | To / from | Miles/Fee Needed to Upgrade from Discount Economy/Premium Economy | Miles/Fee Needed to Upgrade from Discount Business | Total Cash Value of Required Miles at 1.5 Cents Each + Fee Discount Economy/Discount Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contiguous 48 U.S. states, Alaska, Canada | Contiguous 48 U.S. states, Alaska, Canada | 15,000 + $75 | 15,000 + $175 | $300 / $400 |
| Contiguous 48 U.S. states, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean | Contiguous 48 U.S. states, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Carribean | 15,000 + $75 | N/A | $300 |
| Contiguous 48 U.S. states, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean | Hawaii | 15,000 + $175 | N/A | $400 |
| North America | Central America | 15,000 + $75 | N/A | $300 |
| North America | Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname | 15,000 + $150 | N/A | $375 |
| North America | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, South Korea, China, Indian Subcontinent, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Middle East, Africa | 25,000 + $350 | 25,000 + $550 | $725 / $925 |
What do all these numbers really mean? Let's have a look at a real itinerary:
Norfolk to Los Angeles
This flight includes one stop at New York-JFK. The good news is that upgrades are valid for up to three segments, so one upgrade covers both legs. If you book a Main Cabin economy ticket for $263, you can call American Airlines and request an upgrade to business class. In this case, the business-class seat is American Airlines' Flagship Business. Flying in Flagship Business means you have a lie-flat seat, lounge access, and an in-flight meal.
To upgrade from this economy ticket to business class, here's the total cost:
- Initial ticket: $263
- Upgrade: 15,000 miles + $75. If you value AAdvantage miles at 1.5 cents per mile, the cash value of those miles is $225, plus the $75 copay for a total of $300 in value.
So the grand total for a flight from Norfolk, VA, to Los Angeles, CA, in Flagship Business (on the JFK to LAX segment) is $563. This is a significant savings over the $1,954 American charges for a business class ticket on this flight.
Now, the question is whether this upgrade is available upon booking or if you'll be added to the waitlist. If you're unsure, place the itinerary on hold. Once you have a record locator for the flight you put on hold, call American Airlines and have a representative check to see whether the upgrade is available before you purchase your ticket. You can put an American itinerary on hold by going through the reservation as normal but clicking the “Hold for 24 hours” button at check-out.
Related: Sweet Spots Using American Airlines AAdvantage Miles
Bottom Line
There are great deals to be had by using miles to upgrade American Airlines flights. Just be certain that all flights are operated by American Airlines, as you can't upgrade most partner flights with miles. You can use American miles to upgrade some British Airways, Iberia, and Qantas flights, but these are subject to different restrictions. For example, you cannot waitlist mileage upgrades on British Airways or Iberia.
The key is finding confirmed upgrade availability when you book your ticket. The chances that your waitlisted upgrade will clear varies, especially if you don't have American Airlines elite status. If you do have elite status with American Airlines, using miles to upgrade should put you in front of elites waiting for a complimentary upgrade.
Have you ever used your miles to upgrade on American Airlines? What was your experience? Let us know in the comments.
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