{"id":154283,"date":"2024-03-05T18:00:30","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T18:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/?p=154283"},"modified":"2026-04-08T13:54:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:54:00","slug":"qantas-upgrade-using-aadvantage-miles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/news\/american-aadvantage\/qantas-upgrade-using-aadvantage-miles\/","title":{"rendered":"You Can Now Upgrade Qantas Flights with AAdvantage\u00ae Miles"},"content":{"rendered":"

In early January 2024, American Airlines announced its AAdvantage\u00ae<\/sup> frequent flyer program changes for 2024<\/a>. Among the advertised changes were mileage upgrades on partner airlines. We guessed that AA would roll out this redemption option on one of its closest partner airlines first. Sure enough, our crystal ball was right. American has now introduced mileage upgrade requests on Qantas flights.<\/p>\n

Here's what we know so far about this just-introduced redemption option.<\/p>\n

How to Use AAdvantage Miles to Upgrade on Qantas<\/span><\/h2>\n

Starting today, you can redeem AAdvantage miles<\/a> to request an upgrade to a higher class of service on a Qantas-operated flight. Unfortunately, American Airlines has provided little transparency about how many AAdvantage miles this newest redemption option will cost.<\/p>\n

Upgrades are processed by Plusgrade \u2014 an entity that facilitates paid upgrades on several different airlines. While paying cash to move forward on your next Qantas flight is still an option, AAdvantage members can also use miles to bid for the comforts of business or even first class.<\/p>\n

However, as mentioned, there's little transparency outside of the terms and conditions. American publishes mileage upgrade charts for British Airways and Iberia<\/a> but didn't roll one out for Qantas.<\/p>\n

Instead, American processes its mileage upgrades through a dedicated Plusgrade webpage<\/a>. On this page, you can enter your itinerary details, check for an offer, and request an upgrade.<\/p>\n

\"Qantas
Credit: Qantas<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n

Qantas upgrade priority<\/span><\/h3>\n

We reached out to American Airlines for more details about how mileage upgrade requests will be prioritized, especially compared with cash requests.<\/p>\n

American Airlines confirmed that upgrade requests will be prioritized by AAdvantage elite status<\/a>. Oneworld Emerald members (AAdvantage Executive Platinum and Platinum Pro) will be prioritized ahead of Oneworld Sapphire (AAdvantage Platinum<\/a>) and Oneworld Ruby (AAdvantage Gold).<\/p>\n

When it comes to miles vs. cash upgrades, American Airlines could only confirm that the “operating carrier determines how loyalty upgrades are prioritized against cash upgrades.”<\/p>\n

Terms and conditions<\/span><\/h3>\n

The extensive FAQ page<\/a> spells out how Qantas mileage upgrades work. Here's a distillation of the most important points:<\/p>\n