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Written by Sanjeev Bhati

Officially known as AAdvantage® miles, American Airlines is a well-known airline and one of the most popular airline reward programs worldwide. This can enable the features for partner airline travel, complimentary flights, seat upgrades, and other travel-related advantages that we examine today. When you accrue miles and loyalty points, you can improve anything from booking to travel. You just have to travel more and earn more in which unlocks the rewards and reaches AAdvantage® status.
In this guide, we will explore how to use American Airlines Miles, how they work, how to redeem them, where they can be used, and what mistakes you should avoid, for first-time users as well as regular travellers.

What are American Airlines Miles?

American Airlines Miles are reward points that are earned through the AAdvantage loyalty program. By travelling on American Airlines, booking flights with partner airlines, using a co-branded credit card, and through various travel partners, members can earn these Miles rewards. Once you earn these miles can be redeemed for flights and travel-related services, subject to availability and program rules.

What are the benefits of American Airlines Miles?

Travel the sky and enjoy more ways to earn rewards, and choose rewards that matter most to you. For that, you should know how it works to explore the travel experience. Here is some information:

  • Start adventure, join and enjoy member benefits by earning AAdvantage miles and access to exclusive benefits.
  • Get miles for travel, lodging, rental cars, experiences, and more. Then use them to purchase flights, upgrades, and other travel-related items.
  • As you accrue miles, you also accrue Loyalty Points that can be applied to incentives and status. Free upgrades, priority boarding, free checked bags, and more can all improve your trip.

Ways to earn Miles

  • Fly with American Airlines and become an AAdvantage member
  • Select partner airlines to earn miles
  • Earn more when you travel with an AAdvantage credit card to book travel or for everyday purchases.
  • Earn while shopping, dine and more.
  • You can earn miles while staying at hotels
  • Get loyalty points when you rent a car with American Airlines partners
  • Air, land, or sea, you can earn miles anywhere and loyalty points in all kinds of adventures when you travel with American Airlines Partners.
  • With AAdvantage events, you can go to concerts, theatre, sports, and earn while doing what you love.

Where can you use American Airlines Miles?

There are multiple ways to use American Airlines Miles beyond just booking flights, so let’s understand each option that helps travellers make informed decisions.

  • Booking a Reward with American Airlines
  • The most common and valuable use of American Airlines miles is through booking award flights
  • You can earn miles each time you travel with American Airlines or its partners
  • and credit that flight to your AAdvantage account.

How it works:

  • With miles, it replaces the cash for the ticket price
  • Taxes and government fees paid separately
  • Cost of mileage depends on route, demand, and seat availability

Different types of Award Tickets:

There are special awards when you book tickets, like Web Special Awards, Saver Awards, and Anytime Awards. Award flights can be booked for one-way travel, round-trip travel, and multi-city itineraries.

Using Miles on Partner Airlines

American Airlines is a member of the Oneworld alliance, which allows miles to be redeemed on partner airlines. When you fly with American Airlines or one of its partner airlines, you will earn each mile. Here are the key partner airlines.

  • British Airways
  • Cathay Pacific
  • Qatar Airways
  • Japan Airways
  • Qantas
  • Finnair
  • Iberia

For long-haul premium cabin travel, you can use miles on these airlines for a better experience.

Upgrade Seats Using Miles

You can use miles to upgrade your seating option, like economy to premium or business class on eligible flights. There are certain upgradation eligibility criteria like:

  • Availability of the seat
  • Certain fare classes' quality
  • Sometimes the upgrade requires a combination of miles and cash

This option is best for those who want comfort and have already purchased a ticket.

Use miles for Vacation Packages

Redeeming miles for American Airlines Vacations, which include flights, hotels, and car rentals. This option often provides lower value per mile as compared to flight redemptions.

Using miles for Hotels and Car Rentals

American Miles can be redeemed for Rental stays and Hotel cars. However, the redemption method typically offers less value, making it better as a secondary option rather than a primary use.

Redeeming Miles

Miles can be used for gift cards, merchandise, magazine subscriptions, charitable donations, and a lot more, but these redemptions usually have the lowest return on value, so you can use this reward when the expiration date is near, and you don’t have any travel plans.

Can American Airlines Miles be transferred?

It can be transferred between accounts, but under these conditions:

  • Transfer fee applies
  • Cost often outweighs the benefits. American Airlines allows members to book award travel for others, which is usually a better option.

How to Redeem American Airlines Miles?

Here are the steps you redeem American Airlines Miles:

Step 1: Log in to your AAdvantage account
Step 2: Select Book with miles
Step 3: Enter your travel details
Step 4: Choose an available award flight
Step 5: Pay fees and applicable taxes
Step 6: Confirm booking

Miles are deducted immediately after confirming your ticket.

How many miles are needed for a flight?

The number of miles depends on several factors:

  • Travel distance
  • Destination
  • Cabin class
  • Travel demand and date
  • Availability of seats

Do American Airlines Miles expire?

American Airlines Miles do, in fact, expire after 24 months of inactivity. It's important to remember how to maintain miles. Here are a few pointers:

  • Travel with American Airlines or partners
  • Shopping through the AAdvantage shopping portal
  • Dining through AAdvantage Dining
  • Use an AAdvantage credit card

Tips to maximise the value of American Airlines Miles

You can earn a lot of prizes by using miles for long-haul trips. You must be flexible with your trip dates in order to receive awards and loyalty points from your booking partner airline. Before redeeming, always search for online special award deals and compare the mileage and cash prices.

Now, a crucial point that could be confusing

To clear confusion about how American Airlines Miles can be earned through the AAdvantage loyalty program are differ so here is an additional information breakdown of the different types of American Airlines Miles.

  1. AAdvantage Award Miles
  2. Loyalty Points
  3. Base Miles
  4. Bonus Miles
  5. Partner Miles
  6. Credit card Miles
  7. Purchased and Transferred Miles

These are different types of rewards, and for clarification, American Airlines has one redeemable currency, which is Award Miles, and Loyalty Points are strictly for elite status.

How does American Airlines define the Miles program today?

For clarity and to clear the confusion:

  • Base flight miles and bonus miles are not separate currencies; they both roll into award miles.
  • Credit card miles are award miles
  • Partner miles are award miles
  • Only Loyalty Points are non-redeemable.
Wrapping Up!

Flexibility, worldwide reach, and a variety of redemption choices are all provided by American Airlines miles. Knowing how to spend American Airlines points efficiently can greatly improve the travel experience, whether they are used for domestic travel, foreign travel, or seat upgrades. Anyone interested in airline reward programs will find clarity and accuracy in this informative guide, which is intended to assist readers in making informed selections free from promotional bias.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ's)

You can earn miles by flying, using credit cards, shopping, or booking hotels and car rentals.
Yes, they will expire if you don’t use them within 24 months with no activity.
Yes, it can be redeemed for free or discounted flights.
You can check your miles balance by logging into your AAdvantage account.
Yes, you can use miles to book flights for others.