How To Earn and Use American Airlines AAdvantage Miles for Maximum Value
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Written by
Joseph Hostetler
American Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world, servicing over 350 destinations. That’s impressive enough — but the airline also partners with other popular carriers, like Qantas (the airline of Australia), Japan Airlines and British Airways, which give you the ability to book over 1,000 destinations with American Airlines’ rewards currency, AAdvantage miles.
You don’t need to fly the airline to earn its miles, either — popular travel rewards credit cards such as the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® and American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card (CardCritics™ advertising partners) allow you to earn American Airlines miles without setting foot on a plane.
It’s vital to understand how to calculate the value of your rewards, so that you can get the most out of them. It’ll help you to know when to redeem them and when to pay cash and keep your miles sheathed for later. CardCritics™ estimates that AAdvantage miles are worth about 1.5 cents each, on average.
Let’s take a look at how to calculate American Airlines points value — and uncover some tips to help you get the biggest bang for your mile.
What Determines the Value of American Airlines Miles?
American Airlines aren’t worth a fixed dollar amount. The value you’ll get from them depends completely on how you redeem them.
In other words, the cash price of a ticket is in no way proportional to the amount of miles you’ll spend to book it. American Airlines operates according to “dynamic pricing,” which is a fancy way of saying it’s virtually impossible to guess how much you’ll pay for an American Airlines-operated award flight. Factors can include:
1. Travel Dates
A $500 flight may cost 12,000 miles one day and 60,000 miles the next. And award prices can soar during peak travel dates such as late December and early July.
2. Class of Travel
Cash prices for a first class ticket are often exponentially more than economy — while the points price may not be that much more.
3. Route
Some routes are more expensive than others.
When it comes to booking travel on AA’s partner airlines, things are a bit more predictable. Saver awards on these flights tend to be constant regardless of travel dates, prices or routes. For example, a flight to Europe will generally cost 22,500 miles one-way in economy and 57,500 miles in business class during off-peak season.
How Much Are AAdvantage Miles Worth on Average?
Because AAdvantage miles value isn’t inherent, it’s difficult to actually nail down an average value. We estimate that you should be able to get around 1.5 cents per AAdvantage mile. In other words, if your award flight nets you 1.5 cents per mile, you’re getting a reasonably good deal. Just remember to account for taxes and fees when you’re calculating the value (we’ll get into that later).
In general, the value per mile you’ll get from an international business or first class seat will give you far more value than an economy seat. That’s because these seats can easily cost thousands of dollars in cash — while costing comparatively fewer miles. It’s not uncommon to breach a value of 5 cents per mile when booking a fancy lie-flat seat across the Atlantic.
Best Redemption Options for AAdvantage Miles
Maximizing your American Airlines miles can take some strategy. Here are some of the best ways to make the most of your rewards.
1. Fire Sale Domestic Flights
American Airlines routinely releases confusingly cheap award prices for lots of domestic routes. It’s not hard to find flights for 7,500 miles each way in economy (sometimes even less). For example, I recently flew from Dayton (DAY) to Oklahoma City (OKC) for 6,000 miles one-way in economy.
2. International Business Class Seats
Again, nothing takes the mathematical cake when it comes to miles value like an international trip booked in a premium cabin.
Take a look at the below flight from New York (JFK) to Auckland, New Zealand (AKL). You’ll pay 40,000 miles in economy and 80,000 miles in business class (plus nominal taxes and fees) to fly nonstop on Qantas.
American Airlines
The exact same economy seat costs $1,434. That shakes out to a value of around 3.5 cents per mile.
But the exact same business class seat costs a whopping $7,437. Not a bad deal for double the points of an economy ticket. With this redemption, you’ll get a value of more than 9 cents per point. That’s astounding.
3. Seat Upgrades
When you pay for an eligible American Airlines flight, you may be able to upgrade your seat with miles. This is one of the single best ways to wring value from your miles.
For example, it costs 25,000 miles and $350 to upgrade a flight between Los Angeles (LAX) and Tokyo (NRT) from discount economy to premium economy. But the cash difference between those seats is more than $2,500. That means you’re getting a value of 8.6 cents per mile.
The issue is that you’ll have to pay cash for the original seat. You’ll have to decide how much you’re willing to spend on a seat for a miles upgrade to be worth it.
Worst Ways To Redeem American Airlines Miles
You should never use American Airlines miles for anything other than flights. American Airlines will try to tempt you into trading them for things like hotel stays or car rentals — but fight the urge. These options typically will get you a value of, at best, around 1 cent per mile.
You should also beware of flights that incur high fuel surcharges, such as those operated by British Airways. You could find yourself paying over $700 in fuel fees for a business class seat — whereas a similar seat on an American Airlines would cost just $5.60 in taxes.
How To Calculate the Value of Your AAdvantage Miles
To ensure you’re using your miles effectively, you’ve got to know how to find out the value you’re getting for your miles. Here’s the easy formula:
(cash price for flight – taxes and fees associated with an award flight) / award price for flight = value per mile
Say you’re booking a fancy lie-flat business class seat that costs 80,000 miles and $300 in taxes and fees. If the cash price for that same seat is $2,000, the formula would look like this: ($2,000 cash price – $300 taxes and fees) / 80,000 miles = $0.021*.
Strategies To Boost the Value of American Airlines Miles
Aside from saving your miles exclusively for premium award seats, the best strategy you can have to increase your American Airlines miles value is to stay flexible.
Have Loose Travel Dates
Some days of the week and times of the year are more expensive than others. If you can move your trip for cheaper days, you can find more deals.
Let the Deals Guide You
There’s always a great deal to somewhere with American Airlines miles. You can use tools like the AAdvantage Miles Finder Map to help you discover the cheapest flights to anywhere from your home airport.
Earning AAdvantage Miles: Best Practices
The most straightforward way to earn American Airlines miles is by paying for American Airlines flights. But it’s possible to amass them from your couch, as well, by opening and using credit cards like:
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®: A great all-around option for occasional and frequent American Airlines flyers
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®: This premium credit card includes access to Admirals Club airport lounges
- American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card: A no-annual-fee card for budget-minded travelers
- AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®: Another strong option for regular AA passengers
These cards offer bonus miles for everyday purchases such as restaurants and gas stations. Plus, they typically offer welcome bonuses that can earn you a nice chunk of miles after meeting a minimum spending requirement. You can also earn bonus American Airlines miles by booking travel through AAdvantage Hotels, dining with AAdvantage Dining, making purchases through AAdvantage Shopping and spending with other partners like Avis and Hyatt.
*The valuation is an estimate made by CardCritics™ and results may vary.
Frequently Asked Questions About American Airlines Miles
What is the average value of an AAdvantage mile?
It’s hard to peg an average value of an AAdvantage mile, as your return will totally depend on how you use them — but aim to get at least 1.5 cents each, and you’ll be making good use from your rewards.
How do I get the most value from my American Airlines miles?
You often get the most value per American Airlines mile by booking international business or first class seats. These awards can otherwise cost thousands of dollars each way.
Can I transfer AAdvantage miles to other programs?
You can’t transfer AAdvantage miles to another airline. But you can still use them to book travel on partner airlines through the American Airlines website.
Is it worth buying miles to top off your account for an award flight?
It can absolutely be worth buying miles if you’re just a few thousand short of your desired award flight. But remember that you’re effectively paying a mix of miles and cash for that “free” seat.
Do AAdvantage miles expire?
American Airlines AAdvantage miles expire after 24 months of no account activity. As long as you earn or redeem miles at least once every two years, your miles will always be safe.
