Over the past few years, the American Airlines Advantage program has seen its fair share of devaluations, from eliminating reduced mileage awards to removing its mileage award upgrade chart to ending some valuable partnerships.
However, despite these gut punches, there are still some great redemptions — you just need to know where to look. Here are some of the best sweet spots in the American Airlines AAdvantage program (and how you can book them).
Related: Citi adds American Airlines as a 1:1 transfer partner, offers Admirals Club passes on brand-new card
Best uses of AAdvantage miles
The AAdvantage program uses dynamic pricing for flights operated by American Airlines. If you’re hoping to fly on American metal during peak periods, you can expect to pay sky-high redemption rates.
Fortunately, there are still award charts for flights operated by partner airlines, as well as off-peak deals.
Related: 5 reasons why I believe American Airlines miles are worth more than United Airlines and Delta Air Lines miles
Off-peak American Airlines flights to Europe
If you can travel in the quieter winter months, one of our favorite AAdvantage sweet spots is American-operated flights to Europe. (While you can also redeem miles for flights on British Airways, you’ll be hit with hefty fuel surcharges.)
It’s not terribly difficult to find economy award flights for 20,000 miles (or less) each way if you’re flexible with your travel dates. For example, this flight from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) starts at just 19,000 miles and $5.60 in taxes and fees on many dates in February.
Related: Travel to Europe using points and miles: How to redeem your rewards for flights
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Connecting business-class flights to Europe on partner airlines
American also has attractive saver rates for business-class flights to Europe on partner carriers, especially if you plan to take a connecting flight.
For just 57,500 AAdvantage miles one-way, you can book business-class seats to Europe from anywhere in the U.S., regardless of the distance or if you need to make a connection. This beats both Delta Air Lines’ and United Airlines’ typical rates for business-class travel to Europe, as well as Avianca’s rate of 70,000 Avianca LifeMiles one-way.
However, you’ll want to avoid long-haul flights operated by British Airways since fuel surcharges can be ridiculously high (think: more than $700 each way). Instead, look for flights operated by American Airlines or a Oneworld partner, such as Finnair.
Here’s an example: You can book a lie-flat business-class seat from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) via Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN) for just 57,500 American miles and $59 in taxes and fees. You’ll fly American Airlines to Barcelona and Iberia to Madrid.
Business-class fares from MIA to MAD on the same day start around $1,400, according to Google Flights, giving you a value of 2.4 cents per mile — well over TPG’s August 2025 valuations of 1.55 cents each for American miles.
Related: Oneworld alliance guide: Learn about airlines, lounges and elite status
First- and business-class fares to Japan
Europe isn’t the only place you can travel to in luxury with American miles. Another sweet spot in the AAdvantage program is first-class flights to Japan for 80,000 miles one-way.
Full disclosure: These are very hard to find. But Japan Airlines has a top-notch first-class product, so it’s worth the effort. If you can’t snag a first-class seat, it’s a little easier to find business-class fares on Japan Airlines for 60,000 AAdvantage miles, which is also a fantastic deal.
The following example from ORD to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND) costs 60,000 miles and $5.60 one-way. In cash, the same flight would set you back over $3,000 and be out of reach for many travelers.
Japan Airlines serves Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), ORD, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), San Diego International Airport (SAN), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) from HND and Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT).
Short-haul economy flights on American Airlines
Dynamic pricing for award travel is not always a bad thing. American’s short-haul flights can provide good value at the lowest levels, and you can find them for as little as 5,000 miles for a main cabin seat, even during peak summer dates.
The below flight from Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, D.C., to Orlando International Airport (MCO) costs 5,000 miles and $5.60 in taxes and fees. Main economy tickets on the same route and date start at $134 based on Google Flights searches, giving you an excellent value of 2.7 cents per mile.
Related: How to book domestic American Airlines flights with points and miles
Business class to the Middle East, India or Africa
One incredible American Airlines sweet spot — which has lately become extremely difficult to book — is for Qatar Airways’ award-winning Qsuite business class on flights to the Middle East, Africa, India and even the Maldives for 70,000 miles. Best of all, you will need the same number of miles when returning from the U.S., no matter which departure city you choose. Qatar flights can be booked with American miles directly on aa.com as long as there’s saver-level award availability.
Even if you can’t find availability for these elusive best-in-class suites, you can still book business class on other airlines for as low as 70,000 AAdvantage miles. Let’s take a look at this route from JFK to Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH).
The first option, operated by British Airways, may seem attractive at first — until you notice the $587 in taxes and fees and the 37 hours of flight time. However, you could book the second flight on Royal Air Maroc for a much shorter itinerary and a much more reasonable $35 in taxes and fees. Royal Air Maroc’s business class may not be a Qsuite, but 70,000 miles for a business-class ticket on a long-haul flight is still a solid deal.
Related: Find Qatar Airways Qsuites award availability in seconds using this platform
Mileage upgrades on American and select partners
When redeeming miles, it’s generally a better value to book the class of service you want from the start. But if you don’t have enough miles to redeem for a business-class ticket, for example, you may purchase an economy seat with cash and upgrade your flight using miles or a combination of miles and cash.
First, understand that basic economy and award tickets are not eligible for upgrades. You must also take a flight operated by American Airlines, British Airways or Iberia to upgrade with AAdvantage miles.
American used to have an award chart for flight upgrades, with sweet spots starting as low as 5,000 AAdvantage miles. Unfortunately, as of Aug. 11, that award chart will become a thing of the past. After that date, you’ll see both mileage and cash upgrade offers on your upcoming American flights.
As you can see in this example on a round-trip Miami-to-Aruba flight, upgrade prices can vary widely, but the value you’ll get seems to hover around 1 cent per mile.
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You’ll no longer get the same value from your miles when redeeming them for upgrades, but this is one way to greatly improve your inflight experience with no out-of-pocket cost.
Related: Here’s how to use airline miles for a first class upgrade
How to earn AAdvantage miles
If you’re hoping to book any of the above awards, there are several ways to earn American Airlines miles.
The only rewards currencies that transfer to AAdvantage are Citi ThankYou Rewards points, which transfer at a 1:1 ratio, and Marriott Bonvoy points, which have a less desirable 3:1 ratio. Unfortunately, transfers from Marriott to American do not qualify for the 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points you transfer.
You can also earn miles on everyday purchases with an American Airlines cobranded credit card or a Citi card that earns ThankYou Rewards points. Here are a few great options and their current welcome offers:
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® ($595 annual fee; see rates and fees): Earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $7,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- Citi® / AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard® ($99 annual fee, waived the first year; see rates and fees): Earn 65,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first four months of account opening.
- AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® ($99 annual fee): Earn 50,000 miles after making your first purchase and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.
- Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees): Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (see rates and fees): Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
The information for the AAdvantage Aviator Red has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: New Citi Strata Card now accepting applications
Bottom line
Despite some negative changes, there’s still a lot of value in the American Airlines AAdvantage program. The trick is not to waste your miles on low-value redemptions and instead save them up for sweet spots where you can get the most value from your miles.
Now that you know the best ways to use your American miles, check out our guides to finding Oneworld award availability and the best tools for searching award redemptions. Before you know it, you’ll be taking off on an (almost) free flight.
