26 Best Ways to Redeem American Airlines AAdvantage Miles for Max Value

American Airlines miles are a little bit tougher to use than rewards on some of their competitor airlines, like United. Though there is good economy availability and American is a great airline to fly, you’ll have to work a little bit harder to find award space.

Once you know what to look for and where to find it, you’ll be on your way to making some world-class award redemptions with your American Airlines miles! American AAdvantage miles cannot be transferred directly to partners for use, so you’ll likely have to find the flights you are interested in booking and call American Airlines to book your award ticket.

Here are 28 of the best ways to use your American Airlines miles for maximum value. These will include various business and first class products you can fly, as well as some routes with great pricing.

American Airlines AAdvantage Miles

Earn American AAdvantage program miles to redeem flights with American Airlines, any of the following Oneworld alliance partners, or other additional partners of American Airlines.

Earn AA Miles With Credit Card Partners

American Airlines branded credit cards are available through Citi and Barclays.

Marriott Credit Cards

You can earn Marriott points and transfer those to American Airlines at a transfer rate of 3:1.

Recommended Marriott Cards

The 26 Best Ways to Use Your AA Miles

Read on to find out some of the top ways to redeem your American Airlines AAdvantage miles for maximum value and find some inspiration for your next trip!

1. Fly Etihad First Class Apartment From Abu Dhabi to New York City

In order to book a flight on Etihad, you’ll need to search for award flight availability on Etihad.com and then call American Airlines reservations to book.

Find an available “Guest First” seat if you are looking for Etihad first class award flights. If 1 is available, the AA phone representative will be able to book first class using your AA miles.

You may have to call the American Airlines call center in Australia (or another country) in order for the representative to be able to see availability for business and first class redemptions.

To complete the booking, in this case, you can put your AA award travel on hold with that call center, and then call back to a U.S. call center to finalize.

One of the best redemptions available is flying first class from the U.S. to Abu Dhabi. This award would cost you 115,000 AAdvantage miles one-way in the First Class Apartment.

Business class on the same flight would cost 70,000 American Airlines miles, and economy goes for a mere 40,000 miles each way.

Here’s the exact route you’ll want to book:

• New York City (JFK) – Abu Dhabi (AUH)

Need help booking? See our step by step guide for booking Etihad first class.

Hot Tip: Use a credit card with Priority Pass like The Platinum Card^® from American Express on your stopover to enjoy some time at the lounges currently available in the Abu Dhabi airport: the Al Dhabi, Al Reem, and Diamond lounges.

2. Fly Etihad’s First Class Apartments Between Abu Dhabi and Seoul

One of the best ways to redeem AAdvantage miles is on Etihad’s A380 route to Seoul-Incheon (ICN). Whereas the 13-14 hour flight between New York (JFK) and Abu Dhabi (AUH) costs 110,000 miles, the 9-10 hour flight from Seoul (ICN) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) costs less than half, at an astonishing 50,000 AAdvantage miles one-way.

When you consider the flight time and compare it to the flight to New York City, it would be like getting a 75,000-85,000 AAdvantage mile flight for only 50,000 AAdvantage miles, which represents a 30-40% savings in miles.

So, while one of the best ways to redeem AAdvantage miles from the U.S. is on Etihad’s sole U.S. A380 route in the First Class Apartments, the best, most cost-effective way to redeem AAdvantage miles on Etihad’s First Class Apartments is undoubtedly between Seoul and Abu Dhabi.

Here’s the exact route to look for:

• Seoul-Incheon (ICN) – Abu Dhabi (AUH)

3. Fly Qatar Airways QSuites From the U.S. to the Middle East

Qatar Airways QSuites is one of the world’s hottest business class products. Ranked the top business class by SkyTrax, it is absolutely one of the best possible ways to fly in business class.

If you decide to fly on QSuites, be sure to reference the best ways to book Qatar Airways QSuites with points, too. QSuites from the U.S. can be booked for 70,000 AAdvantage miles one-way plus minimal taxes (less than $100 per person one way).

If you can find availability, flying from a west coast city like Los Angeles (LAX) is nearly 16 hours, which is a long time to be enjoying QSuites.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Doha (DOH)
• Houston (IAH) – Doha (DOH)
• Washington D.C. (IAD) – Doha (DOH)

4. Fly Qatar Airways QSuites From the U.S. to Africa

If the Middle East is not on your radar, you can still book Qatar Airways using AAdvantage miles to get to Africa.

For only 5,000 miles more, flights from the U.S. to Africa via Doha (DOH) on Qatar Airways is 75,000 AAdvantage miles! This unbelievable deal would effectively add 8-9 hours if flown to a country like South Africa.

Unfortunately, no stopovers are allowed, so you won’t be able to spend time in Doha (DOH) if you wish you secure this mileage price. Instead, you’ll have to pay separately for the second segment.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Doha (DOH) – Johannesburg (JNB)
• Chicago (ORD) – Doha (DOH) – Windhoek (WDH)
• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Doha (DOH) – Seychelles (SEZ)

5. Fly Qatar Airways QSuites from South America 2 to Africa

Yet another redemption for those who want to maximize their time in QSuites is flying from South America 2 to Africa. AAdvantage charges 97,500 AAdvantage miles for flights from South America 2 to Africa, and you can transit via Doha (DOH).

Considering the flight from São Paulo (GRU) to Doha (DOH) is nearly 15 hours in duration and flights from Doha (DOH) to Southern Africa are 7-9 hours long, you could get up to an entire 24 hours in QSuites for only 97,500 AAdvantage miles.

If that isn’t spectacular value, then I don’t know what is. Furthermore, if you originate in a country like Brazil, your fuel surcharges are limited, which is the icing on the cake.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• São Paulo (GRU) – Doha (DOH) – Cape Town (CPT)
• São Paulo (GRU) – Doha (DOH) – Maputo (MPT)
• São Paulo (GRU) – Doha (DOH) – Mount Kilimanjaro (JRO)

6. Fly From Doha to China With Qatar Airways in First Class

Qatar Airways is a great option for a luxurious business or first class redemption. Here, you’ll get fully lie-flat seats in both business and first class that are very spacious. The business class armrests go down when it’s time to sleep – seriously a great design!

Food options are quite good, and Qatar’s First Class Lounge in Doha is a favorite of many frequent travelers. An inexpensive way to get a taste of Qatar’s business or first class is with an award between the Middle East and Asia 1 (Japan or Korea).

Awards cost 40,000 AAdvantage miles in business class or 50,000 miles in first. Here’s the exact route to look for:

• Doha (DOH) – Guangzhou (CAN)

7. Try 2 Rare First Class Products From the Middle East to Australia

For only 100,000 AAdvantage miles, you can get a total of 18 hours in first class on China Southern, one of the largest airlines in the world. Ever since their departure from SkyTeam, there haven’t been many ways to book first class.

If you fly between Australia and the Middle East, you can transit via Asia 2, which includes China Southern’s hub airport, Guangzhou (CAN).

You’ll get to try Qatar Airways A380 First Class and China Southern’s first class, which are both 2 incredibly rare first class products in their own right.

Here are a few routes you can take:

• Doha (DOH) – Guangzhou (CAN) – Melbourne (MEL)
• Doha (DOH) – Guangzhou (CAN) – Sydney (SYD)
• Doha (DOH) – Guangzhou (CAN) – Perth (PER) 
• Doha (DOH) – Guangzhou (CAN) – Brisbane (BNE)

8. Fly From Dallas to New Zealand With Qantas in Business Class

Qantas has nonstop service to Sydney from Los Angeles and San Francisco, which makes flying Qantas a great option for flights to the South Pacific.

Fly from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, or Dallas to Australia or New Zealand one-way in business class for 80,000 American Airlines miles.

In first class, these flights would cost 110,000 miles each way. You can get there in economy for 40,000 miles.

Search for AAdvantage award travel availability on BA.com, then call American Airlines reservations to book.

Here’s the exact route to look for:

• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Sydney (SYD)

Need help booking? Check out the best ways to book Qantas business class or see how you can book this flight in first class.

Hot Tip: When traveling abroad, make sure you remember your credit cards with no foreign transaction fees. Our favorites are the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card and the American Express^® Gold Card.

9. Fly Between Australia and Hong Kong in Qantas First Class

In the spirit of excellent redemptions, it’s important to point out that flying on Qantas premium cabins are nearly impossible, considering how stingy Qantas is with releasing award availability.

This is absolutely true for routes that involve the United States, but less true for other routes. Interestingly, there is an excellent sweet spot between Hong Kong and Australia. Qantas operates the A380 on this flight, which is the only aircraft that offer first class.

On top of this, this 9-10 hour flight is priced out at an amazing 50,000 AAdvantage miles each way in first class! Booking this flight is an excellent way to leverage AAdvantage miles for Qantas first class redemptions that aren’t nearly impossible to book.

Here’s the route we’re talking about:

• Hong Kong (HKG) – Sydney (SYD) 

10. Check out French Polynesia on Air Tahiti Nui From the U.S.

Ever wanted to go to French Polynesia? You can onboard Air Tahiti Nui, a French airline with its head office located in Tahiti.

Flying Air Tahiti Nui from the U.S. to French Polynesia costs 40,000 AA miles in economy or 80,000 AA miles in business class.

You can now search on the AA website for Air Tahiti Nui award availability.

There is only one route you can currently book:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tahiti (PPT)

11. Fly From the U.S. to Tokyo With Japan Airlines in First Class

Using your American Airlines miles to fly Japan Airlines in a premium cabin presents another great option for a luxury redemption with your miles.

Many people rave about Japan Airlines’ service in both business and first class. You can fly from the U.S. to Japan for 80,000 American Airlines miles in first class, which is one of the best first class redemptions with American Airlines miles. Japan Airlines award space can be found on BA.com.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• New York City (JFK) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
• Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)

Need help booking? See our step by step guide for booking Japan Airlines first class.

Tokyo on your bucket list? Check out our Ultimate Travel Guide to Tokyo.

12. Fly From the U.S. to London and Onward With British Airways in First Class

British Airways award travel is easy to find because it is one of the few airlines that shows up on American Airlines’ award search tool, but it may not always be the most popular option due to fuel surcharges.

Nevertheless, British Airways does have great first and business class products as well as generally decent award space from the U.S. to Europe, as long as you are willing to pay the surcharges.

A flight from the U.S. to Europe would be 57,500 miles in business class or 85,000 miles in first class.

British Airways is reputed to have excellent award availability, even in first class! With a diverse number of nonstop routes to the U.S., British Airways is a safe bet to book family trips (3+ passengers) especially for those who are open to positioning flights in cities like Phoenix (PHX) and Denver (DEN).

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• San Diego (SAN) – London-Heathrow (LHR)
• Phoenix (PHX) – London-Heathrow (LHR)
• New Orleans (MSY) – London-Heathrow (LHR)
• Washington D.C. (IAD) – London-Heathrow (LHR)
• Boston (BOS) – London-Heathrow (LHR)
• New York City (JFK) – London-Heathrow (LHR)

Need help booking? Read our guide to help you book British Airways First Class using Points!

13. Off-Peak to Europe in Economy on American Airlines

American Airlines offers off-peak tickets, which are basically an ongoing sale for travel during certain dates. It’s always great to be able to get to your destination for even fewer miles, so see if you can shift your trips into the off-peak date range.

Fly from the U.S. to Europe during off-peak dates for only 22,500 American miles each way in economy.

When booking during peak season, you’ll pay 30,000 miles to fly in economy.

Business and first class tickets, unfortunately, do not have off-peak pricing. These will cost 57,500 and 85,000 all year, respectively.

Hot Tip: Don’t forget that American Airlines is also one of the choices for airline travel credits on the Amex Platinum card and the Amex Gold card.

14. Short Flights Within the U.S.

Flights that are 500 miles or less within the U.S. have special pricing with American Airlines. You can book economy tickets for 7,500 miles in each direction, or splurge in business/first class for 15,000 AA miles.

These flights will generally be an hour or less, so unless your miles are burning a hole in your pocket it might be better to redeem an economy ticket and save the extra miles for another (more exciting) award redemption.

15. Fly From the U.S. to Japan or Korea in First or Business Class

This is an awesome business/first class redemption that is still left in American Airlines’ award chart. With this option, you’ll get the chance to try out first class in Cathay Pacific (#3) or Japan Airlines (#13) for 80,000 miles in each direction.

You can also fly American Airlines and other AA mileage partners like Japan Airlines or Malaysia Airlines to get to South Korea and Japan in business class for 60,000 miles each way, or economy for 35,000 miles.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• Boston (BOS) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• Seattle (SEA) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Osaka (KIX)

Hot Tip: Don’t miss our in-depth review of American Airlines, from fare types to baggage fees, seat specs, customer satisfaction, and more.

16. Fly From the U.S. to South America in Business Class

American Airlines still offers a really good price to South America Zone 1 in business class. For 30,000 AA miles, you can fly to Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, or even Manaus, Brazil! This is a better price than competitors United and Delta charge.

For a few more miles, you can get to other destinations in South America as well. American will charge you 57,500 miles to fly to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil (excluding Manaus), and Chile (excluding Easter Island).

Here are a few great example routes you can take:

• New York City (JFK) – Lima (LIM) for 30,000 AAdvantage miles
• Orlando (MCO) – Sao Paulo (GRU) for 57,500 AAdvantage miles

Hot Tip: Utilize benefits of the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^® to check out the Admirals Club for free before your flights!

17. Fly Within or Between South American Countries for Seriously Low Prices

If your flight is wholly within certain South American countries, American will give you an absolute steal of an award price. This benefit is still available for the countries below (prices are one-way):

• Argentina — 6,000 economy
• Brazil — 7,500 economy / 17,500 business/first
• Chile — 6,000 economy
• Colombia — 6,000 economy
• Ecuador — 5,000 economy
• Peru — 6,000 economy

Likewise, it is possible to fly within South America 1 or South America 2 for 10,000 miles in economy or 20,000 miles in business class.

You can also fly between these 2 regions for 12,500 miles in economy or 25,000 miles in business class.

Hot Tip: Don’t miss our dedicated article on some other great bets for using 10K American AAdvantage miles! 

18. Fly From the U.S. to Africa in Business Class

Flights from the U.S. to Africa in business class are still reasonably priced with AA miles at 75,000 miles one-way. In addition, American considers Africa as a single zone, so it’s not going to cost you more miles to fly all the way to the south… and that’s a long way! If you want to save miles, you can redeem 40,000 miles for economy class.

Your best option to get to Africa using AA miles is generally going to be to fly Qatar Airways through Doha. For this routing to be valid on Qatar Airways, you’ll need to fly into Doha (DOH) and continue onward to Africa. Another alternative is Etihad Airways, in which case you’ll fly into Abu Dhabi (AUH) and continue to Africa.

Here are a few great example routes you can take:

• Washington D.C. (IAD) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) – Lagos (LOS)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) – Johannesburg (JNB)
• Philadelphia (PHL) – Doha (DOH) – Nairobi (NBO)
• New York City (JFK) – Doha (DOH) – Casablanca (CMN)

19. Save Miles to Asia With a Redemption from Hawaii

Hawaii-based travelers looking to fly to Asia, rejoice! The redemption prices to fly from Hawaii to Asia are much better than from the contiguous 48 United States.

Flights cost 80,000 in first, 55,000 in business, and 35,000 in economy from Hawaii, as opposed to 110,000 in first, 70,000 in business, and 37,500 in economy from the mainland.

First class pricing from Hawaii presents especially good value if you are able to pick up a cheap flight to Hawaii, or use miles from a different program to get there (like Korean Air for only 12,500 each way in economy)!

Need help booking? See our step by step guide for booking American Airlines First Class.

20. Fly From the Middle East to Australia Instead to Save Miles

Flying from the U.S. to the Middle East on Etihad in first class (#1) will set you back a whopping 110,000 miles. If you’re really wanting to get into Etihad’s First Class Apartment, fly from the Middle East to Australia instead! You’ll actually get a longer flight, and you’ll be able to save 10,000 miles on each one-way booking.

Here’s the only route you can take in first class:

• Abu Dhabi (AUH) – Sydney (SYD)

21. Fly Within the South Pacific: Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji

Flights within Australia and New Zealand can be quite expensive and present a good redemption option for your American Airlines miles. Within Australia, though, flights only cost 10,000 miles each way; flying between Australia and New Zealand will set you back 15,000 miles per one-way ticket.

Similarly, flights within Fiji can be had for just 5,000 American Airlines miles per one-way ticket, which can save you quite a bit of cash.

22. Fly Between Asia and Africa

Flights between Asia and Africa present pretty good redemption value in all classes of service. Remember that Asia 1 includes Japan and Korea, while Asia 2 includes other countries in Asia (excluding India). You can fly from Asia 1 to Africa for 45,000 miles in economy, 75,000 miles in business, or 90,000 miles in first class.

Flying from Asia 2 will save you a few miles in economy and first class. Flights in economy cost 40,000 miles, business class costs the same from anywhere in Asia at 70,000 miles, and first class will set you back 80,000 miles from Asia 2.

Hot Tip: Make your flights more comfortable with Priority Pass lounge access using cards like the Amex Platinum card and Chase Sapphire Reserve^®. You’ll also get to utilize additional great benefits like Global Entry fee credits, hotel elite status, and more!

23. Fly From Europe to Southern Africa

Depending on where in Africa you’re flying to/from, this redemption can be anywhere from great to downright terrible. American Airlines charges 30,000 miles in economy, 55,000 miles in business, and 80,000 miles in first class to fly between these regions.

If you’re flying from Cairo to Rome, for instance, there are certainly better options available. But if you are looking to fly from Cape Town to Helsinki, this is a potentially awesome redemption!

Need help booking? See our step by step guide for booking American Airlines first class.

24. Fly From One End of Europe to the Other

Like the last redemption option, the value of this one entirely depends on where you are flying from and to. American Airlines charges 12,500 miles one-way to fly economy from 1 city in the Europe zone to another.

If you’re looking for a short hop, there’s probably a better option and it’s definitely worthwhile to check budget carriers. However, if you’re looking to make a last-minute booking or don’t see good prices available for your dates and cities, then 12,500 miles is tough to beat!

25. Fly Between India/Middle East and Asia 1 or Asia 2

If you’re looking for a premium cabin redemption, this is another great option that lets you test out some great business and first class products on less expensive routes.

India/Middle East to Asia 1 (Japan/Korea) costs 22,500 in economy, 40,000 in business, and 50,000 in first. If you’re not going quite that far and just heading to Asia 2, you won’t save any miles for those premium cabin redemptions, and it will actually cost you more in economy!

India/Middle East to Asia 2 costs 25,000 in economy, 40,000 in business, and 50,000 in first.

26. Fly From Asia 1 to the South Pacific

Flights might not be that long between Asia 1 (Japan/Korea) and certain parts of the South Pacific, but it is a region where travel tends to be quite expensive. You can use miles to reduce that cost, and even try out some great premium cabins!

Economy class from Asia 1 to the South Pacific costs 30,000 miles each way, while business and first will set you back 40,000 and 60,000 miles, respectively.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• Tokyo-Narita (NRT) – Sydney (SYD) on Japan Airlines business class
• Tokyo-Narita (HND) – Melbourne (MEL) on Qantas business class

As you can see above, there are plenty of great options to choose from, and American Airlines award travel presents some of the best access to amazing first and business class products.

List of American Airlines Partners — Oneworld

American Airlines partners include Oneworld alliance members, listed below:

Oneworld Partners
Alaska Airlines	Malaysia Airlines
American Airlines	Oman Air (joining in 2024)
British Airways	Qantas
Cathay Pacific	Qatar Airways
Fiji Airways (Oneworld Connect Partner)	Royal Air Maroc
Finnair	Royal Jordanian
Iberia	S7 Airlines (temporarily suspended)
Japan Airlines	SriLankan Airlines

Hot Tip: For more information about using these partners, check out our guide to searching for award availability on Oneworld alliance airlines.

List of Non-Alliance American Airlines Partners

Non-alliance partners are listed below:

Additional Airline Partners
Air Tahiti Nui	Fiji Airways
Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air	Hawaiian Airlines
Cape Air	Interjet
China Southern	Seaborne Airlines
Etihad Airways	WestJet

Using AA Miles With Airline Partners — AA Award Chart

AA frequent flyer miles cannot be transferred from American Airlines to any of the above partners. Instead, you must book directly through American Airlines.

AA award travel availability for some airlines can be seen on AA.com, but for others you’ll need to search for the tickets elsewhere, such as on BritishAirways.com, Qantas.com, JAL.com, MakeMyTrip, or ExpertFlyer. British Airways is generally the best place to start.

Once you’ve found the flight you want, call American Airlines reservations with the information for your preferred booking (800-882-8880). There will be a $25 phone booking fee that may be waived if you simply ask the representative.

If the ticket is not bookable online, it is typically very easy to get the phone booking fee waived. Any ticket that contains a flight with a partner that doesn’t show up on AA.com must be booked on the phone.

As you search for award availability with partners, you can reference the Oneworld and other partners’ AA award charts to determine the number of AA miles you will need to book.

Final Thoughts

In this post, you learned some of the best ways to redeem your American Airlines AAdvantage miles. Remember that AA frequent flyer miles give you access to award tickets on American-operated flights as well as flights operated by their partners.

With a little strategizing, you’ll be flying to Mumbai with AA miles or enjoying a first class flight experience across the world for a great value.

If you’re interested in even more ideas, check out our recommendations on the best ways to use 100,000 AAdvantage Miles!

Happy redeeming!

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