How much are American Airlines miles worth?

If you love deciphering complex charts, jump for joy when you discover specials, and have a lot of flexibility in your travel calendar, AAdvantage Miles could be the airline currency for you. AAdvantage Miles, also referred to as American Airlines Miles, is one of the most valuable reward currencies in existence due to the sheer size of American Airlines’ flight network and the many sweet spots on the AAdvantage rewards table.

However, AAdvantage is not for casual travelers. The cost of American Airlines miles varies a lot, and while you can find some incredible deals, the cost of a mile can also fall below average, especially if you don’t have the flexibility to choose times and destinations that meet MileSAAver’s criteria. Read on to find out how much AAdvantage miles cost on average, how to calculate miles per flight, and whether you should join AAdvantage.

AAdvantage miles cost

It would be beneficial to join the AAdvantage program, given that the average cost per AAdvantage mile is 1 cent (according to the Bankrate points system). This is nothing to laugh at, because all rewards should cost an average of 1 cent.

American Airlines also holds its own against similar-sized competitors United Airlines and Delta. MileagePlus miles cost an average of 1.1 cents, while Delta SkyMiles cost 1.3 cents. The main reason these airlines boast higher averages is because some award flights provide more value.

Redeem AAdvantage Miles for Flights

The key to valuing AAdvantage is flight rewards. American Airlines has joined many other US airlines in ditching premium tables and implementing dynamic pricing. Essentially, this means that the cost of your flight, both in miles and in cash, can fluctuate depending on whether it is peak season or off-season, flight times, and how far in advance you have booked your flight. In addition, if many other consumers are eyeing the same flight, the price increases as a result.

There is currently a table on the American Airlines website that separates award travel by fare class: Main Cabin, Premium Economy and Business Class or First, as well as the minimum number of AAdvantage Miles required to redeem an award flight at that tier.

For example, a seat in the main cabin to a destination in the “contiguous 48 states of the US + Canada” must start at 7,500 miles one way. In dollars, an award flight starts at $75 (with an average cost of 1 cent per mile), which is not a bad price. However, keep in mind that the chart only focuses on the minimum cost. However, when we were looking for a flight from Los Angeles to Denver, the cost was 31,000 miles.

With dynamic pricing, it’s hard to predict exactly how much your flight will cost, and it’s impossible to tell when and if the price will go up or down as it depends on a lot of conditions. The key to a great mileage deal is flexibility in timing and destinations. Open options are a way to compete in this world of dynamic pricing, and hopefully you can buy a cheap flight to your destination during the off-season.

How to redeem AAdvantage miles

As noted, the cost of AAdvantage miles varies greatly. The value of your miles depends on your redemption preferences and the value of the item you are redeeming them for. Here are a few questions you should ask yourself when calculating American Airlines miles:

• Which repayment option do you prefer? The AAdvantage program offers a variety of mileage redemption options including flights, upgrades, other types of travel, Admirals Club access and luxury experiences. While the value of miles for flight awards and upgrades is high, most other options offer terrible value.
• What class do you prefer to fly? Do you prefer to fly economy or are you hoping to use your miles to upgrade to first class? Our research shows that your AAdvantage miles can be worth significantly more if you book a business class or first class ticket (and you can also earn a hefty sum for a first class upgrade).
• Where do you want to fly? We strongly recommend that you know your destination in advance before you start accumulating points or miles. Not only does the number of miles required vary significantly by region in the AAdvantage awards table, but the value of a mile depends on the destination. Some destinations that are very expensive in cash don’t require as many miles. Also, it can be difficult to find the availability of premiums for some destinations. You should visit the AAdvantage booking site to find out about the availability of flights and the number of miles required at the right time and in the right direction.
• When do you want to fly? Do you want to fly during rush hour or can you fly during off-peak times? You are more likely to be rewarded for flying off-peak. In addition, rewards may include lower prices during off-peak periods.
• How flexible are you? Flexibility is critical to getting the most out of your AAdvantage program. If you can adjust your schedule so that you fly mid-week instead of weekends, or if you can delay your trip for a month or two when it’s off-season, then you’re more likely to get a flight reward.
• How far is your flight? Booking flights at the last minute can be for you anyway with the AAdvantage program. It’s more than likely that only the more expensive award tickets will remain and you’ll get the low cost of your ticket.

AAdvantage Miles Calculation

If you have an exchange option, you can use a simple formula to calculate the value of your miles. Basically, you take the cash price of your intended buyout option (subtracting any taxes and fees you have to pay) and divide it by the number of miles:

AAdvantage Miles Value = Reward Value (USD) / Miles

The resulting value, multiplied by 100, is an estimate of how much each AAdvantage mile is worth when you redeem your rewards for that flight.

There are different approaches to estimating points and miles, as well as many factors that can affect the cost of a flight, such as the miles you lose by earning, paying for your ticket with miles instead of cash, the lowest possible price you can get. per flight over time (which may change by the minute and depends on how often you check the airline’s website), other promotions and discounts that you must opt ​​out of when booking an award ticket, the lowest price you can get when booking through a competing airline and so on.

However, for a baseline comparison with other airline reward programs, this rough estimate should help.

How flexible are AAdvantage miles?

One of the main disadvantages of the AAdvantage program is the lack of flexibility. You will have to deal with many routing restrictions and a limited inventory of rewards.

American Airlines offers a huge network of flights, averaging nearly 6,700 flights a day to over 350 destinations in over 50 countries and 24 partner airlines. You should be able to book an AAdvantage award ticket to most of the places you want to visit. However, the cost of an award ticket is low even compared to flexible award tickets from other airlines such as Delta and Southwest. In addition, award ticket routing rules are very strict and intermediate stops are not allowed. This makes it difficult to book a complex route.

In addition, award flights can be beneficial starting at 7,500 miles one way. However, these rewards are limited. You have to be flexible with dates and times when booking award tickets, and you may have trouble finding award seats on popular destinations.

You can also use other redemption options such as travel package bookings or car rentals, but in these cases your AAdvantage miles will be worth less.

Should I redeem American Airlines Miles?

The value of the AAdvantage program largely comes down to your level of flexibility. If you can work with a wide range of dates and times to book reward flights, the AAdvantage program may be worth your while. However, if you are restricted from traveling during peak dates and times, you will find that AAdvantage rewards will give you a low bang for your buck.

If you need more flexibility in flight planning, you should look for an airline rewards program that gives you more freedom of action, such as Southwest Rapid Rewards. Or you can take advantage of a travel rewards program such as Chase Ultimate Rewards where you can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for any available flight of any airline through its travel portal.