The Best Sweet Spots for Redeeming American Airlines AAdvantage Miles

The American Airlines AAdvantage program is by far my favorite airline loyalty program that I regularly use. Although I was, in a way, born into the program as my parents gave me an AAdvantage account as a little kid (i.e., American Airlines chose me), I quickly came to realize how valuable it is compared to others as I grew up.

I travel across the Pacific multiple times a year, so I’m naturally able to rack up AAdvantage miles fairly quickly, in addition to the sizable portion of my spending that goes to the Citi AAdvantage credit cards.

Additionally, the program’s partner award redemptions have come in handy many times for redemptions, which have a lot to do with the many sweet spots.

So enough talking from me; let’s go over the best ways to use AAdvantage miles.

U.S. to Asia Region 1

American Airlines still has a published award chart for flights on both AA metal and on partner airlines.

Asia is split into two regions, with the first encompassing Japan and South Korea and the second covering the rest of East Asia and the entire region of Southeast Asia.

This sweet spot speaks strongly from my own personal experiences, but Asia region 1’s business class and first class redemptions are fantastic. Business goes for 60,000 miles, while First goes for 80,000.

This means that Japan Airlines’ flagship offerings on its new Airbus A350-1000 are up for grabs for these rates. Additionally, onward connections to South Korea go for the same number of miles.

Cash rates for JAL’s business and first class regularly top $3,000 and $20,000 each way, respectively, so the redemptions here give great value.

I myself have a First Class ticket on Japan Airlines this winter that I booked using AAdvantage miles, which I’m looking forward to.

Additionally, the number of miles required for Asia Region 1 is more generous than Region 2, given that the amount of miles needed for Business goes up to 70,000, and First goes up to a whopping 110,000. Unfortunately, Cathay Pacific misses out on this sweet spot here.

The only negative about these redemptions is that they are quite hard to come by and require substantial flexibility on dates and final destination. Using tools like Seats.aero has helped me find availability, as awards also tend to get taken extremely quickly.

Related: Tools I Use to Hunt Cheap Award Fares (Seats.aero, Thrifty Traveler Premium)

Asia to Europe (75K for Business Class)

There’s no shortage of Oneworld carriers between Asia and Europe. Passengers get to choose from British Airways, Japan Airlines, Finnair, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, and many more. Business class on these flights goes for 75,000 AAdvantage miles, and stringing together a creative itinerary can get you on multiple products on these airlines.

This corridor could find you redemptions for Qatar Airways’ QSuites, and if you’re lucky with availability, you can string together multiple flights (for example, Tokyo to Doha, Doha to Paris) for one big journey. So, multiple business class flights on Qatar Airways and other Oneworld carriers for 75,000 AAdvantage miles? It doesn’t get much better than that.

You can still find redemptions for Japan Airlines’ new A350-1000s on these routes as well. They cost slightly more than flights between the U.S. and Japan, but availability is much easier to come by:

Keep in mind that flights to and from London can often be subject to high taxes and fees, which can reduce the value of the award redemption itself (especially regarding flights on British Airways).

Europe to the Middle East (42.5K for Business, 62.5K for First)

This is similar to the example above, except that it doesn’t include the leg between Asia and the Middle East. Instead, redemptions cost 42,500 AAdvantage miles for Business and 62,500 AAdvantage miles for First Class, still delivering great value.

Most notably, Etihad flies its A380s with its First Class Apartments between these two regions, making it bookable for 62,500 miles (also available from the U.S. to the Middle East, but for 115,000 miles).

Here’s one of them below, from Paris to Abu Dhabi:

Again, setting up alerts on a service like Seats.aero is helpful, given the limited availability.

Additionally, business class flights on Qatar Airways and others for 42,500 miles are also strong options here.

Flights Within Japan

I’ve also previously used AAdvantage miles on domestic flights in Japan. Economy goes for 7,500, Business goes for 15,000, and First goes for 20,000:

I actually do not recommend booking the Business Class fare for flights within Japan; they’re just Premium Economy seats with no added amenities or benefits on the ground. I would save the extra 7,500 miles and book another leg, or spend the extra 5,000 for First Class and enjoy a complimentary meal.

Related: Japan Airlines First Class Review; Amazing Domestic Experience

U.S. Domestic Flights

Awards on American Airlines are dynamic, meaning they can vary based on demand. You can still find solid redemptions, but it’s important to understand what is considered “good value” on each route.

Flights typically go for around 6,000 to 9,000 miles each way within the U.S. for the cheapest ones. You can also occasionally find upper cabins on premium transcontinental routes for cheap, but those tend to be harder to come by.

Additionally, American occasionally runs sales for awards, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for emails and the airline’s social media posts every once in a while.

Bottom Line

There are many sweet spots to the American Airlines AAdvantage program, and they aren’t limited to flights that touch the United States. While I have a lot of experience with the Asia flights given my frequent travels between the U.S. and Japan, redemptions involving the Middle East, Europe, and other parts of the world also bring fantastic value.

American Airlines has some fantastic Oneworld partners, and there’s no better way to take advantage (no pun intended) of them through its loyalty program.

Featured image by the author.