Understanding AAdvantage Miles and Tips for Using Them

American Airlines AAdvantageIf you are an AAdvantage Member, that means that you get to earn and use AAdvantage Miles whenever you fly on American Airlines and American Eagle flights – as well as when you fly with other affiliates. You can also earn points using a AAdvantage MasterCard or CitiCard, when you stay at affiliated hotels, rent cars, or book vacations with any American Airlines partner.

While isn’t necessarily difficult to understand AAdvantage Miles, there are some things you might need to know before, during, and after usage.

Earning Points

When you fly on an American Airlines flight, you will collect the following miles per U.S. dollar spent:

  • Basic AAdvantage Member: 5 Miles
  • Gold AAdvantage Member: 7 Miles
  • Platinum AAdvantage Member: 8 Miles
  • Platinum Pro AAdvantage Member: 9 Miles
  • Executive Platinum AAdvantage Member: 11 Miles

It’s very simple – the more money you spend, the more you will make. You can also collect EQS and EQMs, which have a similar tier structure.

Other ways to earn miles include using companies like Budget, Avis, Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Lines, Hilton, Hyatt, and Starwood.

You Can Buy Miles

Running low on miles for a reward you want? Stockpiling miles so that you can use them at a later date but the expiration date is coming quickly? You can purchase miles to help top off your number or to keep your miles active. It is just a little way to ensure that you get to use your AAdvantage miles how you want, when you want, and where you want.

You can also request to reinstate your miles, but that sometimes costs points or money.

Best Way to Use Miles

There are so many great ways to use your AAdvantage Miles, but the best way might be using them with partner airlines. You might have to do a little searching around and research, but there are some great deals to be had.

For flying domestically, check out the monthly reduced mileage awards.

Of course, you don’t have to use your miles on flights. You can use them as points with many of the partner sources as well. There are always new partners coming on with AAdvantage Miles, so you want to make sure that you read up on it.

A few other things to note include the fact that elite members will receive complimentary cabin upgrades on flight that are under 500 miles. You can also change your reward reservations, but sometimes there will be a fee if tickets need to be reprinted.

You can even share your miles with friends or family, for a fee, but they do not count toward elite status qualification.