How Many AAdvantage Miles Do You Need For A Free Flight On American Airlines?

AAdvantage is the loyalty program of American Airlines. Frequent flyers are awarded with perks and benefits when traveling, and also earn AAdvantage miles to use for free flight awards.

Many airlines have shifted to revenue-based earnings from flights and dynamic pricing of free award tickets. American Airlines was the last of the US legacy carriers to move to entirely dynamic pricing for awards on its flights. Partner awards are still priced at published fixed rates.

The lowest-priced American Airlines flights start at 7,500 miles

Starting prices are published for all routes (based on origin and destination zone). The shortest domestic flights within the US (between the contiguous 48 states and Canada) will start from 7,500 miles in the main cabin and 15,000 miles in business or first class. Standard taxes and fees (but no surcharges) are also payable. These are currently $5.60 for domestic flights.

Photo: Markus Mainka l Shutterstock

Remember, though, that with dynamic pricing, flights may be available as you want but at a higher price than this. The only way to check is by using the AAdvantage search tool.

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Mileage rates can vary significantly on all routes

All flights now have published starting rates but can increase above this (with no published bands or maximums) with the dynamic pricing system. In reality, you should expect these dynamic prices to be based on the underlying cash ticket prices – but there is no defined value or rate.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

AAdvantage publishes a table of the minimum starting prices for all awards by flight region. The lowest rates to Mexico and the Caribbean start at just 10,000 miles in the main cabin and to South America at just 15,000 miles. Further afield, long-haul flights to Europe start at 25,000 miles, and the longest routes to Asia and the Middle East start at 35,000 miles.

The full table of starting prices for all cabins is shown below.

In reality, it can be difficult to find flights at the lowest starting rates. All rates may appear higher on popular routes, especially when close to departure. The searches shown below highlight the variations for a few example routes.

• For example, on the New York to Chicago route, rates shown here vary between 9,000 and 16,500 miles despite the starting minimum rate of 7,500 miles.
• Adding a connection can lower the price. In the example between New York and Miami, adding a stop offers rates of 9,500 miles. For direct flights, rates are up to 14,500 miles.
• For international flights, premium cabin rates can go much higher. For example, between New York and London, business class flights below are priced between 287,000 and 400,000 – despite a starting minimum of 75,000 miles.

Finding the lowest award prices

Some general tips for finding the lowest rates include:

• Book as far in advance as possible. As with cash fares, rates are usually lower when booking in advance. Remember that the AAdvantage program has no fees for changes or cancelations of award tickets (as long as this is done before departure).
• Search flexibly for times and dates. With pricing potentially varying for every flight, looking at different options can pay off. A small change in time can make a big difference in price. The standard AAdvantage search engine will help with this, showing a range of times and offering connections.
• Search different routes. This is a bit more creative than just searching for different times. Flying to a different airport and taking a ground connection can also save significantly. Don’t just look at co-terminals in the same city – consider nearby alternative destinations.

For more tips on how to find the best award flight rates – in general – see our guide

Partner flights are fixed price – starting at 5,000 miles

As American Airlines is a member of the oneworld alliance, AAdvantage miles can be used for free flight awards on all oneworld member airlines. These are:

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Finnair, Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian
• SriLankan Airlines

Read more about the oneworld alliance and its member airlines

AAdvantage prices partner flights differently from American Airlines flights. Award rates are based on zones and travel class. These fixed price awards allow multiple airlines and connections – but no stopovers (over 24 hours between flights).

Photo: Carlos Yudica | Shutterstock

This is a very flexible and potentially excellent value award pricing system. Many other loyalty programs have shifted away from this – using dynamic pricing and/or pricing each flight sector separately. While it lasts, AAdvantage still offers great flexibility and value here.

Photo: JEERAPAN JANKAEW | Shutterstock

The lowest rates you will find are for short regional and domestic flights. Some of the lowest rates (in main cabin/economy class) include:

• Regional flights within Europe: 12,500 miles
• Regional flights within Asia (all except to/from Japan and Korea): 17,500 miles. In business class these are are just 22,500 miles – some of the best value awards available.
• Domestic flights in Japan: 7,500 miles.
• Domestic flights in Peru/Colombia/Ecuador/Argentina/Chile: 5,000 to 6,000 miles.

Above this, the fixed rates are as published in comprehensive tables on the AAdvantage website. The table below shows the rates for all partners from the US (contiguous 48 states and Canada). Separate tables are published for all other regions.

Image: American Airlines

Are you a member of the AAdvantage program, and do you collect and use miles for free flights? What rates do you normally find, and how do you feel about dynamic award pricing? Feel free to discuss in the comments section below.