Best use of American Airlines AAdvantage miles

In recent years, the American Airlines Advantage program has seen its fair share of devaluations – from increasing reward rates to eliminating reduced mileage awards to ending some valuable partnerships.

Despite these blows, however, there are still some great redemptions – you just have to know where to look. Here are some of the best hotspots in American Airlines’ AAdvantage program (and how to book them yourself).

Best use of AA miles

The AAdvantage program operates on dynamic pricing for flights operated by American Airlines. If you’re hoping to travel on American Airlines flights during peak periods, you can expect sky-high redemption rates.

Fortunately, there are still award charts for flights operated by partner airlines, as well as off-peak offers.

Related: American Airlines Postpones Major Changes to Earning Miles and Loyalty Points

AA flights outside peak hours to Europe

If you can travel during the quieter winter months, you can get great deals on American Airlines-operated flights to Europe. Although you can also redeem flights with British Airways, you will face huge fuel surcharges if you travel with BA instead of AA.

It’s not very difficult to find economy award flights for 20,000 miles (or less) each way if you are flexible with your travel dates. For example, here are the prices from John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in November: 30,000 miles for almost every day of the month.

For these flights, you only pay $5.60 in taxes and fees each way.

Related: The Best Ways to Travel to Europe Using Points and Miles

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Connecting business class flights to Europe with partner airlines

American also has pretty good savings rates on business class flights to Europe on partner airlines, especially if you plan to take a connecting flight.

For just 57,500 US miles one-way, you can book business class seats to Europe anywhere in the US, regardless of distance or if you need to connect. This is lower than both Delta Air Lines and United Airlines’ usual rates for business travel to Europe and even comes in lower than Avianca’s excellent rate of 63,000 LifeMiles one-way.

You’ll want to avoid long-haul British Airways flights as the fuel surcharges can be ridiculously high (think $700 plus each way!). Instead, look for flights operated by American Airlines or a Oneworld partner, such as Finnair.

Here’s an example of a really good deal: You can fly business class from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) via London Heathrow Airport (LHR) for just 57,500 US miles and $60, 10. You fly with American Airlines to London and Iberia to Madrid.

This exact route costs more than $5,000 cash, giving you a value of more than 8 cents per point. That’s exponentially higher than TPG’s valuation for AA miles of 1.6 cents each.

First class flights to Japan

Paying cash for a first-class flight may be out of the question for 99.9% of travelers. For many programs, rewards redemption rates have also continued to increase. One solid deal you can still book with AA miles, however, is first-class flights to Japan for 80,000 miles one way.

Full disclosure: these are very hard to find. But Japan Airlines has a top-tier premium product, so it’s worth it. JAL serves San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) from its hub in Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND).

The first-class flight below from Los Angeles to Tokyo costs 80,000 miles and $11.20 in taxes and fees. The same ticket costs more than $12,000, which translates to a value of 15 cents per mile.

Related: How to use points and miles for a birthday trip to Japan

Short-haul economy flights with AA

Dynamic pricing for award travel isn’t always a bad thing. Short-haul flights on American Airlines can be affordable at the lowest levels, which you can find for as little as 5,000 miles for a Main Cabin seat. You can even find availability during peak summer dates.

The flight below from Tulsa International Airport (TUL) to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) costs 5,000 miles and $11.20 in taxes and fees. The same seat costs $284, which gives you a value of more than 5 cents per point.

Mileage upgrades on American

It is generally cheaper to book the desired class of service from the start when redeeming miles. However, there are many cases where you may not have the required miles to redeem for a Business Class ticket. In these cases you can buy a cash economy ticket and upgrade your flight with miles or a combination of miles and cash.

First, understand that basic economy and award tickets are not eligible for upgrades. To upgrade with AAdvantage miles, you must also fly on an American Airlines, British Airways or Iberia aircraft. If you purchased a full fare ticket, it will cost fewer miles to upgrade than if you purchased a discounted ticket. Complete details on which exact rate codes are eligible for upgrades and the various fees can be found on American’s website.

The sweet spot on this chart is upgrading discounted economy tickets to business class when traveling to Asia, Europe, or South America. You can go from the coach cabin to a lounger for 25,000 miles plus $350 each way. Considering how expensive cash fares in business class are right now, buying a cheap fare in a lower cabin and upgrading using miles can be a smart investment.

Your upgrade is subject to availability, which can be difficult. However, you can check the upgrade inventory for your flight by logging into ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG’s parent company, Red Ventures) and searching for the availability of “C” fares, which correspond to business class upgrades.

Business class to the Middle East, India or Africa with Qatar Airways

An absolutely stunning AA miles redemption (which has become extremely difficult to book lately) is for Qatar Airways’ award-winning Qsuite business class on flights to the Middle East or India (even to the Maldives) for 70,000 miles.

These enclosed suites are often considered some of the best business class seats in the world. Booking through the AAdvantage program offers great value considering the low number of miles required and the fact that there are no fuel surcharges. You can use this sweet spot to book more than 20 hours of flight time in Qatar Airways business class on flights from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Velana International Airport (MLE) in the Maldives via Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) for just 70,000 US AAdvantage miles and $41.80.

Best of all, you’ll need the same number of miles when traveling from the US, regardless of which departure city you choose. Flights to Qatar can be booked directly on aa.com using US Miles, as long as savings level awards are available.

Related: The best websites for searching for Oneworld awards availability

How to earn AAdvantage miles

If you want to book one of the awards above, there are several ways to earn American Airlines Miles.

The only rewards currency that transfers to American Airlines are Marriott Bonvoy points (which transfer at a 3:1 ratio) and Bilt Rewards points. However, Bilt and American’s transfer partnership ends in June.

Unfortunately, transfers from Marriott to American are no longer eligible for the 5,000 mile bonus for every 60,000 points you transfer.

Of course, you’re not stuck earning with just Marriott. You can also open an American Airlines cobranded credit card and earn miles on your everyday spending. Plus, you can earn a lucrative sign-up bonus. Here’s a look at the current lineup of American Airlines cards:

The information for the AAdvantage Aviator Red was independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been verified or provided by the card issuer.

In short

There is still a lot of value in America’s AAdvantage program. The trick is to redeem your miles for the good seats on partner airlines and not waste your miles on low-value redemptions.

Once you’ve decided how to best use your AA miles, take steps to find out award availability. Before you know it, you’ll be leaving for an (almost) free flight.