How do american airlines miles work

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For more information, see How We Make Money. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for some American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress. Last updated June 4, All reviews are prepared by NextAdvisor staff. Opinions expressed therein are solely those of the reviewer. The information, including card rates and fees, presented in the review is accurate as of the date of the review.

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Twitter externa link icon. No upgrades are available on Basic Economy fares. Main Cabin Extra seats have up to 6 inches more legroom and are at the front of the main cabin. Preferred seats have standard legroom but are at the front of the main cabin. What's more, as of Oct. Elite qualifying dollars , or EQDs for short, are earned based on how much you spend on tickets with American and its Oneworld partners excluding government taxes and fees. Your earnings will change based on which class of service you book, and partner restrictions.

Elite qualifying miles , or EQMs, are the actual miles you fly every year aboard American and its Oneworld partners. Your earnings may vary on other partner airlines, based on what class of service you book.

Visit the American website to learn more about what qualifies for elite status and how it may affect your plans. Elite qualifying segments , or EQSs, are earned based on how many takeoff-to-landing flight segments you take. A nonstop flight from L. To earn this status, you must have EQDs of at least:.

American Airlines is unusual among U. Cards that earn AAdvantage miles include:. American Airlines flies to 50 countries through its Oneworld partners , providing ample opportunity for passengers to use its service.

To contact American Airlines by phone in the U. You can also reach American Airlines on Twitter at americanair. Award flights with American Airlines start at 7, AAdvantage miles for a one-way economy flight under miles long in the contiguous U. Longer distance flights in the contiguous U. Yes, it is free to join the American Airlines AAdvantage program. Head over to aa. Doing so will allow you to earn AAdvantage miles when you fly on American Airlines and its Oneworld partners.

We've covered all the basic details of the American Airlines AAdvantage program. But if you still aren't sure whether a frequent flyer program is worth the effort, see our absolute beginner's guide to frequent flyer programs. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of , including those best for:. How to earn AAdvantage miles. How to redeem AAdvantage miles. American Airlines partners. AAdvantage program status levels. Credit cards that earn AAdvantage miles.

Show More. How much American Airlines miles are worth. The Best-of Awards List has dropped. Check the list.

Earning AAdvantage miles when you fly. Status level. Miles earned. Status bonus. AAdvantage basic. Platinum Pro. Executive Platinum. Back to top. Earning AAdvantage miles with a credit card. Earning AAdvantage miles through partners. Buying additional AAdvantage miles. Three types of award redemptions. Good redemption options. Bad redemption options. Oneworld alliance members. Oneworld partner airlines are:. Alaska Airlines. British Airways.

Cathay Pacific. Japan Airlines. Malaysia Airlines. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page.

For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. American Airlines frequently offers bonuses and discounts when purchasing AAdvantage miles, giving you a chance to top up on miles for amazing redemptions like tickets in Cathay Pacific first-class seats. This brings the cost down to as low as 2. For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. Rather, we only recommend buying miles for a specific, near-term redemption.

Thankfully, American eliminated change and cancellation fees on award tickets last year, so you should have some flexibility if your plans change. Related: Travel is back. Now, points and miles devaluations are likely coming. For instance, in summer , they were available for 1. Even October of this year saw the price drop to 2. So unless you need the miles immediately, you might want to avoid this particular offer.

This promotion is available through Nov. Also, note that accounts under 30 days old are not eligible to purchase miles. Or, you might want to wait around for a better bonus to potentially come around in the future. Related: All of the buy points and miles promotions worth considering. As noted above, you should only buy miles if you have a specific redemption in mind and avoid the temptation to speculate.

In case your plans do change, you can now cancel AAdvantage awards right up until departure for free.