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When it’s time to cash in your AAdvantage miles for an award flight, you’ll want to understand how to make your rewards go further. Here's everything you need to know about American Airlines' miles chart to get the most out of all those hard-earned miles.
American Airlines award travel
Before we dig into the details, one important caveat: The trend in U.S. airlines over the past few years has been to eliminate award charts entirely, opting for dynamic award rates that respond to demand. Sure enough, that time has come for American Airlines as well.
American has published a new "award chart" to give flyers an idea of where rates might start for certain routes and fare classes, but there are no guarantees:
Upgrade awards
In August 2025, American eliminated its mileage upgrade award chart, opting for an upgrade system that offers passengers the opportunity to upgrade using cash or miles. The dynamically priced upgrade system makes it harder to get maximum value from your miles. It's still possible to score an upgrade on American Airlines, but the best way to do so going forward is by earning elite status. Otherwise, you're better off booking premium cabin flights using your miles.
American Airlines award chart tips
- When booking award travel on American Airlines, award prices are shown in one-way segments. There will also be taxes and fees imposed when you book award travel. These start at $5.60 for each one-way flight.
- Expect to pay extra if the first/business class flight you book in the U.S. or Canada happens to be on an aircraft with lie-flat seats. We suggest checking the aircraft you’ll fly on before you book.
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Partner airlines and Oneworld award charts
Since American Airlines is a member of Oneworld and has independent partnerships with various airlines, AAdvantage miles can be used to fly on American and more than 20 different airlines, which include:
Oneworld member airlines
- Alaska Airlines.
- American Airlines.
- British Airways.
- Cathay Pacific.
- Fiji Airways.
- Finnair.
- Iberia.
- Japan Airlines.
- Malaysia Airlines.
- Oman Air.
- Qantas.
- Qatar Airways.
- Royal Air Maroc.
- Royal Jordanian.
- Sri Lankan Airlines.
American Airlines non-alliance partners
- Aer Lingus.
- Air Tahiti Nui.
- Cape Air.
- China Southern Airlines.
- Etihad Airways.
- GOL Airlines.
- Hawaiian Airlines.
- IndiGo.
- JetSMART.
- LEVEL.
- Porter Airlines.
The chart below shows American’s award chart for Oneworld and partner airlines:
The prices of flights in miles are largely in line between the American and the Oneworld and partner airlines award charts. The partner chart also includes flights to the Middle East, Indian subcontinent and Africa. Since American doesn't fly to these regions, it's nice to know that you can still use your AAdvantage miles to get you there.
American Airlines partner/Oneworld award chart tips
- When flying with partners, make sure your AAdvantage number is on your reservation and visible on your boarding pass. If needed, you can request missing AAdvantage credit retroactively.
- Premium cabin award availability can be more limited; plan your redemptions far in advance to improve your odds of scoring a good deal.
» Learn more: The NerdWallet guide to AA transfer partners
Earn miles with American Airlines credit cards
The fastest way to earn American Airlines miles is through earning a welcome offer on an AAdvantage credit card. American offers a variety of credit cards with different annual fees, earning rates and other perks.
Most include perks like a free checked bag, and American's most premium card even offers Admiral Club lounge access. Choose the best American credit card by evaluating which one fits best with your travel habits.
» Learn more: Find the best airline credit card for you
American Airlines miles chart, recapped
While American no longers offers a traditional award chart on its own flights in favor of dynamic pricing, it still maintains a partner award chart that can be a great way to get excellent value from your American miles.
Deals are out there if you're flexible, but more rigid travel plans mean you’ll likely have to cash in more miles.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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