Best use of American Airlines miles

Over the past few years, the Advantages of American Airlines the program has seen its fair share of devaluation, from increasing reward redemption rates to dynamic price introduction And remove reduced mileage bonus.

However, despite the recent price drops, there are still some great buys out there — you just need to know where to look. Contrary to what some may believe, there are still great opportunities to redeem AAdvantage miles for flights.

Here’s a look at some of the best Sweet spot in American Airlines’ AAdvantage program and how to redeem your miles for them.

Earlier this year, the AAdvantage . program switch to dynamic pricing for flights operated by American Airlines. If you’re hoping to travel on American Airlines flights during peak times, you could expect to pay sky-high conversion rates.

Fortunately, there are rewards rankings for flights operated by partner airlines and off-peak deals.

Business Class to the Middle East, India or Africa on Qatar Airways

The best way to take advantage of a healthy stock of US miles is to use them to fly on one of the US partner airlines. A particularly great option is to redeem your AA miles for a Qatar Airways award Qsuites business class on flights to the Middle East or India for 70,000 miles. You can extend your trip to Africa and pay only 75,000 miles one way.

These enclosed suites are often considered some of the best business class seats in the world. Booking through the AAdvantage program is a great value considering the low mileage required and the fact that there are no additional fuel surcharges.

You can use this great point to book more than 20 hours of Qatar Airways business class flight 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 American AAdvantage miles and $41.80.

Best of all, you’ll need the same mileage when traveling from the United States, no matter which departure city you choose.

You can book Qatar flights with US miles directly on aa.com — as long as you have an award-winning ticket available.

Related: The best sites to look for the availability of Oneworld awards

Low hour AA flights to Europe

If you can travel in the quieter winter months, you can find some great deals on American Airlines-operated flights to Europe. While you can also redeem flights on British Airways, you’ll get a lot in return fuel surcharge if you go with BA rather than AA – expect at least $700 one way in business class.

While 25,000 economy miles or 67,000 one-way business class miles in low season isn’t an amazing deal, the fee and tax of just $5.60 is a great deal.

Not to mention, AA’s international first-class product isn’t particularly memorable, so unless you’re sitting on a massive reward pool, those extra 100,000 miles aren’t worth it. Business class is quite enough.

Related: The best ways to travel to Europe using points and miles

Connect business class flights to Europe on partner airlines

Americans also get pretty good savings on business class flights to Europe on partner airlines, especially if you’re planning on taking a connecting flight.

For just 57,500 US miles one way, you can book a business class seat to Europe from anywhere in the US, regardless of distance or if you need a connection. This is lower than both Delta and United’s regular rates for business class travel to Europe, and even less than Avianca’s amazing 63,000 LifeMiles one-way rates.

You will want to avoid long-haul flights operated by British Airways as fuel surcharges can be very high. Instead, look for flights operated by American Airlines or other Oneworld partner flights, such as Finnair.

For example, you can fly business class from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to Helsinki Airport (HEL) via New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) for just 57,500 US miles and $5 ,60 USD.

First Class Flights to Japan

Flying first class is extremely expensive if you pay cash for a ticket and the redemption rate is keep increasing for many programs. However, one surefire deal you can still book with AA miles is first class flights to Japan for 80,000 miles one way.

Japan Airlines has a top class products, so look for flights that fly through JAL’s hub city, such as Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport ( ORD) and JFK. Seating can be sparse, but if you find a seat, you’ll be in for a treat.

JAL rewards can be booked directly on the American Airlines website, so there’s no need to call and wait to reserve this amazing bonus.

Related: Use points and miles for a birthday trip to Japan

Short-haul economy class flights on AA

Dynamic pricing for bonus travel isn’t always a bad thing. American Airlines short-haul flights can be good value at the lowest, starting at just 7,500 miles plus $5.60 for a Main Cabin seat. You may even find rooms available during peak summer days.

Check the mileage ratio to the cash price, as the days with the lowest available mileage often have low cash fares.

Mileage upgrade on American

In general, it is better to book the type of service you want in the first place when redeeming miles. However, there are many cases where you may not have enough mileage to exchange for a business class ticket. In these cases, you can buy a savings ticket with cash and upgrade your flight using miles or a combination of miles and cash.

First, understand that award and basic economy Tickets are not eligible for an upgrade. You must also fly on an AA-operated flight to upgrade with AAdvantage miles. Upgrades cost less miles if you buy a full-price ticket than if you buy a discounted ticket. Full details on the exact fare codes eligible for the upgrade and various costs can be found on American’s Upgrade with page miles.

The attraction in this ranking is the upgrade of discounted economy tickets to business class when traveling to Asia, Europe or South America. You can get from coach to flatbed in 25,000 miles plus $350 in each direction.

Given how expensive business class fares are in cash right now, it might be a wise investment to buy a cheap fare in the lower cabin and upgrade using miles.

Your upgrade will be subject to availability, which can be complicated. However, you can check your inventory of upgrades for your flight by logging in ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG’s parent company Red Ventures) and look for the “C” fare availability, which corresponds to a business class upgrade.

If you are hoping to book any of the above prizes, there are several ways to earn American Airlines miles.

You can only transfer AAdvantage miles from Bilt Rewards And Marriott Bonvoy to your AA account. Bilt points convert to AAdvantage miles at a 1:1 ratio, while Marriott points convert 3:1. Unfortunately, switching from Marriott to US no longer eligible for the 5,000 miles bonus for every 60,000 points you transfer.

Of course, you should have no trouble making money with these two programs. You can also open a American Airlines co-branded credit card and earn miles on your daily spend. In addition, you can earn attractive signup bonuses at the same time. Here’s a look at the current line of American Airlines cards:

Information about CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select and AAdvantage Aviator Red has been obtained independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.