American Airlines is now offering up to 55% bonus miles + discount, when you purchase AAdvantage miles. Until 16th February, you will be offered the following tier bonus:
To purchase these miles at the cheapest price, you need to buy at least 150,000 miles in order to purchase at the rate of 1.86 US cents/mile.
Things to Note Before You Purchase Miles
- AAdvantage accounts must be more than 29 days old
- A maximum of 150,000 miles can be purchased per calendar year in any one account
Should I Buy Miles Now?
| Period | US Cents Per Mile |
| Feb 2020 | 1.86 |
| Jan 2020 | 1.78 |
| Dec 2019 | 2.07 |
| Black Friday | 1.78 |
| Nov 2019 | 2.01 |
| Oct 2019 | 2.03 |
| Sept 2019 | 2.08 |
| Aug 2019 | 1.84 |
| July 2019 | 1.72 |
| June 2019 | 1.72 |
| May 2019 | 1.72 |
| March to April 2019 | 1.92 |
| Feb 2019 | 1.72 |
| Jan 2019 | 1.72 |
The rate offered right now is currently on the higher end. Nevertheless, at 1.86 US cent per mile, you can still gain substantial savings if you use miles instead of cash to purchase First/Business Class tickets. Here are some great use of Aadvantage miles:
| Route (One Way) | Cabin Class | Airlines | If Redeem With Miles (1.86 US cent/mile) | If Purchase With Cash |
| US – Asia | Business Class | Cathay Pacific | 70k miles ($1,302) | $3,065 |
| US – Middle East | Business Class | Qatar Airways | 70k miles ($1,302) | $2,604 |
| Middle East – Asia | Business Class | Qatar Airways | 42.5k miles ($790) | $1,796 |
| Europe – Middle East | First Class | Etihad | 50k miles ($930) | $3,123 |
To find out other redemption opportunities, you may wish to check out the American Airlines redemption charts for Oneworld and partner airlines here. If you prefer to fly with American Airlines, you can click here for their redemption chart.
Conclusion
At 1.86 US cent per mile, you can secure cheap First/Business Class tickets, especially when compared to the conventional way of booking a revenue ticket directly. Before you purchase any miles, do play around with American Airline‘s award booking system to check your seat availability.
Do note that it will be American Airlines that will be processing this transaction. It is advisable to use a credit card that gives you good miles for airfare purchases.