The value of American Airlines AAdvantage miles will vary depending on how they redeemed. You will obtain the best value when redeeming them for award flights with American Airlines and their oneworld Alliance partners. Redeeming them for Admiral Club membership, hotel stays, car rentals, and other non-flight redemptions will give you lower value.
How much are AAdvantage miles worth?
Based on our valuations, AAdvantage Miles are worth about 1.4 cents each when redeemed for economy flights and up to 2 cents apiece when redeemed for First/Business class flights. This means that 10,000 AAdvantage miles can range anywhere between $140 to $200 in flight value with American Airlines and their airline partners.
Here's our breakdown for AAdvantage miles value:
| Redemption option | AAdvantage miles value (in cents) |
|---|---|
| First/Business Class flights | 2 |
| Economy flights | 1.4 |
| Admiral Club membership | 0.73 |
| Hotel stays | 0.64 |
| Car rentals | 0.6 |
How to calculate the value of AAdvantage miles
You can calculate the value of your AAdvantage miles by dividing the cost of your airfare by the amount of AAdvantage miles required to book it.
AAdvantage Miles Value = Cost of Airfare ÷ Miles Required To Book.
As an example, let's look at a flight between Washington D.C. and San Francisco for September 2024. A round-trip in Main Cabin would cost you around $409 if your paid cash.
When looking at the cost in miles, the same round-trip flights can be booked starting as low as 20,000 United miles plus $11.20 in fees. If you were to book one of these 20K-mile flights, you would get a whopping 1.9 cents in value per mile which far exceeds our average valuation.
And there's always a chance that the cheapest award redemption may not have the best flight times. There are plenty of other award options for the same flights ranging from 20,000 miles up to a (very terrible) 62,500 miles.
You should try to strive for at least a value of 1.4 cents per mile when redeeming them for standard flights.
Redeeming AAdvantage miles for the best value
American Airlines AAdvantage miles can be redeemed for award flights, seat upgrade, hotel stays, car rentals, vacation packages, lounge access, and much more. You'll get the best value of your miles when you use them to book flights with American Airlines and their airline partners.
Award flights
AAdvantage miles can be redeemed on aa.com for award flights with American Airlines, oneworld Alliance partners, and a select few other airline partners.
Redeeming AAdvantage miles for standard economy flights with American Airlines and their partners will give you an average of around 1.4 cents per mile. If you're looking for higher value, First and Business class flights can give you as much as 2 cents or more in value.
When searching for award travel on aa.com, all American Airlines and partner flights will be listed in the results together.
If you want to get the most out of your AAdvantage miles, there are many sweet spots in the AAdvantage program. This includes:
- U.S. to the Middle East in Qatar Qsuites: 70,000 miles one-way.
- U.S. to Japan in First Class on Japan Airlines: 80,000 miles one-way.
- U.S. to Europe in Economy: 60,000 miles round-trip and 45,000 miles round-trip during off-peak!
- U.S. to Europe in Business: 115,000 round-trip.
Admirals Club Membership
Redeeming your AAdvantage miles for Admirals Club Membership will give you a range of 0.64 cents to 0.8 cents in value per mile. AAdvantage Executive Platinum members will get the best value at about 0.8 cents per AAdvantage Mile, while basic members will only receive around 0.64 cents per mile.
If you want access to Admirals Club lounges, I highly suggest picking up the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® which grants complimentary membership for you and access for up to two guests or immediate family members traveling with you. The card's annual fee is $200 cheaper than paying for membership and you can a long list of additional benefits along with the ability to earn AAdvantage miles on your purchases.
Hotel Stays
AAdvantage miles can be used to book hotels which will give your miles a value of about 0.64 cents each. Hotels can cost where between 10,000 and 300,000 AAdvantage miles per night depending on the brand of the hotel.
Car Rentals
AAdvantage miles can be used to book rental cars with several major companies including Avis, Budget, and Hertz. On average, this will give your AAdvantage miles a value of 0.6 cents apiece.
The actual cost per day will vary but most of the standard compact and economy cars bottom out at around 6,500 to 8,500 AAdvantage miles per day. Some of the higher car type such as Premium and Luxury can cost as much as 68,000 AAdvantage miles per day.
Calculator: Convert AA miles to dollars
Use the American Airlines Miles Value Calculator to estimate how much your miles are worth when redeemed for flights, car rentals and more! This calculator will give you a fair estimate of your miles' value, so you can maximize the amount of rewards you get from them.
Calculate the value of AAdvantage miles
| Redemption | Estimated Value |
|---|---|
| First/Business Class Flights | $0+ |
| Economy Flights | $0 |
| Admiral Club Membership | $0 - $0 |
| Hotel Stays | $0 |
| Car Rentals | $0 |
Calculator: Use AA miles or pay cash?
Use our AAdvantage Miles or Cash Calculator to determine the cash value of a redemption based on the cost in cash versus the cost in AAdvantage Miles. This tool is useful when trying to decide whether to use cash or AA miles to book a flight.
Best credit cards for American Airlines
When it comes to earning AAdvantage miles via credit card spending, your best option will be a co-branded American Airlines credit card. You can also earn a solid amount of miles using Bilt Rewards.
American Airlines credit cards
American Airlines offers six credit cards—4 with Citi and 2 with Barclays—that allows you to earn AAdvantage miles directly on your everyday spending. They also offer a range of benefits including free checked bags, priority perks, and even lounge access.
Here are the credit cards that American Airlines offers:
| Credit Card | Highlights |
|---|---|
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
Best For Admirals Club Lounge Access
|
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American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®
Best For No Annual Fee
|
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Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
|
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CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®
|
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AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®
|
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AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard®
|
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Bilt Rewards
Bilt Rewards points can be converted into AAdvantage miles at a 1:1 ratio meaning that every 1,000 Bilt Rewards points you transfer to your AAdvantage account will give you 1,000 AAdvantage miles.
The best selling point of the Bilt Rewards program is that you can use the card to pay rent with no fee. This allows you to easily build up a massive amount of points on a purchase category that's typically avoided due to the high fees typically assoicated with doing such.
Bilt offers one credit card that you can use to earn Bilt Rewards points:
| Credit Card | Highlights |
|---|---|
Bilt Mastercard®
|
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FAQs
How much are American Airlines AAdvantage miles worth?
AAdvantage miles are worth about 1.4 cents each for Economy and as much as 2 cent each for First and Business Class flights.
What can you use AAdvantage Miles for?
AAdvantage miles can be used for flights, car rentals, hotels, Admirals Club membership, and seat upgrades.
Can you use AAdvantage miles to pay for Admiral Club Membership?
Yes. Redeeming miles for Admiral Club membership will give your points between 0.64 and 0.8 cents in value.
How much is 5,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles worth?
5,000 miles are worth about $70 on average for economy flights and about $100 towards First/Business Class flights.
How much is 10,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles worth?
10,000 miles are worth about $140 on average for economy flights and about $200 towards First/Business Class flights.
How much is 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles worth?
15,000 miles are worth about $210 on average for economy flights and about $300 towards First/Business Class flights.
How much is 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles worth?
50,000 miles are worth about $700 on average for economy flights and about $1,000 towards First/Business Class flights.
How much is 60,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles worth?
60,000 miles are worth about $840 on average for economy flights and about $1,200 towards First/Business Class flights.
How much is 75,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles worth?
75,000 miles are worth about $1,050 on average for economy flights and about $1,500 towards First/Business Class flights.
How much is 80,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles worth?
15,000 miles are worth about $1,120 on average for economy flights and about $1,600 towards First/Business Class flights.
What's the best use of American Airlines AAdvantage miles?
You'll get the best value of up to 2 cents each or more when redeeming miles for First and Business class flights with American Airlines and their airline partners.
