American Airlines AAdvantage miles are a few of the hardest airline miles to earn. The airline program is only a transfer partner of 1 main transferable bank card issuer, Citi ThankYou Rewards.
Nevertheless, although American Airways will not be a direct switch companion of most issuers, particularly Chase Ultimate Rewards, this should not cease you from redeeming your hard-earned Chase factors for American flights.
Let’s dive into the assorted methods to fly on American steel utilizing Chase factors.
Switch Chase factors to airline companions to e-book American Airways flights
American is a part of the Oneworld alliance, and a number of Oneworld airways are transfer partners of Chase Ultimate Rewards. This implies you may switch Chase factors to one in every of these airways at a 1:1 ratio and use them to e-book American companion flights.
For example, this American Airways flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL) to Aruba’s Queen Beatrix Worldwide Airport (AUA) is bookable by British Airways with 30,000 Avios plus $16 in taxes and charges for financial system.
Or, you could possibly e-book this direct flight from Charlotte Douglas Worldwide Airport (CLT) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA), operated by American, by Qatar Airways for 25,750 Avios and $240 in taxes and charges.
There are 5 airline loyalty applications by which you’ll be able to e-book American flights with Chase factors: Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Club and Iberia Membership. Although Finnair Plus and Qatar Airways Privilege Club will not be direct Chase switch companions, you may simply transfer Avios between the five programs at a 1:1 ratio.
The entire above airways use Avios as their loyalty currency. Nevertheless, you might even see totally different award charges or availability on every airline’s website.
For example, the Charlotte-to-Frankfurt instance that I discovered on Qatar Airways can be obtainable by British Airways for 25,750 Avios and $233 in taxes and charges. The associated fee in Avios is identical, however the taxes and charges differ barely. The Atlanta-to-Aruba flight, however, is not obtainable on Qatar’s website. It is price checking every companion airline in case you discover higher costs or availability on one in every of them.
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Do not forget to test TPG’s record of current transfer bonuses earlier than you switch rewards. Chase sometimes runs promotions that help you earn bonus factors or miles while you switch, serving to you stretch your factors additional when transferring factors to book American flights.
Transferring your Chase factors to companions to e-book American flights might help you lower your expenses, nevertheless it might not be the greatest technique to maximize your factors. TPG values Final Rewards factors at 2.05 cents per level, per our July 2025 valuations, so that you need to shoot for the same worth when redeeming your factors. Ensure you evaluate the money charge of the American flight to the award worth.
Associated: How to decide when to use cash or miles for buying airline tickets
E book American Airways flights by the Chase Journey portal
One other route for reserving American flights with Chase factors is thru Chase Travel℠, the issuer’s journey reserving platform, the place you may redeem factors as a substitute of money to pay for journey.
If you cannot discover the American flight you are on the lookout for by a companion airline or the companion’s redemption charges aren’t a great worth, do this possibility as a substitute. Chase Journey gives all kinds of journey bookings, together with American Airlines flights. Nevertheless, American is not among the many choose airways eligible for Chase’s Points Boost (for now), that means you will not be capable to maximize the worth of your factors on American flights.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) and Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (see rates and fees) cardholders who utilized earlier than June 23, 2025, can redeem their factors at a flat charge of 1.5 cents apiece on American flights (on factors earned previous to Oct. 26, 2025, and redeemed till Oct. 26, 2027, then 1 cent thereafter). Equally, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees) cardholders who utilized earlier than June 23 can get a worth of 1.25 cents per level on American redemptions throughout the identical time-frame.
In the meantime, those that utilized after June 23 for any of the above playing cards will solely get 1 cent per level in worth when redeeming for American flights.
Relying on the flight, redeeming Chase factors by the portal might not be the most suitable choice. Let’s take a look at our earlier instance flight from Charlotte to Frankfurt. This flight prices $494 on Chase Journey or 39,520 factors with my Chase Sapphire Most popular since I can at present redeem them for 1.25 cents every. I would be higher off transferring 26,000 factors to British Airways Membership, then transferring these factors to Qatar Airways Privilege Membership and reserving the award flight for 25,750 Avios — saving myself almost 14,000 factors.
However this is not at all times the case. Generally, when award charges are excessive or companion airways have restricted availability, your greatest wager might be to redeem Chase factors by Chase Journey.
You possibly can typically get extra worth while you transfer Chase points to partners, however nonetheless, 1.25 or 1.5 cents per level is nothing to sneeze at. Sadly, this quantity will ultimately drop to 1 cent per level for all cardholders, on par with different issuers’ journey portals, like American Express Travel, Capital One Travel and Citi Travel.
Nevertheless, if Chase provides American Airways to its record of Factors Enhance-eligible airways, Chase Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Reserve for Enterprise cardholders may redeem their factors for as much as 2 cents every on American flights, whereas Chase Sapphire Most popular and Ink Enterprise Most popular cardholders may redeem for as much as 1.75 cents per level.
Associated: Why Chase’s Points Boost is an outstanding (kind of surprising) new way to book hotels on points
Backside line
Despite the fact that you may’t switch Chase factors straight to AAdvantage, there are a number of different avenues to e-book American Airways flights with Chase factors.
When you’re trying to earn extra Chase factors, the Chase Sapphire Reserve PID and the Sapphire Reserve for Business are improbable playing cards to contemplate. Proper now, new candidates who get permitted for the Chase Sapphire Reserve can earn 100,000 bonus factors plus a $500 Chase Journey credit score* after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening — the best offer we’ve seen on this card. With the Sapphire Reserve for Enterprise, you may earn 200,000 bonus factors after spending $30,000 within the first six months from account opening.
*The promotional credit score is legitimate for one-time use solely. When you apply it to a transaction lower than $500, you’ll forfeit the remaining steadiness.
Primarily based on the earlier instance, 100,000 factors are nearly sufficient to fly two individuals round-trip from Charlotte to Frankfurt on American Airways if you happen to switch your factors to British Airways Avios after which to Qatar Airways Avios.