American Airlines' Website Now Lets You Book Iberia Awards
Last week, we noticed an interesting development on American Airlines' website. For the first time, Iberia award flights started showing up on certain routes. Sure enough, on AA's partner airline website, there was a new banner "You can now redeem AAdvantage® miles on aa.com for award travel on Iberia."
The problem was that only intra-Europe flights were showing up in searches. Even Iberia flights that had award availability showing on ExpertFlyer, British Airways' website and Iberia's website weren't appearing on AA.com. We reached out to AA to see if AA.com bookings were only limited to intra-Europe flights. Thankfully, that's not the case.
Now, it seems that AA.com is operational for Iberia award bookings. However, there's a catch: You can't use the homepage search tool; you must use the advanced search tool. For example, here's the difference in results between the homepage search tool and the advanced search tool for the search of Los Angeles (LAX) to Barcelona (BCN) on July 27:
Before this change, Iberia award bookings were available by calling AA and booking over the phone. But, it wasn't as easy for the general AAdvantage member to find these awards. You'd have to use British Airways' website or subscribe to ExpertFlyer to see award availability — or just hope that the dates you wanted were available when you called.
So, the addition of Iberia awards to AA.com is certainly an improvement for the AAdvantage program. Most transatlantic options you find on AA's website are still on British Airways — complete with massive fuel surcharges — thanks to American Airlines' AAtrocious AAward AAvailability. But now you'll periodically see Finnair and Iberia options. For some dates and routes, Iberia's award availability is all that you'll find for crossing the Atlantic:
Without the Iberia award availability, this search wouldn't have any MileSAAver-level results.
Unfortunately, American Airlines still hasn't added premium economy awards to its award chart. So, you can't book Iberia's solid premium economy product with AAdvantage miles. However, you can book Iberia economy or business awards.
In addition to Iberia flights, you can also redeem AAdvantage miles for LEVEL flights. However, considering the low cost of LEVEL revenue flights and the taxes/fees running about $95 one-way on awards, it's probably going to be better to book LEVEL flights outright. And now, you'll even earn some AAdvantage miles from these flights.
Are you planing to redeem AAdvantage miles for Iberia flights?
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.