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Deal alert: American Airlines award flights around the country just dropped to 5,000 miles one-way

Katherine Fan
Articles
Katherine Fan is a former senior travel features reporter at The Points Guy who covered everything from personal finance to travel and aviation.
March 06, 2020
•
4 min read
LaGuardia Airport
Deal alert: American Airlines award flights around the country just dropped to 5,000 miles one-way
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American Airlines's "web special" prices for award flights in premium economy, business class and first class can be hit or miss. But it can really pay off to have a stash of AAdvantage miles for those times when dynamic awards pricing gets good.

Now is one of those times. As first reported by View from the Wing, AA Economy Web Specials have been widely discounted across the United States, down to just 5,000 miles one-way in many cases. Better yet, you'll find these low rates on hundreds of routes, including from many small and mid-size cities.

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These web specials come with some minor restrictions. First, you'll need to book and ticket these awards online; they can't be booked over the phone with an agent. Also, you won't be able to change these flights. However, you can cancel the award and pay a reinstatement fee of $150 for the first ticket and $25 per additional ticket. These fees are waived for Executive Platinum elites, even for web special awards.

The good news is that these awards don’t have American Airlines basic economy limitations, so you'll be able to select a seat.

Airline: American Airlines
Routes: between AUS/PB I/DEN/EYW/MRY/PWM/LAX/PHX/JFK/IAH/ATL/BOS/ORD/IAD/MIA and many more
Cost: from 5,000 AAdvantage miles + $5.60 taxes and fees one-way
Dates: select dates, March through September 2020
Pay Taxes and Fees With: Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on airfare) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel) for travel protections on the award flight

There are literally hundreds of routes on sale, including a handful to London and Paris. But here are just a few examples of what you can book.

Austin (AUS) to Portland, Maine (PWM) for 5,000 AA miles + $5.60 one-way:

Denver (DEN) to Key West (EYW) for 5,000 AA miles + $5.60 one-way:

(PBI) to Carmel/Monterey, California (MRY) for 5,000 AA miles + $5.60 one-way:

Boise (BOI) to Washington, D.C. (DCA) for 5,000 AA miles + $5.60 one-way:

Remember, these are just examples. You can plug in your own dates by going to this award map and inputting the date of departure and destination.

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Boosting your AAdvantage balance

There are a variety of ways to earn American miles — from AA-operated flights to trips on Oneworld airlines to various non-travel partners. However, one of the best ways to boost your American Airlines AAdvantage balance to score a few free trips is by adding one of these cards to your arsenal:

  • Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®: 50,000 miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. Plus Admirals Club access for yourself and up to 10 authorized users
  • CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®: 65,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first four months of account opening.
  • American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card: 10,000 miles and a $50 statement credit after you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening — with no annual fee

The information for the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: Maximizing redemptions with American Airlines AAdvantage

Featured image by Getty Images
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.