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American Airlines recently launched a new award discount program called Economy Web Specials. It initially launched on just six unremarkable routes. But Friday, we're seeing a massive expansion of this discount award program — including award discounts to Hawaii. Award flights start at just 5,000 miles each way.
At current TPG valuations, 5,000 AAdvantage miles are worth approximately $70. Adding in taxes and fees of $5.60 each way, this is like getting a $76 one-way — or $151 round-trip — deal. Even better, there's no basic economy restrictions on these tickets. That means American Airlines Executive Platinum elites can also score free upgrades on these award tickets.
If you’re short on miles, remember that you can transfer Marriott points to American Airlines AAdvantage at a 3:1 rate. If you transfer 60,000 Marriott points, you'll receive 5,000 bonus miles — meaning you'll end up with a total of 25,000 AA miles for the 60,000-point transfer.
Head to AA.com and search around for the route of your choice to see how it’s pricing. This is an open-ended deal, so there's no particular booking deadline for these deals.
Airline: American Airlines
Routes: Flights between US cities — including at least AUS, BOS, BWI, DFW, FLL, GSO, HNL, LAS, LAX, MCO, MSY, PDX, PHX and PIT
Cost: 5,000+ AA miles one-way in economy
Dates: Starting January 8, 2019
Booking Link: Directly with American Airlines
Pay Taxes/Fees With: Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Premier® Card, Citi Prestige (3x on airfare plus excellent trip-delay insurance) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
Here are a few examples of what you can book:
Austin (AUS) to Los Angeles (LAX) for 10,000 miles + $11 round-trip nonstop:
Phoenix (PHX) to Las Vegas (LAS) for 10,000 miles + $11 round-trip nonstop:
Boston (BOS) to Greensboro (GSO) for 10,000 miles + $11 round-trip:
Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) for 10,000 miles + $11 round-trip nonstop:
Baltimore (BWI) to Orlando (MCO) for 10,000 miles + $11 round-trip:
Orlando (MCO) to Pittsburgh (PIT) for 10,000 miles + $11 round-trip:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL) for 20,000 miles + $11 round-trip:
Maximize Your Purchase
Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases to pay the taxes and fees, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Premier, Citi Prestige (3x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
