11 Times It's Better to Book American Award Flights Through British Airways
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American Airlines is the largest airline in the world by number of passengers carried. But even when it's the best way to get from airport A to B, don't automatically look to use your AAdvantage miles when you're booking an award flight. There are quite a few scenarios when it makes sense to book an AA award flight using British Airways' Avios, even after the London-based carrier's partner award chart changes that took effect May 30, 2019.
Don't have Avios? Well, you could mint some instantaneously if you have American Express Membership Rewards (1:1), Chase Ultimate Rewards points (1:1) or Marriott Rewards points (3:1 with a 5,000-Avios bonus for transferring 60,000 points). And with Amex running frequent transfer bonuses and Chase offering its first-even transfer bonus (30% extra Avios through June 16, 2019), now might be the perfect time to utilize one of the below awards.
Here's some scenarios where it can make sense to book an American Airlines award flight with British Airways Avios:
Before getting into this list, it's important to note that the below awards assume standard, MileSAAver award rates as opposed to American's relatively new Economy Web Special award option. You may find award rates below those listed in American's award chart, so you'll definitely want to compare the award options showing on AA's website. Make sure to check both award search engines -- as award results can vary based on how you search.
Nonstop, Domestic Flights Between 501 and 1,151 Miles
British Airways charges 7,500 Avios for a nonstop award flight within North America that covers up to 650 miles in distance or 9,000 Avios for one up to 1,151 miles. American Airlines, on the other hand, typically requires 12,500 miles for all domestic awards that cover more than 500 miles in distance. As a result, there's a sweet spot for the distance from 501 miles to 1,151 miles where you're likely better off redeeming Avios, especially during a transfer bonus.
| Flight Miles (domestic US, economy) | AA (standard domestic) | AA (reduced mileage awards) | British Airways Avios |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 500 | 7,500* | 6,500* | 7,500* |
| 501 - 650 | 12,500 | 8,750 | 7,500* |
| 651 - 1,151 | 12,500 | 8,750 | 9,000* |
*Requires nonstop award flight for this pricing
This price discrepancy is also true in the front cabin, with nonstop award flights up to 650 miles costing 15,000 Avios or 25,000 AAdvantage miles (the rate jumps to 16,500 Avios for flights between 651 and 1,151 miles). While short flights aren't generally worth paying double the economy rates to get first class, I've seen times where there's business saver award space at a lower AAdvantage mileage cost than the AAnytime economy awards.
| Flight Miles (domestic US or Canada, first class) | AA (standard domestic) | AA (reduced mileage awards) | British Airways Avios |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 500 | 15,000* | 14,000* | 15,000* |
| 501 - 650 | 25,000 | 21,250 | 15,000* |
| 651 - 1,151 | 25,000 | 21,250 | 16,500* |
*Requires nonstop award flight for this pricing
The difference grows when you're looking to book business class award flights with lie-flat seats. As of Jan. 16, 2019, American Airlines adds a 7,500-mile surcharge "if the award includes travel on an aircraft that offers lie-flat seats in the US and Canada." Meanwhile, British Airways still just prices the award flight based on the flight length and cabin:
| Flight Miles (domestic US, first class) | AA (standard domestic) | AA (reduced mileage awards) | British Airways Avios |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 500 | 15,000* | 14,000* | 15,000* |
| 501 - 650 | 32,500 | 28,750 | 15,000* |
| 651 - 1,151 | 32,500 | 28,750 | 16,500* |
*Requires nonstop award flight for this pricing
Nonstop to Canada Between 501 and 2,000 flight miles
As of January 16, AAdvantage merged Canada into the US award chart — slightly dropping award prices for both economy and business class. However, there are still times when it makes more sense to book with British Airways Avios than AAdvantage miles.
| Flight Miles (US-Canada, economy) | AAdvantage miles | British Airways Avios |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 500 | 7,500* | 7,500* |
| 501 - 650 | 12,500 | 7,500* |
| 651 - 1,151 | 12,500 | 9,000* |
| 1,152 - 2,000 | 12,500 | 11,000* |
*Requires nonstop award flight for this pricing
Examples of when it's cheaper to book with British Airways include:
- Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Montreal (YUL): 9,000 BA Avios vs. 12,500 AA miles
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Vancouver (YVR): 9,000 BA Avios vs. 12,500 AA miles
- Charlotte (CLT) to Toronto (YYZ): 7,500 BA Avios vs. 12,500 AA miles
- Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Vancouver (YVR): 11,000 BA Avios vs. 12,500 AA miles
- Phoenix (PHX) to Vancouver or Edmonton (YEG): 11,000 BA Avios vs. 12,500 AA miles
- Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Calgary (YYC), Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver: 11,000 BA Avios vs. 12,500 AA miles
The difference grows for first class awards. Since AA mostly flies regional aircraft to Canada, it's likely not worth splurging for a first class seat, but for sake of completeness, here's how it compares:
| Flight Miles (US-Canada, first class) | AAdvantage | British Airways Avios |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 500 | 15,000* | 15,000* |
| 501 - 650 | 25,000 | 15,000* |
| 651 - 1,151 | 25,000 | 16,500* |
| 1,152 - 2,000 | 25,000 | 22,000* |
*Requires nonstop award flight for this pricing
Examples of when it makes sense to book with Avios include:
- Chicago O'Hare (ORD) to Montreal (YUL): 16,500 BA Avios vs. 25,000 AA miles
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Vancouver (YVR): 16,500 BA Avios vs. 25,000 AA miles
- Charlotte (CLT) to Toronto (YYZ): 15,000 BA Avios vs. 25,000 AA miles
Nonstop Economy Flights to Hawaii
Another one of the sweet spots in the Avios vs. American Airlines battle is nonstop flights between the West Coast and Hawaii on either American Airlines- or Alaska-operated flights. Booking one-way, nonstop award flights under 3,000 miles in length through British Airways is going to cost just 13,000 Avios plus $5.60 in taxes/fees each way.
American Airlines' award chart prices flights between the US and Hawaii at 22,500 miles each way during peak dates or 20,000 miles each way during off-peak dates — the latter of which run now through Mar. 12, Aug. 11 - Nov. 18 and Nov. 24 - Dec. 10. While you may see Economy Web Specials for less than these amounts, they'll still likely be higher than the rates charged by British Airways. The above flight on Wednesday March 11, 2020 would set you back 17,500 AAdvantage miles.
Just be sure to check connecting flight options as well, as you may find cheaper awards with AA in that way.
Note that these prices apply to flights on both American and Alaska Airlines, so in either case, you're likely better off redeeming Avios for awards to Hawaii from multiple West Coast gateways. Remember too that the Avios pricing above only applies to nonstop flights, so if you start adding connections, you'll want to compare prices in each program before deciding which offers the best value.
Finally, flight deals between the West Coast and Hawaii have been excellent recently, so make sure to check how much airlines are charging for these flights before booking economy flights with any type of mileage currency.
Nonstop Business Class Flights to Hawaii
While there may or not be savings to be had in economy, you're definitely going to save a lot more by booking business class flights through Avios than AAdvantage. As of January 16, American Airlines increased business class award flights to Hawaii by up to 56%. However, British Airways' partner award rates increases were much milder.
First, let's consider domestic first class recliner seats from West Coast to Hawaii. For non-lie-flat options between the US mainland and Hawaii, award flights through the AAdvantage program cost a whopping 55,000 miles each way. Meanwhile, nonstop American flights between 2,001 and 3,000 flight miles (i.e. flights from Los Angeles and Phoenix to Hawaii) cost just 38,500 Avios each way.
The difference grows significantly if your flight to Hawaii utilizes a lie-flat international business class seat. As noted above, American's award chart says these awards are now subject to a 7,500-mile surcharge for booking a flight with lie-flat seats.
| Flight Miles (US to Hawaii, first class) | AA (recliner seat) | AA (lie-flat seat) | British Airways Avios |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,001 - 3,000 miles (LAX, PHX and most Alaska-operated flights) | 55,000 | 62,500 | 38,750* |
| 3,001 - 4,000 miles (DFW) | N/A^ | 62,500 | 62,000* |
*Requires nonstop award flight for this pricing
^No flights between Dallas/Fort Worth and Hawaii currently use standard recliner seats. All are on widebody aircraft with lie-flat seats.
The most drastic example of this difference is the daily A330 flight that AA is currently operating between Phoenix (PHX) and Honolulu (HNL). American Airlines requires 62,500 miles each way thanks to the aforementioned 7,500-mile surcharge:
Booking through British Airways is much cheaper at 38,750 Avios plus $5.60 in taxes each way:
Nonstop Flights to the Caribbean
Hawaii isn't the only beach getaway where it makes sense to use British Airways Avios rather than American Airlines miles. However, the big limitation again is that you're going to need to find nonstop award availability on American Airlines, so this is only relevant to flyers that live in an American Airlines hub. For those that do, the savings is pretty solid:
| Flight Miles (US to Caribbean) | AAdvantage (off-peak) | AAdvantage (standard) | Avios (economy) | AAdvantage (first class) | Avios (first class) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 650 | 12,500 | 15,000 | 7,500* | 25,000 | 15,000* |
| 651 - 1,151 | 12,500 | 15,000 | 9,000* | 25,000 | 16,500* |
| 1,152 - 2,000 | 12,500 | 15,000 | 11,000* | 25,000 | 22,000* |
*Requires nonstop award flight for this pricing
For travelers based in Miami (MIA), there are too many destinations to map within 1,151 miles. Booking these award flights through British Airways will cost at most 9,000 Aviois. If your flight covers 650 miles or less — like those to the Bahamas or Jamaica — you'd only need to redeem 7,500 Avios, half of what American would charge.
There are fewer options from Charlotte (CLT) to the Caribbean that fall within this distance band, but these options nearly maximize the 1,151-mile allowance:
For example, the 1,097-mile flight from Charlotte to Grand Cayman (GCM) typically costs 15,000 AAdvantage miles each way:
Or just 7,500 Avios plus $5.60:
Nonstop Flights to Mexico
As with the Caribbean, you can also save miles by booking nonstop award flights to Mexico using British Airways Avios instead of American Airlines AAdvantage:
| Flight Miles (US to Mexico) | AAdvantage (off-peak) | AAdvantage (standard) | Avios (economy) | AAdvantage (first class) | Avios (first class) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 650 | 12,500 | 15,000 | 7,500* | 25,000 | 15,000* |
| 651 - 1,151 | 12,500 | 15,000 | 9,000* | 25,000 | 16,500* |
| 1,152 - 2,000 | 12,500 | 15,000 | 11,000* | 25,000 | 22,000* |
*Requires nonstop award flight for this pricing
Examples include:
- Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Mexico City (MEX) or Cancun (CUN): 9,000 BA Avios vs. 15,000 AA miles
- Miami (MIA) to Cancun: 7,500 BA Avios vs. 15,000 AA miles
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Cabo San Lucas (SJD): 9,000 BA Avios vs. 15,000 AA miles
- Phoenix (PHX) to Cabo San Lucas, Guadalajara (GDL), Mazatlan (MZT) or Puerto Vallarta (PVR): 9,000 BA Avios vs. 15,000 AA miles
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Mexico City or Puerto Vallarta: 11,000 BA Avios vs. 15,000 AA miles
Nonstop Flights to Central America
Yet another time when it can make sense to book with British Airways Avios rather than AAdvantage miles is for flights to the "Central America" region on American Airlines' award chart. As these destinations are further south, there are fewer options than you'd find to the Caribbean and Mexico — in fact, I don't see any that fall under 650 miles in distance. That said, there are still some solid savings.
| Flight Miles (US to Central America) | AAdvantage (off-peak) | AAdvantage (standard) | Avios (economy) | AAdvantage (first class) | Avios (first class) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 651 - 1,151 | 12,500 | 15,000 | 9,000* | 25,000 | 16,500* |
| 1,152 - 2,000 | 12,500 | 15,000 | 11,000* | 25,000 | 22,000* |
*Requires nonstop award flight for this pricing
All of the 9,000-Avios options to Central America are going to be from Miami. Destinations that I can find for under 1,151 flight miles include:
Dallas-Fort Worth has none in the lower distance band but several Central American destinations that'll price at 11,000 Avios each way:
There are another three 11,000-Avios options from Charlotte — to San Jose and Liberia, Costa Rica plus Belize City, though saver award space is hard to find on these routes. American Airlines doesn't operate any sub-2,000 mile flights from Chicago, Philadelphia or Phoenix to Central America.
Nonstop Flights to Northern South America
The American Airlines award chart breaks South America into two regions. The "South America Region 1" includes Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Manaus, Brazil (MAO). Economy flights to these destinations are typically going to cost 20,000 AAdvantage miles each way. However, first class award prices match domestic US, Caribbean, Mexico and Central America at just 25,000 miles each way.
| Flight Miles (US to South America 1) | AAdvantage (off peak) | AAdvantage (standard) | Avios (economy) | AAdvantage (first class) | Avios (first class) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 651-1,151 | 17,500 | 20,000 | 9,000* | 25,000 | 16,500* |
| 1,152-2,000 | 17,500 | 20,000 | 11,000* | 25,000 | 22,000* |
| 2,001-3,000 | 17,500 | 20,000 | 13,000* | 25,000 | 26,000* |
*Requires nonstop award flight for this pricing
I'm only finding two options from the US to South America Region 1 that are under 1,151 miles:
- Miami (MIA) to Barranquilla, Colombia (BAQ)
- Miami (MIA) to Cartagena, Colombia (CTG)
These nonstop flights should price at 9,000 Avios, though strangely the BA search engine doesn't recognize these two airport codes any more.
For the same award flight, AAdvantage will typically charge at least 17,500 miles:
Certain one-stop award flights to Hawaii
While all of these options so far have focused on nonstop awards, there are actually some times it makes more sense to book one-stop awards through British Airways than American Airlines. One example of this is an award flight to Hawaii on American's peak dates. By combining a sub-651-mile flight (7,500 Avios) from your city to a West Coast Hawaii gateway with a 12,500-Avios flight to Hawaii, you'll pay a total of 20,000 Avios vs. 22,500 AA miles.
That's not a huge savings, but it's worth keeping in mind — especially when you can generate Avios easier than American Airlines miles. Just be sure to make sure you aren't inadvertently using more Avios when an American Economy Web Special is available.
Nonstop Flights to Japan in Economy
When booking with AAdvantage miles, flights from anywhere in the US to Japan cost 35,000 miles each way in economy or 60,000 miles one-way in business class. You can save 2,500 AA miles by booking an economy award during an off-peak date (US-Japan: Jan. 1 - Apr. 30, July 1 - Nov. 30; Japan-US: Jan. 16 - Apr. 19, May 2 - 31, Sep. 1 - Dec. 31).
However, there are quite a few times when you can fly from the US to Japan for fewer miles by booking award flights with Avios.
| Flight Miles (US to Japan) | AAdvantage (off-peak) | AAdvantage (standard AA or on JAL) | Avios (economy) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4,001 - 5,500 | 32,500 | 35,000 | 25,750* |
| 5,501 - 6,500 | 32,500 | 35,000 | 31,000* |
*Requires nonstop award flight for this pricing
When you also consider Japan Airlines flights, I'm seeing four routes requiring just 25,750 Avios that would otherwise cost 35,000 AA miles:
- Seattle (SEA) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) on Japan Airlines
- San Francisco (SFO) to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) on Japan Airlines
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) on American Airlines or JAL
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) on American Airlines
And there are at least four routes that you can book for 31,000 Avios vs. 35,000 AA miles:
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Osaka (KIX) on Japan Airlines
- Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) on American Airlines or JAL
- Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) on American Airlines or JAL
- San Diego (SAN) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) on Japan Airlines
Unfortunately, the business and first class awards aren't cheaper with Avios than AAdvantage miles. Flights between 4,001 and 5,500 miles in distance cost 77,250 Avios in business class (vs. 60,000 AA miles) and 103,000 Avios in first class (vs. 80,000 AA miles). As a result, if you're looking for premium class awards to Japan, booking through AAdvantage is your best bet.
Last-Minute Award Flights
Even when there might not be a mileage savings between booking with AA miles or BA Avios, there's another consideration on when it'll make sense to use Avios: booking a last-minute award ticket. If you don't have American elite status, you'll pay a $75 "close-in booking fee" every time you ticket an award within 21 days of departure. There's no such fee when you book American-operated award flights with British Airways Avios, saving you a significant amount on the out-of-pocket cost.
When Cheaper Isn't Better
Notice a region missing from the options above? If you're looking for award flights to Europe, you might think British Airways Avios would be the right choice — especially when looking at the award chart:
| Flight Miles (US to Europe) | AAdvantage (off-peak) | AAdvantage (standard AA or partners) | Avios (economy) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3,001 - 4,000 | 22,500 | 30,000 | 20,750* |
| 4,001 - 5,500 | 22,500 | 30,000 | 25,750* |
*Requires nonstop award flight for this pricing
However, cheaper mileage costs aren't always the better option, and this is a powerful example of that very phenomenon. British Airways is infamous for tacking on large amounts of fuel surcharges — so much so that the airline was sued and had to pay out a costly settlement. However, award travelers may not realize that BA also adds these fuel surcharges to partner awards across the Atlantic.
Let's take the example of the relatively new flight from Philadelphia (PHL) to Bologna, Italy (BLQ) on American Airlines. This award will cost 30,000 AAdvantage miles plus $5.60 of taxes during peak dates:
While British Airways only charges 25,750 Avios, it adds on nearly $200 of additional fees that American Airlines itself doesn't charge for the same flight.
US/Canada Comparison Charts
If you're considering your options for a domestic itinerary within the US or a US-Canada award flight, here's a cheat sheet of the different prices for booking awards in economy:
| Flight Miles | AA (standard) | AA (reduced mileage awards) | British Airways Avios |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 500 | 7,500* | 6,500* | 7,500* |
| 501 - 650 | 12,500 | 8,750 | 7,500* |
| 651 - 1,151 | 12,500 | 8,750 | 9,000* |
| 1,152 - 2,000 | 12,500 | 8,750 | 11,000* |
| 2,001 - 3,000 | 12,500 | 8,750 | 12,000* |
*Requires nonstop award flight for this pricing
And in domestic first class:
| Flight Miles | AA (standard domestic) | AA (reduced mileage awards) | British Airways Avios |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-500 | 15,000* | 14,000* | 15,000* |
| 501-651 | 25,000 | 21,250 | 15,000* |
| 651-1,151 | 25,000 | 21,250 | 16,500* |
| 1,152-2,000 | 25,000 | 21,250 | 22,000* |
| 2,001-3,000 | 25,000 | 21,250 | 38,750* |
*Requires nonstop award flight for this pricing
Generating Avios and Booking
Hopefully this article has helped you find at least one award that you want to book with British Airways Avios instead of American Airlines miles. But what if you don't have BA Avios? Well, there's plenty of ways of generating them.
The easiest way is to transfer American Express Membership Rewards (1:1), Chase Ultimate Rewards points (1:1) or Marriott points (3:1 with a 5,000 Avios bonus for transferring 60,000 points). This allows you to transfer points from cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or American Express® Gold Card directly to British Airways, and transfers from Chase and Amex typically process instantly. However, Marriott transfers may take some additional time.
Another way you can earn Avios directly is through the British Airways Visa Signature Card — which is currently offering new cardmembers 100,000 bonus Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Once you've got the miles in your account, here's a step-by-step guide on how to book flights with Avios.
A Warning for AA Elites and Cardholders
AA is really tightening down on a previously-unenforced rule preventing AA elites from using their benefits on AA award flights booked through partner mileage accounts. That means you won't get your benefits such as free checked baggage, priority boarding, priority seating or upgrades.
I've found from experience that BA's system is hard-coded to prevent you from being able to enter your AA number on these award flights. And, AAgents are instructed to not enter this number in your reservation. The AA social team has even started responding to elites to inform them of this rule:
That said, I've found carrying my physical American Airlines Executive Platinum card the day of travel helps get back some of these benefits. But, just know that AA considers using your hard-earned AAdvantage elite benefits for partner award flights is considered against the program rules. So, proceed with caution.
