American Airlines AAdvantage removes earning, converting partnership with 3 hotel chains
If you're an American Airlines flyer who frequently converts hotel points to AA miles or earns miles from stays, I have some bad news for you.
Starting April 1, 2020, American AAdvantage members will no longer be able to earn AAdvantage miles on stays or convert hotel points to AAdvantage miles with Hilton, Best Western or Choice Hotels. The last day to convert points to American miles will be March 31, 2020.
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Previously, if you transferred 10,000 Hilton Honors points (worth $60, according to TPG valuations), you'd get 1,500 AAdvantage miles, worth just $21 based on our valuation of 1.4 cents each. Transferring 5,000 Choice Privileges points would get you 1,000 AAdvantage miles, and you could transfer Best Western points to American at a 5:1 ratio.
Related: Maximizing redemptions with American Airlines AAdvantage
If you like to earn AAdvantage miles through other American partners including Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt, you'll be glad to know that those partnerships are still intact and you can still earn and convert miles through those hotels.
With Marriott, you can earn two miles for every dollar spent at select properties, including JW Marriott, and one mile per dollar at other properties including Residence Inn. You'll earn 500 miles each stay at a Hyatt property. Currently, World of Hyatt points transfer to American at a ratio of 2:1 while Marriott Bonvoy points transfer a ratio of 3:1. Note that for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points converted within the same transaction, you'll earn an additional 5,000 AAdvantage miles.
Related: Choosing the best credit card for American Airlines flyers
While the most well-known hotel-to-airline transfer program is Marriott Bonvoy, a number of airlines have partnerships with hotel loyalty programs that let you transfer hotel points into airline miles. It's rarely a good value, but it can be useful for cleaning out hotel points that you can’t use or topping off an airline account if you’re just shy of a great redemption.
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 3X | Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets |
| 3X | Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels |
| 1X | Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Citi Premier’s 3 points per dollar spent across a wide range of popular categories is one of the more lucrative offerings in the world of points and miles. The Citi Premier comes with a $95 annual fee and is currently offering a solid sign up bonus of 80,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months. It also has some valuable transfer partners to make the most of your rewards. Add in access to Citi Entertainment plus a $100 hotel credit for any single-stay hotel booking that exceeds $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, booked through the Citi travel website, there are few reasons why the Citi Premier should not be in every traveler’s wallet.Pros
- Earns 3x points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels.
- $100 annual hotel savings benefit (on single hotel stay bookings of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, booked through thankyou.com)
- Points transfer to 16 airline programs, from JetBlue to Virgin Atlantic.
- World Elite Mastercard benefits, extended warranty, damage and theft protection.
Cons
- $95 annual fee
- Lacks travel protections that other travel rewards cards come with
- For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
- 80,000 Points are redeemable for $800 in gift cards when redeemed at thankyou.com
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Rewards Rate
| 3X | Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets |
| 3X | Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels |
| 1X | Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases |
Intro Offer
For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account openingEarn 80,000 ThankYou® points60,000 pointsAnnual Fee
$95Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Excellent, Good
Why We Chose It
The Citi Premier’s 3 points per dollar spent across a wide range of popular categories is one of the more lucrative offerings in the world of points and miles. The Citi Premier comes with a $95 annual fee and is currently offering a solid sign up bonus of 80,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months. It also has some valuable transfer partners to make the most of your rewards. Add in access to Citi Entertainment plus a $100 hotel credit for any single-stay hotel booking that exceeds $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, booked through the Citi travel website, there are few reasons why the Citi Premier should not be in every traveler’s wallet.Pros
- Earns 3x points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels.
- $100 annual hotel savings benefit (on single hotel stay bookings of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, booked through thankyou.com)
- Points transfer to 16 airline programs, from JetBlue to Virgin Atlantic.
- World Elite Mastercard benefits, extended warranty, damage and theft protection.
Cons
- $95 annual fee
- Lacks travel protections that other travel rewards cards come with
- For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
- 80,000 Points are redeemable for $800 in gift cards when redeemed at thankyou.com
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases