You can now purchase seats with miles on every American Airlines flight
American Airlines is busy using the downtime due to the coronavirus pandemic to make adjustments to boarding times, award change and redeposit fees, elite status and more.
One new feature that the Fort Worth-based carrier launched in May was the ability to redeem miles for seat assignments. At the time, the functionality was limited to routes departing from select cities.
Well, AA was clearly pleased with the results of the pilot. As of July 28, 2020, American is expanding the functionality to every flight.
According to American,
Effective July 28, AAdvantage members now have the ability to redeem miles for seat selection on aa.com for existing reservations in Basic Economy or Main Cabin. We received a positive response from members who participated in our test cities and we're proud to give members more opportunity to leverage the value of the program.
American confirmed that the feature is available on all existing reservations with a U.S. point of sale (including international flights.)
When purchasing a standard coach ticket, there's a limited selection of seats available free of charge. The rest are reserved as Preferred or extra legroom Main Cabin Extra seats. Unless you have AAdvantage elite status that includes complimentary access to these seats, you're going to need to pay for them.
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The cost varies by length of flight, location within the aircraft and other factors, but the splurge could be worth it if you're looking for some added comfort without paying for first class.
And now, with the ability to purchase seats with miles, you'll be able to save cash when upgrading to these seats. However, it isn't necessarily a great value.
I took a look at an upcoming flight from Denver (DEN) to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and found that the airline is valuing miles at roughly 1.1 cents each towards a seat assignment. (During the pilot period, AA was charging 1 cent each toward a seat assignment.)
TPG values AAdvantage miles at 1.4 cents each, so this redemption is hardly rewarding. Personally, I'd much prefer saving my AA miles for more aspirational redemptions down the line.
Related: Maximizing redemptions with American Airlines AAdvantage
Earn up to 90,000 miles with our top American Airlines cards
Whether you’re an avid or occasional American Airlines flyer, it can be a good idea to strategize about having a credit card that makes flying cheaper, easier, or more rewarding.This could represent a good use of miles if you've got a few orphaned in your account that you can't otherwise use. It's also possible that AA sweetens the redemption value later on, but for now, it appears pegged at 1 cent per mile.
The ability to purchase seats with miles isn't available while purchasing your flight. You can only access the feature when managing an existing reservation through the website (the app doesn't support this new feature). Additionally, you can't use a mixture of cash and miles — it's one or the other.
One nifty feature is that you don't have to use miles from the AAdvantage account of the ticketed traveler. I was able to login to my account and redeem my miles for seats on my friend's flight.
Related: A beginner's guide to choosing seats on American Airlines
It'll be interesting to see if it's expanded to other buy-ups like day-of-departure upgrades or excess baggage fees.
Of the major U.S. carriers, Delta's the best at letting you use your miles for such charges. The Atlanta-based carrier has long offered the Pay with Miles feature for airfare for those with a cobranded Delta credit card, as well as the ability to use miles for a range of ancillary charges, including premium cocktails in the SkyClub.
As travel begins to slowly rebound, adding more options for redeeming miles is certainly a welcome development. Though the value proposition isn't great, it could make sense for those with just a few miles in their account.
Along with the changes to the award fee structure, this feature points to the fact that AA's beginning to think of its miles as a dynamic currency pegged at a certain valuation. In my mind, it's only a matter of time before we see AA remove its award charts.
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| 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. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits.Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
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 $6,000 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.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.