American Airlines moves Morocco to Europe award region
While airline alliances are generally rather set in stone, the Oneworld alliance has had an exciting six months. The action kicked off with Delta poaching LATAM out of Oneworld, and carried on into 2020 with Royal Air Maroc joining Oneworld and the announcement that Alaska Airlines would join too.
Royal Air Maroc represents a huge addition as it's the first African airline to join Oneworld, but because of its geographical position in North Africa, it also offers seamless connections to Europe and the Middle East. American Airlines seems to have read into this geography, and as reported by One Mile At a Time, AAdvantage has restructured its award chart to include Morocco in the Europe region.
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This is great for travelers based in North America who were looking to fly with Oneworld's newest airline to Morocco, as award prices from the U.S. to Europe are substantially cheaper than those from the U.S. to Africa. One-way AAdvantage awards from the U.S. to Europe cost the following amounts:
- Economy: 30,000 miles
- Business: 57,500 miles
While one-way awards to Africa cost the following amounts:
- Economy: 40,000 miles
- Business: 75,000 miles
Related: Maximizing redemptions with American Airlines AAdvantage
This represents a savings of roughly 25% whether you choose to fly in economy or business, but it also means you can fly from the U.S. to Morocco and connect on to other European destinations for the same price. In fact, one of the best opportunities that this change opens up is the ability to fly from the U.S. to Europe via Casablanca (CMN) and avoid the hefty fuel surcharges that normally come from crossing the Atlantic on Oneworld carrier British Airways.
Of course, if you planned on using Morocco as a jumping-off point to visit the rest of Africa, this will make those awards more expensive. Flying from the U.S. to Africa via Morocco will price out as a more expensive award to Africa, while one-way awards from Morocco to the rest of Africa will now cost 30,000 miles in economy or 55,000 miles in business class, meaning you could end up paying as much for a two-hour regional flight from Casablanca as you would for the entire transatlantic leg from the U.S. to Morocco.
Royal Air Maroc normally operates nonstop flights from its hub in Casablanca to Boston (BOS), New York-JFK, Washington Dulles (IAD) and Miami (MIA) — though these frequencies have been suspended in light of the coronavirus outbreak. All U.S. routes are operated by Boeing 787 aircraft, though the hard product on the 787-9 is much better than the 787-8 so you'll want to check your seat map accordingly (and look for 1-2-1 seating not 2-2-2).
Related: To Morocco, in style: A review of Royal Air Maroc’s 787-9 in business from NYC to Casablanca
While Morocco is most certainly not part of the European continent, this decision makes sense (in addition to being a plus for U.S.-based travelers). The flight from JFK to Casablanca is only 150 miles longer than the flight from JFK to London Heathrow (LHR), and much shorter than most nonstop flights between the U.S. to central/southern Africa.
Related: The best ways to get to Europe with points and miles
Bottom line
Royal Air Maroc joining Oneworld was a positive development on its own, but American Airline's decision to reshuffle its award chart, and in the process knock 25% off the cost of these awards only further sweetens this deal. Whether Morocco is your final destination or you plan on using this as a unique and cheap way to route to Europe, this is something worth keeping on your radar moving forward.
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There's a lot to love about the Amex Gold card. It's been a fan favorite during the pandemic because of its fantastic rewards rate on restaurants (that includes takeout and delivery in the U.S.!) and U.S. supermarkets. If you're hitting the skies soon, you'll also earn bonus points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders) and up to $120 in annual dining statement credits at eligible partners, there's no reason that the foodie shouldn't add this card to their wallet. Enrollment required.Pros
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- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
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Rewards Rate
4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. |
4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). |
3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. |
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Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.60,000 bonus pointsAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
There's a lot to love about the Amex Gold card. It's been a fan favorite during the pandemic because of its fantastic rewards rate on restaurants (that includes takeout and delivery in the U.S.!) and U.S. supermarkets. If you're hitting the skies soon, you'll also earn bonus points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders) and up to $120 in annual dining statement credits at eligible partners, there's no reason that the foodie shouldn't add this card to their wallet. Enrollment required.Pros
- 4x on dining at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1x)
- 3x on flights booked directly with the airline or with Amex Travel
- Welcome bonus of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first six months
Cons
- Weak on travel outside of flights and everyday spending bonus categories
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber/food credits
- Few travel perks and protections
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and 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, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
- Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $250.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees