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American Airlines' Website Now Lets You Book Iberia Awards

June 12, 2017
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3 min read
Iberia A340-600 remote stand stairs Madrid
American Airlines' Website Now Lets You Book Iberia Awards
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Last week, we noticed an interesting development on American Airlines' website. For the first time, Iberia award flights started showing up on certain routes. Sure enough, on AA's partner airline website, there was a new banner "You can now redeem AAdvantage® miles on aa.com for award travel on Iberia."

The problem was that only intra-Europe flights were showing up in searches. Even Iberia flights that had award availability showing on ExpertFlyer, British Airways' website and Iberia's website weren't appearing on AA.com. We reached out to AA to see if AA.com bookings were only limited to intra-Europe flights. Thankfully, that's not the case.

Iberia's transatlantic flights are now bookable on AA's website.

Now, it seems that AA.com is operational for Iberia award bookings. However, there's a catch: You can't use the homepage search tool; you must use the advanced search tool. For example, here's the difference in results between the homepage search tool and the advanced search tool for the search of Los Angeles (LAX) to Barcelona (BCN) on July 27:

Before this change, Iberia award bookings were available by calling AA and booking over the phone. But, it wasn't as easy for the general AAdvantage member to find these awards. You'd have to use British Airways' website or subscribe to ExpertFlyer to see award availability — or just hope that the dates you wanted were available when you called.

So, the addition of Iberia awards to AA.com is certainly an improvement for the AAdvantage program. Most transatlantic options you find on AA's website are still on British Airways — complete with massive fuel surcharges — thanks to American Airlines' AAtrocious AAward AAvailability. But now you'll periodically see Finnair and Iberia options. For some dates and routes, Iberia's award availability is all that you'll find for crossing the Atlantic:

Without the Iberia award availability, this search wouldn't have any MileSAAver-level results.

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Unfortunately, American Airlines still hasn't added premium economy awards to its award chart. So, you can't book Iberia's solid premium economy product with AAdvantage miles. However, you can book Iberia economy or business awards.

In addition to Iberia flights, you can also redeem AAdvantage miles for LEVEL flights. However, considering the low cost of LEVEL revenue flights and the taxes/fees running about $95 one-way on awards, it's probably going to be better to book LEVEL flights outright. And now, you'll even earn some AAdvantage miles from these flights.

Are you planing to redeem AAdvantage miles for Iberia flights?

Featured image by JT Genter

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  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    Excellent to Good

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. (Partner offer)

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.