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You can now redeem AAdvantage miles for concerts, sporting events — but is it worth it?

July 10, 2024
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4 min read
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You can now redeem AAdvantage miles for concerts, sporting events — but is it worth it?
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There's a new way to redeem your American Airlines miles, and it doesn't involve taking a flight.

As of Tuesday, the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier now offers American Airlines AAdvantage redemptions for concert, theater and sporting event tickets booked through the AAdvantage Events portal. Mileage redemptions can fully offset the cost of an event ticket or be combined with cash in 1,000-mile increments.

The new functionality is already live on the AAdvantage Events portal, but it's a bit tricky to find the redemption option.

After searching for tickets, you need to find your desired event and then proceed to the checkout page. (This portal is operated in partnership with Ticketmaster, so you should be able to see most standard and resale ticket options that Ticketmaster offers.) The search results will display how many miles you'd earn if you paid in cash, but you'll want to ignore that figure if you're planning to redeem miles.

If you wish to redeem miles, you'll need to enter your AAdvantage number on the contact information page.

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Once you get to the payment screen, you'll notice a new tab offering the "Redeem Miles" feature. From there, you can manually input how many miles you want to redeem to offset the ticket cost.

Note that nonverified resale tickets or tickets from affiliated sites linked to Ticketmaster are always grayed out and cannot be purchased through AAdvantage Events.

As for whether this redemption option makes sense, for most travelers, the answer will likely be no.

American told TPG that the redemption rates will be consistent across different events, but AAdvantage status members and American cobranded credit card members will see more favorable redemption rates.

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As an AAdvantage Executive Platinum member and cobranded credit card holder myself, I took a look at the redemption rates for some upcoming New York Yankees games.

The AAdvantage portal showed that all redemptions — whether they were done outright as a mix of cash and miles or as miles-only purchases — resulted in a 1 cent per mile rate.

Then, I repeated the same searches for my wife, who has no status or American credit cards, and her rates were 0.9 cents per mile.

Loyalty basics: Best ways to earn airline miles

TPG's July 2024 valuations peg American miles at 1.55 cents apiece. Given this valuation, most travelers will lose out by using miles for tickets. But, if you have a massive surplus of miles or are looking for a good use of a few thousand orphaned miles, this could be a great option.

After all, more choices are always better than fewer. (And American seemingly knows this because the carrier has been busy adding other nonflight redemptions, such as Wi-Fi packages, in recent months.)

As for me, I'm just holding out hope that the forthcoming Oneworld alliance mileage upgrade program will be a bit more valuable than this latest redemption option.

Related reading:

Featured image by ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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  • Intro Offer

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  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

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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. (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.