Hong Kong, Manila, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Abu Dhabi, Paris, Rio de Janeiro and Beijing. These are just a few of the places I’ve gone with my American Airlines AAdvantage miles in the past few years … and all in business or first class!
AAdvantage miles have taken me all around the world, and they can do the same for you.
Right now, there’s a highest-ever offer on one of my favorite ways to earn AA miles: Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard®. For a limited time, you can earn 125,000 bonus miles after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first five months from account opening.
Here are just a few of the incredible redemptions I’ve made, and how you can do the same with just the miles you can earn from the AAdvantage Executive World Legend’s (formerly the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®) current offer.
Tokyo on Japan Airlines: I’ve booked Japan Airlines multiple times in business class for just 60,000 AAdvantage miles and in first class for just 80,000 AA miles. It’s not the easiest award to find, but these tips can help.
Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific: It’s very hard to find, but I got lucky earlier this year when I was able to book Cathay Pacific in business class for just 70,000 AA miles on a recently resumed route from Seattle to Hong Kong.
Beijing to and from Tokyo on Japan Airlines: One of the best sweet spots for my AA miles is flying business class on partner airlines between countries outside the U.S. I was able to book Japan Airlines from Tokyo to Beijing and back using just 20,000 miles each way.
Tokyo to Manila on Japan Airlines: Similarly, I booked a business-class seat for an upcoming flight from Tokyo to Manila, Philippines, for just 30,000 miles each way. Not a bad redemption for a 4.5-hour flight!
Paris to Abu Dhabi in a private first-class suite: This definitely ranks as one of my best redemptions of the year: Dining on caviar, and donning Giorgio Armani pajamas after showering in the sky as I flew from Paris to Abu Dhabi in Etihad’s The Apartment.
I unlocked this using an incredible sweet spot — just 62,500 AA miles plus $158 in taxes and fees. Now, this was a case of me getting very lucky when American suddenly showed availability for this almost-always-out-of-reach redemption. But you might get lucky, too, and your welcome bonus on the AAdvantage Executive World Legend card would easily cover this flight.
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