American Airlines has rolled out a new way to redeem AAdvantage miles, which should prove useful for many, especially for those who only collect miles casually. While this rolled out on mainline flights as of this spring, this has now been expanded to regional jets, so let’s cover all the details.
Purchase buy on board items with AAdvantage miles
American AAdvantage now lets members redeem their miles to purchase drinks and snacks on all eligible flights. The process is simple — members just need to share their boarding pass with a flight attendant, who will scan the pass and pull from the AAdvantage account mileage balance. So it sounds like a pretty seamless process.
Each AAdvantage mile is worth one cent toward a purchase, and items for purchase range in cost from 500 miles to 1,600 miles. As a reminder, American charges $9-10 for beer, $10 for spirits, and $10-11 for wine. Snacks range in cost from $5-16.
Alcoholic beverages are available for purchase on flights of over 250 miles, while snacks are available for purchase on flights of over 1,100 miles. The ability to pay with miles now works on both American mainline flights and American Eagle regional jet flights.
This is a nice development, and it follows American recently improving its buy on board food and drink selection. However, the airline still has a way to go to catch up with carriers like Alaska and United.
Is redeeming AAdvantage miles onboard worth it?
Personally, I value AAdvantage miles at 1.5 cents each, while this redemption opportunity only offers 1.0 cents of value per mile. Therefore this isn’t how I’d want to redeem my AAdvantage miles.
That being said, I think this is actually a pretty compelling redemption opportunity for many. Keep in mind that most people only earn miles casually, and might fly an airline once or twice per year.
If you’re not otherwise engaged in a loyalty program, and aren’t using an American co-branded credit card for your spending, then being able to get a free drink or snack is a nice way to get some value out of your miles, and it also provides instant gratification. It’s certainly better than letting miles expire.
Put another way, AAdvantage members earn a minimum of 5x miles per dollar spent. So if you spend $200 on a ticket you’ll earn 1,000 miles, and that’s enough for a free drink on your next flight. That’s better than nothing, I’d say!
Bottom line
American AAdvantage now lets members redeem their miles for onboard food and beverage purchases, at the rate of one cent per mile. With buy on board options costing $5-16, that means you can expect to pay 500-1,600 AAdvantage miles for items.
While this isn’t how I’d choose to redeem my miles, it’s a useful opportunity for those who casually collect AAdvantage miles, and who wouldn’t otherwise earn a meaningful number of rewards. Now if only American would actually improve its selection of buy on board items…
What do you make of redeeming AAdvantage miles for buy on board items?
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