American Airlines cash and miles bookings are coming soon. In the coming weeks, AAdvantage members will be able to combine cash and miles when booking flights on American's website and app, the airline announced on Friday.
Members of AAdvantage, American's frequent flyer program, will see a slider at checkout. It lets you choose how many miles to put toward a ticket, and using more miles brings a bigger discount.
How It Works
The feature is useful when you don't have enough miles for a full award ticket but want to bring down the price. American's website says it will start with flights within the lower 48 states, with more routes to come.
American is catching up here. United and Delta already let travelers mix cash and miles.
Is It a Good Deal?
That depends on how much each mile is worth to you. With most U.S. airlines, cash and miles works like a regular ticket with a discount, and the rate you get for your miles is often modest.
Cash and Miles
How to Tell If It's Worth It
Example: United, Newark to Paris, one way in early November, as reported by CNBC.
Contrail
CNBC found a United example that shows the math. A one-way ticket from Newark to Paris in early November cost $428.50 in cash or $369 plus 6,000 miles, which means those 6,000 miles saved about $59.50, or roughly 1 cent each.
Full award tickets, especially in premium cabins, can often stretch miles further. It's worth comparing both options before you move the slider.
When to Use It
Cash and miles makes the most sense when you have a small balance sitting unused, or when you'd rather save some money now than wait for a bigger redemption.
A quick check helps: divide the dollars you'd save by the number of miles you'd use. If the result is around 1 cent per mile or lower, you might be better off saving your miles for a bigger trip.
