Buy AAdvantage Miles with 115000 Bonus Miles: Worth It After Devaluation?

You can buy AAdvantage miles for 1.8 cents each through April 28, but is it worth it after the 2016 AAdvantage Award Chart Devaluation? 

Here are the tiers:

• Buy 6000-9000 AAdvantage miles: 1500 bonus miles
• Buy 10,000-19,000 AAdvantage miles: 3500 bonus miles
• Buy 20,000-29,000 AAdvantage miles: 7500 bonus miles
• Buy 30,000-39,000 AAdvantage miles: 15,000 bonus miles
• Buy 40,000-54,000 AAdvantage miles: 22,500 bonus miles
• Buy 55,000-69,000 AAdvantage miles: 30,000 bonus miles
• Buy 70,000-84,000 AAdvantage miles: 40,000 bonus miles
• Buy 85,000-99,000 AAdvantage miles: 50,000 bonus miles
• Buy 100,000-124,000 AAdvantage miles: 60,000 bonus miles
• Buy 125,000-149,000 AAdvantage miles: 75,000 bonus miles
• Buy 150,000 AAdvantage miles: 115,000 bonus miles 

Since there is a $30 fixed price processing fee plus 7.5% in excise taxes, you're looking at $4787 for 265,000 AAdvantage miles, a cost of 1.8 cents per mile.

Another good option for acquiring 50,000 AAdvantage miles is the Citi Business AAdvantage card, although terms state that you're not eligible if you've had the card before; you may be able to receive the bonus again, but it's not guaranteed.

Even with the brutal AAdvantage award chart devaluation, there are some awards that still represent good value relative to competitors, so AAdvantage miles can still be useful depending on your travel goals.

Top 5 AAdvantage Awards Post-Devaluation

1. JAL First Class Tokyo to Sydney: 60,000 AAdvantage Miles

It's almost impossibe to get first class awards from the U.S. nonstop to Australia, so if wanting to fly first class with miles and points, it often makes sense to go via Asia. That makes this JAL First Class award from Tokyo to Sydney especially valuable, plus it gives you time in Japan as you'll be booking two awards anyway (and AAdvantage doesn't permit any stopovers greater than 24 hours on a single award in any case).

JAL offers a great first class product, and I find it the most comfortable first class bed, along with Singapore Suites on the A380, thanks to the thick mattress pad. The Japanese cuisine is excellent, but so are the Western options.

2. JAL First Class U.S. to Tokyo: 80,000 AAdvantage Miles

While this award has increased from the previous 62,500 miles price, it's still good value compared with the cost of United MileagePlus, Aeroplan, KrisFlyer etc. awards from the U.S. to Japan. 

3. Cathay Pacific First Class Europe to Hong Kong: 90,000 AAdvantage Miles

Cathay Pacific First Class is a great product, with just 6 first class seats, but incredibly difficult to find space for two passengers from the U.S. to Hong Kong, until a few days prior to departure. There are however sometimes two seats on European routes to Hong Kong, so even the higher award rate of 90,000 miles per person each way can be worth it as a nice treat if flying from Europe to Asia.

4. Qantas A380 First Class London to Sydney or Melbourne via Dubai: 115,000 AAdvantage Miles

While my husband didn't have a great experience on his Qantas A380 First Class flight from Sydney to Los Angeles LAX, my son and I have had stellar experiences in Qantas A380 First Class London to Dubai, and also a very good, though not great experience Dubai to Melbourne. You also have access to the Emirates First Class Lounge in Dubai. So if based in Europe or visiting Europe before Australia, I do recommend this award. Note that Etihad A380 First Apartment award space has become very difficult on the Abu Dhabi to Sydney segment, but if you can find award space all the way from London via Abu Dhabi to Australia, I'd recommend this above Qantas First Class, for the additional privacy, shower and Etihad Chauffeur service.

5. Air Berlin Business Class to Europe: 57,500 AAdvantage Miles

Air Berlin Business Class isn't aspirational, but it's a pretty solid business class product to Europe and best of all, there are no fuel surcharges on Air Berlin flights, unlike British Airways flights.

Related Posts

JAL First Class Review

Best Seats in Cathay Pacific First Class?

Qantas First Class A380 Review