How to Redeem American Airlines Miles: Asia

Discovering how to redeem American Airlines miles to Asia was what really got me into the miles and points world. My first credit card was the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® card with the 50,000 AAdvantage miles sign-up bonus. I applied for that card as the first step towards getting the required 220,000 AAdvantage miles for a roundtrip to Asia for two people (this price was before the devaluation of last year). You can redeem American Airlines miles to Asia on American’s own metal that is searchable on aa.com but availability is rare. A better way of getting to Asia is on Japan Airlines or Cathay Pacific, both are OneWorld partners and offer a superior product. You can search Japan Airlines and Cathay Pacific availability on British Airways.

AAdvantage Awards to Asia – Pricing

American Airlines splits Asia into two categories Asia 1 and Asia 2.

Asia 1:

• Japan
• Korea

These prices are for travel on OneWorld partners. American Airlines offers Economy Off Peak prices on their own aircrafts.

Japan Off Peak Dates:
To Japan: Jan 1-Apr 30, July 1-Nov 30
From Japan: Jan 16-Apr 19, May 2-31, Sept 1-Dec 31

Korea Off Peak Dates:
To Korea: Jan 1-Apr 30, July 1-Nov 30
From Korea: Jan 16-May 31, Sept 1-Dec 31

Asia 2:

AAdvantage Awards to Asia – Searching for availability

• Go to British Airways and log in to your account
• Select “Book with Avios” from the drop down menu on the left

• Enter your “From” and “To” airports and desired date of departure and click search
• Always select “NO” when you’re asked for a stop over because this will show you only British Airways flights. Also, you can’t book a stop over with AAdvantage.

• You’ll see the available flights and the number of seats available in each cabin class.

• Don’t worry about the number of miles shown here. This is the number of British Airways Avios you’d need if you booked the flight with British Airways. However, in this case you’ll pay 60,000 AAdvantage miles for the flight you found with available seats.

• In order to book this flight with AAdvantage, you have to call (800) 882-8880.
• When you speak to an agent; give them the dates, route and cabin class you need to book. They should be able to see the same availability you see on British Airways website.
• You can use the same method to find flights on Japan Airlines or Cathay Pacific to Asia.

AAdvantage Awards to Asia Bottom Line:

Redeeming American Airlines miles to Asia can be very easy if you have little flexibility with your travel dates. The best way to find availability on Japan airlines or Cathay Pacific is to book either 11 months out or 3 days to 10 days before your date of travel. Trying to find availability especially for business or first class in between these durations can be very difficult.

In the meantime you can use my “Book Award Travel” form to get my help on your next award trip.

If you have any questions please comment below, tweet me @pointspointers or email me at pointspointers@gmail.com