American Airlines is one of the few major U.S. airlines that doesn’t partner with any major transferable credit card point programs. No Chase, no Amex, no Capital One, no Bilt, nothing.

But just because you can’t transfer your points directly to AA doesn’t mean you can’t still use your points to fly on American Airlines flights.

In this week’s episode of Book Here, Not There, I show you how to book an American Airlines flight from LAX to D.C. using your credit card points—without touching a single AA mile.

The Problem:

American Airlines miles are hard to earn unless you’re flying them a ton or using their co-branded cards (which usually have weaker welcome bonuses).

The Solution:

Use OneWorld partner airlines to book American flights with your transferable points.

American is part of the OneWorld Alliance, and that means you can book their flights through programs like:

• British Airways Avios (TrChase, Amex, Capital One, Citi, Bilt)
• Qatar Airways Avios (Amex, Citi, Bilt)

Example Flight

LAX → DCA on AA Flight 591

Booking Options:

American Airlines: 15,000 AA miles (best price, but hard to earn)

British Airways Avios: 20,000 Avios (easy to earn, but more expensive)

Qatar Airways Avios: 16,000 Avios (almost as cheap as AA, and better than BA)

↗️ Maximizing tip: You can transfer British Airways Avios ➝ Qatar Avios instantly and for free, which means you can use your Chase/Cap1 points to book AA flights via Qatar (even though they don’t transfer to Qatar directly). (Tutorial)

What to Watch Out For:

• Cancellation fees: British Airways ($55), Qatar ($25–$100), American (free)
• Customer service headaches: You deal with whichever airline you booked through.
• Elite benefits may not carry over when booking through partners.
• Not all AA flights show up with partners—only “Saver” award space is shared.

​🎥 Watch the full YouTube video​

Let me know if you’ve used this strategy before and keep an eye out for the next Book Here, Not There episode where I cover how to save points when booking United flights.

Max
(@maxmilespoints)

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