Book an American Airlines flight

How do I book with cash?

aa.com booking widget supports round-trip/one-way cash search with Coach/Business/First fare preference; Main Cabin is the standard economy product.

What this depends on

• Confirm the labeled product still appears for your itinerary on the airline site

Confirm before booking

• Live price / miles required for your dates

What to do next

1. Open the official booking flow linked below and verify the label before paying

Checked againstAAdvantage program overviewUse miles on American AirlinesBasic Economy fare details

How do I book with miles/points?

AAdvantage Flight Awards redeem miles for any seat on American flights; published starting one-way mile levels from North America (e.g. Contiguous 48+Canada Main Cabin from 7,500 miles) plus taxes/fees; levels vary by date/availability.

What this depends on

• Confirm the labeled product still appears for your itinerary on the airline site

Confirm before booking

• Live price / miles required for your dates

What to do next

1. Open the official booking flow linked below and verify the label before paying

Checked againstAAdvantage program overviewUse miles on American AirlinesBasic Economy fare details

Basic Economy vs standard economy?

Basic Economy: cannot be changed after 24h (Europe-origin exceptions for fee); within 24h change/cancel refund if booked >=7 days before departure. After 24h AAdvantage members may cancel for travel credit for a fee if US-booked AA marketed/operated and member number on PNR. Includes 1 carry-on + 1 personal item (unlike United Basic). No free checked bags generally (status/card exceptions; AU/NZ and Asia date-based exceptions). Seats: paid selection or auto at check-in; board last (Group 9). Basic Economy tickets bought on/after Dec 17 2025 do not earn miles or Loyalty Points. Tickets on/after May 18 2026 not eligible for complimentary upgrades.

What this depends on

• Confirm the labeled product still appears for your itinerary on the airline site

Confirm before booking

• Live price / miles required for your dates

What to do next

1. Open the official booking flow linked below and verify the label before paying

Checked againstAAdvantage program overviewUse miles on American AirlinesBasic Economy fare details

Do co-brand cards change bag rules?

Citi / AAdvantage cards advertise booking-adjacent benefits such as first checked bag free on domestic American itineraries (Platinum Select marketing) and Admirals Club access on higher cards. Welcome bonuses are promotional. Eligible cardmembers also get Basic Economy exceptions (domestic free checked bag on AA marketed/operated).

What this depends on

• Confirm the labeled product still appears for your itinerary on the airline site

Confirm before booking

• Live price / miles required for your dates

What to do next

1. Open the official booking flow linked below and verify the label before paying

Checked againstAAdvantage program overviewUse miles on American AirlinesBasic Economy fare details

What are the eligibility conditions for American Cash and miles, and when can a Basic Economy traveler select a seat?

## Cash and miles American says Cash and miles is available through aa.com or the American app for eligible flights. The traveler must be an AAdvantage member, have a valid U.S. home address in the profile (including Puerto Rico and U.S. territories), and have at least 500 AAdvantage miles. The flight must be both marketed and operated by American within the contiguous 48 states. The option is not available for Basic Economy, Alaska or Hawaii itineraries, international or multi-city flights, trips including another airline, mixed-cabin reservations, AAdvantage Business bookings, or TripLink bookings. Start with a regular cash search; do not select Redeem miles unless booking entirely with miles. American says Cash and miles bookings are not eligible for voluntary changes or exchanges. Check the current offer and itinerary conditions before selecting it; this guidance does not establish that any specific flight will qualify. ## Basic Economy seat selection American says AAdvantage members with a Main Cabin fare, or a Basic Economy ticket purchased before May 18, 2026, may choose complimentary seats based on status. The cutoff is the ticket purchase date, not the flight date. Otherwise, seats are automatically assigned for free at check-in; choosing a specific seat earlier can cost extra. Check the fare, ticket purchase date, status, and available seats before paying. Partner-marketed or partner-operated flights may differ.

What this depends on

• Cash and miles: the traveler must be an AAdvantage member, have a valid U.S. home address in the profile (including Puerto Rico and U.S. territories), and have at least 500 AAdvantage miles; the flight must be both marketed and operated by American within the contiguous 48 states.
• Cash and miles is unavailable for Basic Economy, Alaska or Hawaii itineraries, international or multi-city flights, trips including another airline, mixed-cabin reservations, AAdvantage Business bookings, or TripLink bookings.
• Cash and miles bookings are not eligible for voluntary changes or exchanges.
• Complimentary seat selection applies to AAdvantage members with a Main Cabin fare, or a Basic Economy ticket purchased before May 18, 2026, based on status. The cutoff is the ticket purchase date, not the flight date.
• Partner-marketed or partner-operated flights may differ.

Confirm before booking

• This guidance does not establish that any specific flight will qualify for Cash and miles.
• Current availability, applicable status-based seats, and partner-flight rules must be checked for the specific booking.

What to do next

1. Check the current Cash and miles offer and itinerary conditions before selecting it; start with a regular cash search and do not select Redeem miles unless booking entirely with miles.
2. Check the fare, ticket purchase date, status, and available seats before paying.

Checked againstAmerican Airlines — Using miles for travelAmerican Airlines — Cash and miles flightsAmerican Airlines — Basic Economy

Changing American travel paid with miles: identify an award versus Cash and miles

An American booking involving miles is not automatically serviced as a miles-only award. Identify the product on the existing ticket before choosing a voluntary-change action. Product | Published servicing distinction Cash and miles | Voluntary changes and exchanges are not permitted; American describes cancellation and a new reservation instead. Eligible miles-only award | Online changes have no change fee, but price and tax differences may apply. These are different actions, not two names for the same exchange. The cancellation route does not by itself establish what value returns or whether the replacement can be purchased.

Confirm before booking

• Confirm current instructions for your actual ticket or account with the airline. The effective date and individual outcome are not established.

What to do next

1. Read the original transaction
2. Find the ticket confirmation and payment allocation. Look for the actual product name rather than deciding from the presence of both money and miles on a receipt. Keep the original itinerary and the flights you want beside that record so the enquiry identifies a change to an existing purchase. If the label is unclear, ask American which product's servicing rules govern the ticket. Do not select a familiar award-change procedure merely because you used AAdvantage miles. An enquiry should state the requested replacement and ask which permitted action applies to that specific record.
3. Compare the consequences before acting
4. For a proposed cancellation and new purchase, ask separately about settlement of the original booking and availability and payment for the replacement. Keep the two answers distinct. Do not cancel merely because a search displays an attractive alternative; establish the consequences for the existing purchase first. For an eligible award exchange, review the new itinerary and the miles-and-cash adjustment together. Compare the resulting ticket and transaction records with the action you approved. A similar-looking account balance alone is not enough information to resolve an unclear servicing result.
5. Limits of this comparison
6. This guide classifies existing-ticket voluntary servicing. It does not establish purchase eligibility for every Cash and miles journey or online-change eligibility for every award. It also supplies no refund entitlement, credit outcome, replacement price or award-space guarantee. An airline-initiated disruption or mandatory-rights question needs its own assessment rather than being forced into either voluntary path.

Checked againstAmerican Airlines — Using miles for travel