Guide to booking American Airlines Vacations packages

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

With coronavirus vaccines being distributed and travel restrictions slowly lifting throughout the world, I can’t help but think about the days I’ll be able to travel freely again. If you’re in the same boat, consider taking a look at the American Airlines Vacations packages — many of which are sure to provide some inspiration!

American Airlines travel packages allow you to book your entire vacation — flights, hotels and car rentals — all through American Airlines. Not only does this take the stress out of planning a trip, but you’ll also score serious discounts and get great perks like American Airlines miles (that can be used for any future trip) and easy payment options.

Here’s what you need to know about American Airlines Vacations packages so you can make your travel dreams a reality.

Benefits of American Airlines Vacations packages

The benefits of American Airlines travel packages can be boiled down to three categories: savings, rewards and support. Let’s break those benefits down just a bit more, so you can get the full scoop. 

Book together and save

Planning your vacation should be exciting, not stressful. With American Airlines Vacations, you can bundle everything you need for your vacation and pay one price. It’s like the all-inclusive resort of vacation deals!

Not only will this save you time and stress in the long run, but it’ll also save you money. American has discounted deals for travelers who book multiple services through their packages. Plus, deals are available to anywhere American flies, so you’ll have plenty of options to choose from.

Earn bonus miles

It’s common knowledge in the points and miles world that American Airlines miles are some of the easiest to earn and most versatile to use. While you can earn major mile bonuses through things like opening up an American Airlines credit card, their travel packages provide another incredible way to earn. Every time you book a package, you’ll earn 1,000 AAdvantage miles just for booking. Even better, when you book featured hotels through their bonus mile offers, you can earn up to 30,000 additional miles!

Buy now, pay later

If you can’t, or don’t want to, pay for your entire trip upfront, American Airlines Vacations has you covered with their buy now, pay later option. With their “UpLift” feature (available when booking), travelers can explore different payment options to take some of the financial burdens off vacation planning. You can choose to pay all now or do monthly installments until your trip is paid off. American is super flexible in helping to find the best payment option for you.   

Use miles to book

In terms of rewards, the perks of booking American Airlines packages don’t just stop at earning — you can also redeem rewards to book your vacation. If you have been stockpiling American Airlines miles during the pandemic, or just got a big bonus through a credit card or shopping portal, you can use them to book your vacation package. American also allows you to book using a combination of miles and cash, so don’t worry if you don’t have enough to cover the entire thing.

Booking support

Sometimes, you just need a little help when planning your vacation. While travel agents can get expensive, American’s team of experts is there to help anytime — for free! The extra human support is great to have, and the company also offers travel protection on every trip, so you can rest assured at night in case something doesn’t go according to plan. 

How to book through American Airlines Vacations

Step 1: Browse by destination or best deals

American Airlines makes finding the perfect destination a breeze. You can search the website by destination, where you’ll be presented with options everywhere from Hawaii to Panama to Orlando. With inviting images and inspiration for every destination, after scrolling for a bit, you’ll have a hard time picking just one location. 

You can also search on the website for vacation deals. This page will show you ways to earn bonus miles, hotel specials, and cheap car rentals, depending on what’s being offered when you look at the site. If you find a deal you can’t pass up, you can select it and begin scheduling the rest of your trip around that deal. 

If you already have your dream destination in mind, you can jump right to step two. 

Step 2: Select your trip information

Once you figure out where you’re headed, the next step is to enter in all of your travel wants and needs. You’ll first need to choose two or more services to bundle from the options flight, hotel and car. 

After you make your choices, enter in the logistics of your vacation. The American Airlines Vacations site has places to add in your travel dates, travel destinations and the number of travelers. Enter your information, press search, and voilà, you’re onto step three. 

Step 3: Review your options and choose your package

After you enter your information and hit the search button, you’ll be transported to the travel portal. Here, you’ll see tons of vacation packages for you to scroll through and select. Each deal will tell you the average price per person for the deal and the total price, including how much a monthly payment option would cost. You can also click on the hotel, car, or flight selected to learn more about each service. When you’ve found the perfect package, click “choose this deal” and you’ll be brought to the check out process. It’s that easy! 

My favorite deal available 

Right now, American Airlines Vacations is running an incredible deal if you book a stay at a Melia Hotel or Resort as part of an American Airlines Vacations package. The booking must be made before February 3, 2021, for travel before November 2021. If you meet these criteria you will automatically earn 25,000 bonus American Airlines miles! And, if you book a 50-minute massage during your stay, you’ll get a second massage for free! 

While those perks on their own are good enough, I found a deal for two round trip flights in June from Chicago to Punta Cana for a seven-night stay at the Paradisus Palma Real Golf & Spa Resort that makes it even better. In addition to getting the bonus miles and the free massage with this package, you’ll get the flights and a suite in the hotel for a grand total of $3,364, including taxes and fees. 

The absolute cheapest tickets I could find for the flight included in the package is $471 each. For two round-trip flights, that would be $942. The hotel is a seafront, all-inclusive resort on the clear blue waters of the Dominican Republic. It features a spa, fine dining, a bar, private beach access and three swimming pools, just to name a few amenities. For the exact same room, on the exact same dates as included in the package at this resort, it would cost $2,485 including taxes and fees. 

Booking the flights and hotel separately, outside the package, would cost you $3,427. Booking with the package would save you $62.82 on just the hotel and airfare. Add in the 25,000 AAdvantage miles you get with the package, which we value at 1.4 cents on average, and that’s an additional $350 in your pocket. Lastly, add in a free 50-minute massage at the Paradisus Palma Real, which is around $130, and you’re officially up $542.82 with this deal. 

Bottom line

American Airlines Vacations packages are easy to book and provide a ton of great deals and benefits. Booking a package will save you time, money, and stress, and there’s really no price tag you can put on all of that. Make your daydreams come true and plan that vacation for when it’s safe to travel again. Your future self will thank you!