Save Miles Booking American Airlines Award Flights With Alaska Airlines Miles!

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The fun part of this hobby is figuring out the best way to redeem miles for award flights.  I wrote about using Etihad miles to book discounted American Airlines award flights.  But, there’s also another option!

Via MileValue, you can use Alaska Airlines miles to book American Airlines flights using the old award pricing.  This is great because you can earn Alaska Airlines miles from the Bank of America Alaska Airlines card and by transferring Starwood points!

I’ll explain how to book award flights on American Airlines using Alaska Airlines miles!

Save Miles Booking American Airlines Award Flights

Link:   American Airlines Award Chart  

Link:   Alaska Airlines Award Charts

American Airlines started using a new award chart in March.  But Alaska Airlines still uses the old American Airlines award chart, which in many cases has lower award prices!

For example:

One-Way From the US to Europe in First Class

• 85,000 American Airlines miles, or
• 62,500 Alaska Airlines miles

One-Way From the US to Japan & Korea in Business Class

• 60,000 American Airlines miles, or
• 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles

One-Way From the US to South America (Region 2) in Coach

• 30,000 American Airlines miles, or
• 20,000 Alaska Airlines miles (off-peak)

You can also save miles on other coach, Business Class, and First Class award flights!

And you can use Alaska Airlines miles to book discounted off-peak coach award tickets with more flexible dates.

For example, American Airlines no longer offers discounted coach award tickets for off-peak travel dates from the US to southern South America.  But, if you book through Alaska Airlines you’ll get off-peak discounts for travel from March 1 to May 31 and August 16 to November 30.

This means you’ll have more flexibility and you’ll save miles!

Sample Flight – New York (JFK) to Rio de Janiero

I searched Alaska Airlines for award flights from New York to Rio de Janiero in August 2016 (off-peak season).

The results show one-way award flights available for 20,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach and 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles in Business Class.

But if you book the same flight through American Airlines, you’ll need 30,000 American Airlines miles in coach.

And it costs 57,500 American Airlines miles in Business Class.

Finding Available Award Seats Using Alaska Airlines Miles

It’s easier to find available American Airlines award seats using Alaska Airlines compared to Etihad.

Because you can search the Alaska Airlines website and filter results by airline.

First, enter your travel information.

Then, you can filter the results to view American Airlines flights.

You can also book American Airlines award flights directly on Alaska Airlines’ website, so there’s no need to call in your reservation like with Etihad.

Earn Alaska Airline Miles

Link:   Bank of America Alaska Airlines

You can earn Alaska Airlines miles by signing-up for the Bank of America Alaska Airlines card.

Emily and I don’t earn a commission for this offer, but we’ll always share the best deals with our readers!

Or you can transfer Starwood points to your Alaska Airlines account.

Remember, for every 20,000 Starwood points you transfer, you get a 5,000 mile bonus.

If you don’t have the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express or the Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express, you can currently earn 25,000 Starwood points as a sign-up bonus after you’re approved and meet minimum spending requirements.

Bottom Line

Using Alaska Airlines miles to book American Airlines award flights can save you thousands of miles!  You’ll also have more flexibility to book off-peak coach award tickets.

You can search available American Airlines award seats and book directly on the Alaska Airlines website.

You can earn Alaska Airlines miles with the Bank of America Alaska Airlines card or by transferring Starwood points.

Let me know if you book an American Airlines award flight using Alaska Airlines miles!