How to book American Airlines flights with Chase Ultimate Rewards points
Editor's Note
American Airlines AAdvantage miles aren't the easiest rewards to earn. The airline program is only a transfer partner of one major transferable credit card program: Citi ThankYou Rewards.
Even though AAdvantage isn't a direct transfer partner of most issuers, including Chase Ultimate Rewards, that doesn't mean you can't redeem your hard-earned Chase points for American Airlines flights.
Here's how to do it.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees): Earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Transfer Chase points to Oneworld partners to book American Airlines flights
American Airlines is a member of the Oneworld alliance, and multiple Oneworld airline programs are transfer partners of Chase Ultimate Rewards. This means you can transfer Chase points to one of these partner programs at a 1:1 ratio and use them to book American Airlines-operated flights.
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There are three airline loyalty programs through which you can book American Airlines flights with Chase points: Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Club and Iberia Club.
These airlines use Avios as their loyalty currency. However, you may see different award rates or availability on each airline's site, so it's worth checking each one or using a tool like Point.me to compare them.
For instance, you can book American Airlines economy-class flights from New York-area airports to Miami International Airport (MIA) through the British Airways Club program for 18,000 Avios plus 5.60 in taxes and fees.
Or, you could book a direct flight from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA), operated by American, through British Airways Club for 28,000 Avios and about $328 in taxes and fees.
Don't forget to check TPG's list of current transfer bonuses before you transfer your rewards.
Chase occasionally runs promotions that let you earn bonus points or miles when you transfer, helping you stretch your points further when transferring to book American Airlines flights.
Related: How to decide when to use cash or miles for buying airline tickets
Book American Airlines flights through the Chase Travel portal
Another way to book American Airlines flights with Chase points is through Chase Travel℠, the issuer's travel booking platform that lets you redeem points for travel instead of cash.
If you can't find the American Airlines flight you're looking for through a partner airline or the partner's redemption rates aren't a good value, try this option instead. Chase Travel offers a wide variety of travel bookings, including American Airlines flights.
Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (see rates and fees) cardholders who applied before June 23, 2025, can redeem their points at a flat rate of 1.5 cents apiece on American Airlines flights (on points earned prior to Oct. 26, 2025, and redeemed until Oct. 26, 2027, then 1 cent thereafter).
Similarly, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees) holders who applied before June 23, 2025, can get a value of 1.25 cents per point on American Airlines redemptions during the same time frame.
Meanwhile, those who applied after June 23, 2025, for any of the above cards will receive only 1 cent per point when redeeming for American Airlines flights.
When award rates are high or partner airlines have limited availability, your best bet will likely be to redeem Chase points through Chase Travel.
You can generally get more value when you transfer Chase points to partners, but still, 1.25 or 1.5 cents per point is nothing to sneeze at. Unfortunately, this number will eventually drop to 1 cent per point for all cardholders, on par with other issuers' travel portals, like American Express Travel, Capital One Travel and Citi Travel.
Bottom line
Even though you can't transfer Chase points directly to the American Airlines AAdvantage program, there are multiple other avenues to book American Airlines flights with Ultimate Rewards points.
If you're looking to earn more Chase points, the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Sapphire Reserve for Business are fantastic cards to consider.
Right now, for a limited time only, new applicants who get approved for the Chase Sapphire Reserve can earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. With the Sapphire Reserve for Business, you can earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.