Hey there, fellow traveler! Are you sitting on a mountain of Chase Sapphire Preferred points, dreaming of soaring through the skies on an American Airlines flight? You've come to the right place! While it's a common desire, there's a little twist to this tale: you can't directly transfer Chase Sapphire Preferred points to American Airlines AAdvantage.
Don't fret, though! This doesn't mean your dream trip is grounded. It just means we need to get a little creative and strategic. Think of it like a fun puzzle where we're going to unlock amazing value for your points. Ready to dive in? Let's get those points working for you!
The Ultimate Guide: Transferring Chase Sapphire Preferred Points for American Airlines Flights
Even though a direct transfer isn't possible, there are two primary, highly effective methods to use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points for American Airlines flights. We'll explore both in detail, so you can choose the one that best fits your travel goals and the specific flight you're eyeing.
Method 1: Leveraging Chase Travel Portal for Direct Bookings
This is often the most straightforward approach, especially if you prioritize simplicity and want to book your American Airlines flight just like you would with cash.
Step 1: Access Your Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal
First things first, let's get you into your points playground.
Log In: Head over to the Chase website (chase.com) and log in to your Chase account.
Navigate to Ultimate Rewards: Once logged in, find your Chase Sapphire Preferred card and click on the "Go to Ultimate Rewards" or "Redeem Rewards" button. This will take you to the Ultimate Rewards portal.
Step 2: Search for American Airlines Flights
Now that you're in the portal, it's time to find your flight.
Select "Travel": Within the Ultimate Rewards portal, look for the "Travel" tab or section. This is where you can search for flights, hotels, car rentals, and more.
Choose "Flights": Click on "Flights" to begin your search for airfare.
Enter Your Flight Details: Input your departure and arrival airports, dates, number of passengers, and preferred class (economy, business, first, etc.).
Filter by American Airlines: After your initial search results appear, look for a "Filter" or "Airlines" option. Select "American Airlines" to narrow down the results to only show flights operated by AA.
Step 3: Understand Your Point Value and Book
This is a crucial step to maximize your redemption.
Point Value with Chase Sapphire Preferred: With your Chase Sapphire Preferred card, points redeemed through the Chase Travel Portal are typically worth 1.25 cents per point. This means if a flight costs $250, it would require 20,000 points ($250 / $0.0125).
Review and Select Your Flight: Browse the available American Airlines flights. Pay attention to the cash price versus the points required.
Proceed to Booking: Once you've found the flight you want, select it and proceed to the booking process. You'll have the option to pay with points, or a combination of points and cash if you don't have enough points for the full fare.
Confirm Your Booking: Follow the on-screen prompts to confirm your booking. You'll receive a confirmation email with your American Airlines flight details.
Method 2: Transferring to Oneworld Alliance Partners
This method is where things get a bit more advanced but can often yield significantly higher value for your points, especially for longer-haul or premium cabin flights. American Airlines is a proud member of the Oneworld alliance. This means you can book American Airlines flights using the miles or points of other Oneworld member airlines.
Chase Ultimate Rewards has several direct transfer partners that are also part of the Oneworld alliance. The most common and useful for booking American Airlines flights are:
British Airways Executive Club (Avios)
Iberia Plus (Avios)
Step 1: Find American Airlines Award Availability on Partner Websites
This is the most critical and often the most challenging step. Before transferring any points, you must confirm award availability on the partner airline's website. Transfers are irreversible!
Choose a Partner Program: Decide whether you want to use British Airways Executive Club or Iberia Plus. Both use "Avios" as their currency and offer redemptions on American Airlines.
British Airways Executive Club: Generally good for shorter, direct flights due to its distance-based award chart (pricing per segment).
Iberia Plus: Can offer better value for flights to/from Spain, and sometimes has sweet spots for other routes.
Create an Account: If you don't already have one, create a free account with British Airways Executive Club or Iberia Plus.
Search for Award Flights:
British Airways: Go to the British Airways website, log in to your Executive Club account, and select "Book a flight with Avios." Enter your desired American Airlines route and dates.
Iberia Plus: Similarly, log in to your Iberia Plus account and search for award flights.
Look for "Saver" or Low-Level Award Space: You're looking for award availability that is at the lowest mileage level. These are often referred to as "saver" awards. If you see high mileage requirements, it might mean only "standard" awards are available, which are less ideal for point transfers.
Note Down Flight Details: Once you find an American Airlines flight with award availability that suits you, carefully note down the flight number, date, time, and the number of Avios required.
Step 2: Transfer Your Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to the Chosen Partner
Now that you've confirmed award availability, it's time to transfer your points.
Return to Chase Ultimate Rewards: Go back to the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal (as in Method 1, Step 1).
Select "Transfer to Travel Partners": Under the "Travel" or "Redeem Rewards" section, look for "Transfer to Travel Partners."
Choose Your Partner Airline: Select "British Airways Executive Club" or "Iberia Plus" from the list of airline partners.
Link Accounts (if not already done): If this is your first time transferring to that specific airline, you'll need to link your frequent flyer account. Ensure the name on your Chase account exactly matches the name on your airline loyalty account.
Enter Transfer Amount: Enter the number of points you wish to transfer. Remember, transfers are typically in increments of 1,000 points and are final and irreversible. Double-check the amount!
Confirm Transfer: Review the details and confirm the transfer. Most Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to British Airways and Iberia are instantaneous, but it's always wise to allow for a few hours in case of delays.
Step 3: Book Your American Airlines Flight with Transferred Miles
Once your points have arrived in your chosen partner airline's account, it's time to book!
Log Back into Partner Account: Log in to your British Airways Executive Club or Iberia Plus account.
Search and Book: Go back to the award search tool and find the exact same flight you identified in Step 1.
Complete Booking: Select the flight, confirm the details, and proceed to complete your booking using your Avios. You will likely still need to pay a small amount for taxes and fees.
Receive Confirmation: You'll receive a confirmation from the partner airline (British Airways or Iberia). This confirmation will include the American Airlines flight details. It's often a good idea to then go to the American Airlines website and use their "Manage My Trip" or similar function with the partner airline's booking reference to retrieve the American Airlines PNR (Passenger Name Record) for easier management.
Important Considerations and Tips:
Compare Redemption Values: Always compare the cash price of an American Airlines flight to the number of points required through the Chase Travel Portal and the number of Avios needed via a Oneworld partner. Calculate the cents per point value for each option to determine the best deal. Often, transferring to partners yields a higher value.
Check for Transfer Bonuses: Chase occasionally offers transfer bonuses to its airline partners. For example, you might get 20% or 30% more Avios when you transfer during a promotional period. Always check for these bonuses before transferring, as they can significantly increase the value of your points.
Award Availability is Key: The biggest challenge with transferring to partners is finding award availability, especially for popular routes or dates, or in premium cabins. Be flexible with your travel dates if possible.
Distance-Based Redemptions (Avios): British Airways Executive Club uses a distance-based award chart. This means shorter, direct flights often require fewer Avios. Long-haul flights with connections can become very expensive in Avios.
One-Way vs. Round-Trip: Sometimes booking two one-way flights can be more cost-effective than a round-trip, especially with distance-based programs.
Taxes and Fees: Even when using points, you'll still be responsible for taxes and fees. These can vary significantly by airline and route. British Airways is known for sometimes having higher fuel surcharges on certain routes, particularly international ones. Iberia often has lower surcharges.
Cancellation and Change Policies: Understand the cancellation and change policies of the loyalty program you're booking through. These can differ from American Airlines' direct policies.
10 Related FAQ Questions
How to find out my Chase Ultimate Rewards point balance?
You can easily find your Chase Ultimate Rewards point balance by logging into your Chase online banking account and navigating to the "Go to Ultimate Rewards" section associated with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
How to link my British Airways Executive Club account to Chase Ultimate Rewards?
When you initiate a transfer of points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to British Airways Executive Club, you'll be prompted to enter your British Airways Executive Club account number to link the accounts. Ensure the names on both accounts match precisely.
How to find the American Airlines PNR after booking through a partner like British Airways?
After booking an American Airlines flight with British Airways Avios, look for the booking reference or confirmation number provided by British Airways. You can then often use this number on the American Airlines "Manage My Trip" page to find the American Airlines-specific PNR.
How to know if a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer will be instant?
Most transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards to airline partners like British Airways and Iberia are advertised as instant. However, it's always best to assume it could take a few hours and verify the points have landed in your partner account before attempting to book.
How to get the best value when transferring Chase points to airline partners?
The best value typically comes from transferring your points during a transfer bonus promotion and for premium cabin award flights or sweet spot redemptions (e.g., short-haul flights on British Airways Avios) where the cash price would be significantly higher.
How to determine if booking via Chase Travel Portal or transferring to a partner is better?
Compare the cash cost of the flight to the points required in the Chase Travel Portal (where points are worth 1.25 cents each) versus the miles required by a partner airline. Divide the cash price by the points/miles needed to calculate the cents-per-point value for each option. Choose the method that yields a higher value.
How to avoid high taxes and fees when booking American Airlines flights with Avios?
While taxes and fees are unavoidable, you can often mitigate them by choosing flights with lower government taxes or by utilizing Iberia Plus Avios, which sometimes has lower fuel surcharges than British Airways, especially on transatlantic routes. Short-haul domestic American Airlines flights booked with Avios usually have minimal taxes.
How to combine Chase Ultimate Rewards points from different cards?
You can combine Chase Ultimate Rewards points from different Chase cards (e.g., Chase Freedom or Ink Business Cash) into your Chase Sapphire Preferred account. This is done within the Ultimate Rewards portal under a "Combine Points" or "Link Accounts" option, allowing you to pool your points for transfer or portal redemption.
How to find award availability on American Airlines flights using Oneworld partners?
The best way is to use the award search tools on the websites of Chase's Oneworld transfer partners, such as British Airways Executive Club or Iberia Plus. Input your desired American Airlines route and dates and look for low-level award space.
How to use Chase Sapphire Preferred points for American Airlines if no award space is available via partners?
If you can't find suitable award availability through Oneworld partners, your best alternative is to book the American Airlines flight directly through the Chase Travel Portal. While it might not offer the absolute highest cents-per-point value compared to some premium cabin partner redemptions, it provides a solid 1.25 cents per point value.
