As of October 2, 2026, American Airlines is rolling out cash and miles bookings for AAdvantage members. American announced the feature on October 2 and said that "as the feature rolls out in the coming weeks," eligible members will be able to combine cash and miles when booking flights on aa.com and in American's app.
American's AAdvantage program updates page sets the first scope: U.S. AAdvantage members can use a combination of cash and miles to book domestic U.S. flights on American, excluding Alaska and Hawaii, "with more routes to come."
How Cash and Miles Booking Works
The starting point is a cash fare, not an award search. American's announcement lays out the steps:
- Log in to your AAdvantage account and select your flights with cash.
- At checkout, American shows an optional trip insurance offer.
- Once you've made your trip insurance choice, the available cash and miles options appear, with a slider to pick the mix.
- The cost summary updates to the combination you choose.
- Enter your payment details and complete the booking.
"The introduction of cash and miles is another step in our ongoing effort to provide AAdvantage members with more personalized ways to engage with the program and get more value from their membership," said Scott Long, American's Senior Vice President of AAdvantage.
What to Check Before You Slide
As you move the slider, the cash due for the ticket updates, so you can price your miles before you commit them. Subtract the cash due at your chosen mix from the full cash fare, then divide by the miles used, and you have what each mile is worth on that ticket. Then compare that with what the same miles would get you on an award booking. Our AAdvantage and SkyMiles comparison walks through how American prices awards.
To build your balance, our AAdvantage Hotels guide covers when earning miles on a hotel booking beats booking direct.
When You'll See It
American says the feature reaches eligible members over the coming weeks, on aa.com and the app, starting with domestic U.S. flights outside Alaska and Hawaii. Next time you price a domestic American flight while logged in, look for the cash and miles options after the trip insurance step.
