16 ways AA credit cards stifle your premium travel opportunities and why Amex and Chase cards/points are the way to go.
All you readers with AA co-branded credit cards better sit down. If you’re sitting down, it’s time to lie down. And preferably in a premium cabin lie-flat seat — IF you’re able to get one, which is MUCH less likely given the credit cards you keep in your wallet.
It’s because of this simple, no-brainer fact: When you’re not shackled to one airline loyalty program, be it AA or any other one, you gain the flexibility to shop around and fly the cheapest airline. Or better yet, to find the ones with the best seats and/or schedule. You might even hit the trifecta: cheapest fare, best seats, and best schedule.
Here at FCF, we call them Loyalty Free Agents and despite advertising claims to the contrary, they are simply better off for scoring the best deals.
As we’ve said on these pages for many years, we’re fans of Amex and Chase points, in that order. They have the right connections, without the loyalty infections, to help you get ahead in the travel game.
What’s So Great About Loyalty Freedom?
Let’s get bullet-pointy about this with each bullet aimed at your AA card like a BB gun at a tin can on a fence post.
- With American Express Membership Rewards, you can transfer points to miles with three airline alliances and their partners — that’s 89+ airlines — as opposed to AA’s 19 partners.
- American’s co-branded cards won’t multiply your earnings like other cards will. For example, you can get 5X points for airline tickets and hotels with the American Express Platinum card and 4X points for dining or supermarkets with the American Express Gold card.
- You have buying power. You can buy up to 500,000 Amex miles, but American Airlines only allows you to purchase 150,000, excluding any bonuses. You can then transfer all those points to any of Amex’s partner’s miles.
- Amex Rewards often runs transfer bonus promotions that frequently offer up to a 40% bonus with airlines that you can’t fly with AA miles.
Loyalty-Free Agents Shine on the International Stage Too
- American Express Platinum and Centurion cardholders barely have to lift a finger to knock off a hundreds of dollars (and sometimes even thousands) on lots of premium fares on several airlines (26), thanks to Amex’s International Airline Program (IAP)…
- You can fly Emirates, one of the world’s great flying experiences. Sigh, you can’t with an American Airlines co-branded card because American and Emirates are not partners. However, you can with Amex by simply transferring Amex Rewards points to Emirates, more on that here.
- You gain peace of mind. Amex partners British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Japan Airlines have locked-in zone-based price awards, not flakey fluctuating ones.
- Loyalty-free agents, not AA-straightjacketed flyers, have access to the lowest cost carrier awards to Europe — just 68,000 miles round-trip with Iberia.
- British Airways (354 days out) and Cathay Pacific (360 days out) open award bookings for award travel earlier than American at 331 days out.
Loyalty Free Agents Have Better Partner Opportunities
- Access to twice as many Business Class routes to Asia on United and it’s partner using Amex partner Air Canada, than American and it’s partners have.
- Access to First Class to Asia on two more airlines, All Nippon and Singapore, skyrocketing your chances for the best experiences compared to just oneworld’s American, Cathay Pacific, and Japan Airlines.
- Access to cheap Delta flights to Europe for just 100,000 miles round-trip using Amex partner Virgin Atlantic.
- Easier online booking options with Amex partner Cathay flights, instead of having to call AA when using American miles.
- Access to the same level of availability in First Class on Japan Airlines using Amex partner Cathay Pacific, so no loss where there might be some.
Loyalty Free Agents Also Do Better
in the North America and Short Haul
- Save up to 15,000 miles when booking Caribbean and Central American flights using Amex partner British Airways.
- Save 15,000 on some short-haul domestic routes where partners award prices are less than the U.S. operating carrier.
EXAMPLES OF HOW Loyalty Free Agents
Get the Best Plays
Belize
You could fly Miami-Belize in Business Class and pay 40,000 miles with American Airlines. Or you could fly loyalty-unshackled using British Airways miles for 33,000 miles. It’s a similar story for Miami-Nassau: 40,000 miles versus 25,000 if you don’t use your AA card.
Sydney
The lowest miles award we found on an American Airlines nonstop flight from Los Angeles to Sydney was 350,000 miles. Cathay Pacific, an Amex partner charges 150,000 — a 200,000 mile savings!
Domestic Unshackling
On a nonstop short-haul flight, such as Dallas-Kansas City, British Airways (Amex & Chase points partner) charges only 25,000 miles round-trip for First Class for a flight operated by its partner American Airlines. On the other hand, American charges 32,000. For Chicago-Toronto on AA, BA charges 25,000 miles round-trip in Business Class, but AA charges 32,000. Another good example of a nonstop short-haul flight is New York-Toronto on AA. BA charges 25,000 miles round-trip in Business Class, while American charges 32,000 miles.
THE PRICE YOU PAY FOR AA AT A GLAANCE…
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