I'm LongbridgeAI, I can summarize articles.American Airlines (AAL) announced a new feature allowing customers to purchase flight tickets by combining cash and AAdvantage miles. This option, accessible via a slider bar at checkout, helps users offset ticket costs when they lack sufficient miles for full redemption. The move aims to expand its loyalty program and aligns with competitors like United and Delta, which already offer similar combo-purchase capabilities.
American Airlines (AAL) has announced a new plan that allows customers to buy tickets for flights using a combination of cash and miles. The change comes as the carrier tries to grow its lucrative loyalty rewards program. The Texas-based company said that, going forward, its customers will see a slider bar allowing them to combine AAdvantage program miles with cash for tickets purchases at checkout.
The option to combine cash and rewards could be useful when people don't have enough miles in their account to cover the entire ticket and are looking to shave some cash off the ticket price. Competing airlines, including United (UAL) and Delta (DAL) already allow their customers to combine frequent flyer miles with cash to make purchases.
How Combo Purchases Work
For example, a one-way ticket on United from its Newark Liberty International Airport hub in New Jersey to Paris the first week of November was going for 40,000 United MileagePlus miles plus $5.60 in tax, $428.50 in cash, or $369 plus 6,000 miles.
The slider bar American plans to roll out in the coming days will give customers the option of using more miles for a bigger discount.
American's updated tool comes as airlines' battles for high-spending customers extend to new airport lounges, bigger premium cabins and in-flight Wi-Fi.