Use miles for upgrades – AAdvantage® program

Use miles for upgrades – AAdvantage® program – American Airlines

Use miles for upgrades

Cabin Upgrades

Use miles to upgrade on American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia flights.* Upgrade to the next cabin of service on a one-way trip with up to 3 flight segments.

*Includes travel on codeshare flights marketed by American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia and operated by any of the three carriers. for informational purposes only.
Read route specific disclaimers in the ‘Mileage upgrade award chart’.

American Airlines flights

Co-payment is inclusive of U.S. excise tax (where applicable).

If original ticket is purchased 2 or more days prior to departure and cancelled up to 24 hours from the time of ticket purchase, co-pay, miles and award processing fees are fully refundable. Outside of the 2 days/24-hour window, co-payment is non-refundable.

Mileage upgrade award tickets are subject to applicable taxes and security fees and may incur additional taxes as a result of upgrading to a higher class cabin.

Upgrading from Economy Class to Business Class or First Class results in additional premium cabin taxes and carrier-imposed fees, including but not limited to flights originating in Great Britain and France.

If the ticket is priced in USD, the additional taxes and carrier-imposed fees will be converted to USD at the time of ticketing.

Please contact American Airlines Reservations to obtain applicable taxes and carrier-imposed fees for specific itineraries.

Partner airlines flights

Mileage upgrade award tickets are subject to applicable taxes and security fees and may incur additional taxes as a result of upgrading to a higher class cabin.

If the ticket is priced in USD, the additional taxes and carrier-imposed fees will be converted to USD at the time of ticketing.

Please contact American Airlines Reservations to obtain applicable taxes and carrier-imposed fees for specific itineraries.

American Airlines flights

Upgrades are valid to the next cabin of service and are valid for a single one-way trip with a maximum of three segments. Upgrades are subject to capacity controls. Excluding award tickets and Basic Economy fare tickets, the following eligible fare types can be upgraded:

Discount Economy with published fares booked in H,K,M,L,V,G,Q,N,O,S and Military or Government fares booked in Y

Full-Fare Economy with published fares booked in Y

Discount Premium Economy with published fares booked in P

Full-Fare Premium Economy with published fares booked in W

Discount Business with published fares booked in I

Full-Fare Business with published fares booked in J, D or R

Partner Airlines flights

Upgrades are valid to the next cabin of service and are valid for a single one-way trip with a maximum of three segments. Upgrades are subject to capacity controls. Excluding award tickets, the following eligible fare types can be upgraded:

Full-Fare Economy with published fares booked in Y (excluding Military or Government fares) on American

Full-Fare Economy with published fares booked in Y or B on British Airways or Iberia

Premium Economy with published World Traveller Plus fares booked in W (unrestricted fares only) on British Airways. Doesn't apply to Excursion fares.

Full-Fare Business with published fares booked in J, D or R on American and C, J, D or R on British Airways or Iberia

Use your AAdvantage® miles to upgrade to a higher cabin of service on Qantas (including codeshare flights).

Flights not eligible for upgrades include sale fares with Qantas on international flights, excluding domestic travel within Australia. Sale fares start with E, N, O or Q.

Request an upgrade on Qantas

AAdvantage® status members have access to complimentary upgrades for travel on American within North America when space is available.

Member status details

Have questions?

Check out our frequently asked questions to get answers fast.

Earn on American Airlines flights

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Earn on shopping and dining

Earn on hotel stays

Terms and conditions

American Airlines upgrade awards are valid on individual published-fare tickets on flights marketed and operated by American Airlines. Mileage upgrade awards are not applicable on codeshare flights and don't apply to award tickets or Basic Economy fare tickets.

All upgrades are subject to availability at the time the mileage upgrade is requested. Mileage upgrade seats may not be available on all flights or to all destinations and are subject to capacity controls.

The upgrade is a single cabin upgrade from the cabin booked, to the next cabin. A maximum of three segments in one direction may be upgraded. All segments being upgraded must be on the same ticket.

The fare conditions of the original purchased fare will still apply.

Tickets upgraded using mileage upgrade awards will accrue miles based on the original purchased fare.

For American Airlines flights, if your upgrade hasn't been confirmed as of check-in, we will automatically add you to the airport upgrade standby list, using your original request date and time stamp. In order for this to occur, please be sure you have the appropriate number of miles in your account at least 48 hours prior to departure.

No waitlisting or standby is allowed for an upgrade on British Airways or Iberia flights. The upgrade is a single cabin upgrade from the cabin booked, to the next cabin. This may vary depending on which carrier operates the flights and the aircraft configuration.

A maximum of three segments in one direction may be upgraded. All segments being upgraded must be on the same ticket.

The fare conditions of the original purchased fare will still apply.

Tickets upgraded using mileage upgrade awards will accrue miles based on the original purchased fare.

American Airlines, British Airways or Iberia flights or codeshare flights marketed and operated by American Airlines, British Airways or Iberia are eligible. Reservations booked through a source other than American Airlines must include at least one flight with an American Airlines flight number in order to be eligible (includes codeshare flights operated by British Airways or Iberia but booked as an American Airlines flight number.)

Cancellations to the original ticket purchased 7 or more days prior to departure will have up to 24 hours from the time it’s ticketed to be eligible for a full ticket refund including the reinstatement of award miles and a refund of the co-pay amount paid.