American Airlines Is Offering 1 Million Seats For as Little as 5,000 Miles—What to Know

Got American Airlines AAdvantage miles saved up? Now might be the time to redeem them if you’re looking for late-summer trip. Through May 28, the airline has one million Main Cabin domestic (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) and short-haul international award seats up for grabs that cost just 5,000 miles. The airline has also discounted some transatlantic flights from the U.S. to Europe for as little as 15,000 miles.

According to the airline, this sale is valid on flights departing between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30, 2025. There’s no guarantee that you’ll find a discounted award flight on your desired route and travel date, but there are plenty of great deals to be had if your travel plans are flexible.

For example, we’re seeing popular routes like New York to Miami, Los Angeles to Chicago, and Miami to Austin available at the 5,000-mile level throughout August and September. You’ll pay just $5.60 in taxes and fees on these award tickets.

Moving our focus abroad, we’re finding the cheapest transatlantic award tickets on flights to London from American hubs like Chicago, New York City, and Philadelphia. Taxes and fees on these tickets vary depending on if you’re departing from the U.S. or the U.K.

You can also find solid deals on other European routes. For example, we found one-way tickets from Chicago to Rome and New York to Milan for 20,000 American miles in August and September. You're in luck if you have your sights set on Central America, too. There are 5,000-mile award seats to places like Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico. Even routes like New York City to Cancun have discounted tickets.

It might be worth booking one of these tickets even if your plans aren’t set, as you can cancel and redeposit the miles paid for an American award ticket at no charge. This lets you lock down your discounted trip even if you’re not entirely sure you can travel.

Plus, if you already have an American Airlines award ticket booked for August or September, check and see if the price has dropped due to this sale. If so, you can cancel and rebook your existing ticket and pocket the price difference.