For a long time, American Airlines didn't have any direct credit card transfer partners, but this changed with the company's expanded partnership with Citi. But you don't need a Citi credit card or AAdvantage miles to book American Airlines award flights.
If you have a credit card that earns transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, you can take advantage of airline alliances to book American Airlines awards. If you aren't finding flights that fit your schedule this way, you can book any available American Airlines flight through Chase's travel portal and pay with points.
Let's take a look at the best ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards® points for American Airlines flights.
Can you book American Airlines flights with Chase points?
The short answer is yes. While Chase doesn't partner directly with American Airlines, you can transfer Chase points to several of American Airlines' partners at a 1:1 ratio.
While many Chase cards earn Ultimate Rewards® points, to transfer them to partner airlines, you'll need one of these cards: Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (see rates and fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) or Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees).
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card packs a punch for a $95 annual fee card, offering annual travel credits, comprehensive travel protections and more.
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase's travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Long list of travel and shopping protections
- $50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit
- Has an annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase TravelSM
- 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a standout premium credit card with plenty of luxury perks and statement credits to justify its annual fee.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests.
- Up to $300 in annual travel credit each account anniversary year
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase's travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Top-tier travel and shopping protections
- High annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 150,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get $3,000 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase TravelSM, including The EditSM and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music — all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 — a value of $288 annually
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
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Bank from anywhere with access to more than 15,000 Chase ATMs, more than 4,700 Chase branches, the Chase Mobile® app and Chase.com.
Using Chase transfer partners
When transferring your Chase points to any of its airline partners, you'll need to have an account with that airline. Chase points usually transfer instantly, but it's possible it could take up to a few days.
There are several indirect transfer partners you can use to book American Airlines awards. For example, once you transfer points to British Airways Club or Iberia Club, you can move those points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club or Finnair Plus because they all participate in the Avios loyalty program. You can even transfer Marriott points to American Airlines at a 3:1 ratio, which isn't optimal, but might be useful if you need to top off your account.
We're focusing just on the direct options for booking American Airlines flights with Chase points. The best direct Chase transfer partner for booking American flights is British Airways Club. You can also book American Airlines award flights through Iberia Club, however, Iberia doesn't allow changes or refunds for these partner awards. This makes it an unappealing option.
British Airways
British Airways uses an unpublished distance-based calculation for its award flight prices. British Airways also prices each segment of a flight individually; This means that for connecting flights, you pay points for each segment as if it were a separate flight.
British Airways offers competitive prices for direct American Airlines flights. You can fly from Chicago to Charlotte for only 12,000 Avios each way in economy or 24,000 Avios each way in business class.
British Airways is also a great option if you want flexibility. There is a reasonable $55 fee for changes and cancellations, however, when canceling your ticket, you can opt to simply forfeit the taxes and fees instead of paying the additional charge. For domestic flights, the taxes and fees generally total around $5.60, much cheaper than paying the $55 cancellation fee.
Booking with Chase's travel portal
One negative aspect of booking award flights is that the availability is limited, and seats can go quickly. If you're not finding any American flights that fit your needs through transfer partners, you could always book directly through Chase Travel℠.
Booking a flight via Chase Travel℠ will give you more options, because you're not booking an award flight. You're booking a standard flight and you have the option of paying with points instead of cash. The value of your Chase points for this type of redemption is at least one cent per point, but it can be higher depending on what card you have and when you opened it.
If you opened your Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred card on or after June 23, 2025, you'll receive one cent per point toward Chase Travel℠ redemptions. If you applied for any of these cards before June 23, 2025, you can take advantage of the old redemption rates for a limited time. All Chase points you earn before Oct. 26, 2025, and redeemed by Oct. 26, 2027, are worth 1.25 cents per point toward travel for Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred cardholders and 1.5 cents per point for Sapphire Reserve cardholders.
For example, Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business cardholders (who applied on or before June 23, 2025) you can book a direct American Airlines flight between NYC and Miami starting at just $74, or 5,878 points through Chase Travel℠. However, newer cardholders will typically pay 7,400 Chase points for the same flight.
Chase has also added a new Points Boost feature, replacing their old modifier. Chase Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred customers' points are worth up to 1.5 cents per point on eligible bookings. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business, your points are worth up to two cents per point. However, the Points Boost only applies to select hotels and flights with select airlines.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business brings over $3,000 in value to business owners who value travel and premium experiences
- $400 in annual statement credits on purchases made directly with ZipRecruiter.
- $300 annual travel credit each anniversary year
- $120 Global Entry, TSA Precheck or Nexus fee credit every four years
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide with your complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, including Sapphire Lounge by The Club locations with two complimentary guests
- Can transfer rewards to all of Chase’s 14 travel partners
- IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status through 12/31/27
- Comprehensive suite of travel and purchase protections
- High annual fee
- Significant value tied to statement credits
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 150,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
- $6,000+ in value your first year. 150K points, valued at $3,000 for select flights and hotels through Chase TravelSM, plus $3,000+ in annual value through travel and business benefits.
- Earn 8x points on Chase TravelSM for airline tickets, hotels, including The EditSM, car rentals, cruises, activities and tours.
- Earn 5x total points on Lyft rides through 9/30/27.
- Earn 4x points on flights & hotels booked direct.
- Earn 3x points on social media & search engine advertising.
- Get the most flexible travel credit compared to any other card, with up to $300 in statement credits each anniversary year on travel purchases.
- Enjoy complimentary access to the Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club network and Priority PassTM Select membership. Two guests may accompany the Primary Cardmember to the lounges free of charge.
- Member FDIC
Final Thoughts
Even though Chase doesn't partner with American Airlines, you can still use Chase points to book American Airlines flights. However, your options are limited to partner airlines, which means you may have a tougher time finding award flights. You can use Chase points to pay for American Airlines flights you book through Chase Travel℠, however, you won't receive outsized value with this option.
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