AAirpass is American’s prepaid travel card, designed for the frequent traveler or someone who travels last-minute. The cardholder purchases a certain number of miles in advance, and the account is debited for each flight.
The Cost: $10,000 for 25,000 miles (or 40¢ per mile). Frequent flyer benefits are earned just as they would be with a paid, published fare, though miles are not transferrable to oneworld partners. Other benefits include Admiral’s Club membership, priority check-in and boarding, and waiver of change fees. The card can also be applied to companion travel.
Sample AAirpass Fares
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American charges 150% of the actual miles flown for a Business Class seat to Asia, Central and South America, and India; 200% to Europe; and 150% for domestic flights on three-cabin aircraft. First Class charges are 200% of the actual miles flown to Asia, Central and South America, and India; 250% to Europe; and 175% for domestic flights on three-cabin aircraft. On other domestic First Class routes, charges run 108% to 216% of miles flown, with shorter routes requiring higher redemption rates.
AAirpass works best when published fares are high, such as last-minute international Business Class fares, international First Class fares, and rarely discounted domestic First Class fares. Keep in mind, though, that almost any highly discounted Business Class fare beats the travel card.
Sample Deal: The regular fare for a First Class ticket from Los Angeles to New York on a three-cabin aircraft is about $2,500, one-way. The actual miles flown are 2,461. At 150% of miles flown, that would cost you 3,691 miles. At 40¢ per mile, that comes to $1,476.60 (plus taxes), a savings of about $1,000 each way.
For details: AAirpass Link