A Citi / AAdvantage® card like the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® lets you earn AAdvantage® miles with every eligible purchase. One benefit of earning AAdvantage® miles – you can use them to upgrade your seat to a different cabin on an American Airlines flight. If eligible, you can upgrade to the next cabin of service on a one-way trip with up to 3 flight segments.
Ultimately, whether you can upgrade with miles depends on several factors, like which fare you purchased, where you’re traveling to and from, and upgrade availability. Here’s what you need to know.
Which fares are eligible for an upgrade?
All fares except Basic Economy may be eligible to upgrade with miles, which includes:
- Discount Economy
- Discount Premium Economy
- Full-Fare Premium Economy
- Full-Fare Economy
- Discount Business
- Full-Fare Business
If you’re already in the highest cabin of service, you can no longer upgrade. Upgrading costs a set number of miles and depends on whether a seat is available in the next cabin. Upgrades from certain fares come with a fee.
How to upgrade your seat with American Airlines AAdvantage® miles
Follow these steps to request your upgrade.
- Confirm the upgrade is available (does the plane offer the next cabin type?) and how many miles it takes to upgrade
- Check your AAdvantage® miles balance to confirm you have enough miles available at least 48 hours before the flight
- Request your upgrade at check-in using a kiosk or by speaking with an airport representative. Or, before check-in, contact an American Airlines reservation agent via phone.
- Get notified of the approved upgrade or that you’ve been placed on the waitlist to become eligible for an upgrade based on priority status. If your upgrade is confirmed, you’ll notice the miles deducted from your AAdvantage® miles balance.
