American now lets AAdvantage members pay for flights with a mix of cash and miles

American Airlines now lets AAdvantage members pay for a flight with part cash and part miles. The airline announced the feature on October 2. American says it is rolling out to eligible members on aa.com and in its app over the coming weeks.

Until now, using miles on American mostly meant one thing: an award ticket paid fully in miles, plus taxes. If you were short of the miles you needed, you had to buy more, wait, or pay the whole fare in cash. A cash-and-miles option fills that gap.

How it works

American describes a simple flow. You search and pick flights the normal way, priced in cash. After the screen that offers trip insurance, a slider appears. You move it to choose how much of the fare to cover with miles and how much with a card. The price summary updates as you slide, and then you pay.

That design matters. Because you start from a cash fare, this is not the same as an award ticket. It works off the fare you would have paid in dollars. American's release does not say how much each mile is worth in this mode, so check the math on the screen before you commit. Many airline cash-and-points tools value miles at a lower rate than a good award seat does.

Who can use it

American says the feature is for eligible AAdvantage members. It did not spell out the rules in its release. Expect to need a logged-in account with enough miles in it. The rollout is gradual, so not every member will see the slider at once.

Does it earn miles or status?

American's release does not say. On many airlines, the cash part of a mixed booking earns miles and status credit while the miles part does not. Until American confirms, assume you may earn less on a trip paid partly in miles than on a trip paid fully in cash.

Other recent AAdvantage changes

The release also points to a few newer perks that let members spend their balance or their status credit in new ways:

• Food and drink coupons at the 15,000 Loyalty Point level
• New York Times subscriptions as rewards at several Loyalty Point levels
• More gift choices for Million Miler members, which American says are coming soon

None of these changes who gets into an Admirals Club. Lounge access on American still comes from a club membership, a premium cabin on certain flights, oneworld elite status on qualifying trips, or a card such as the Citi AAdvantage Executive.

How it fits with lounges

There is one indirect link. Paying with miles on a premium fare can be a cheaper path into a lounge. On American, business and first class on long-haul and select transcontinental flights generally include lounge access. If a cash-and-miles split lets you buy that seat for less cash, you get the lounge with it.

American is also busy on the lounge side. This week it said it will build its largest Admirals Club, in Charlotte, and it has pledged about one new or renovated lounge a month.

The bottom line

Cash and miles is a flexibility tool, not a bargain by default. It helps most when you have a few thousand miles you would like to use, or when an award seat is not available but a cash seat is. Before you slide, compare the cash price with the miles you would give up. If a mile buys less here than it would on an award ticket, keep your miles for a better use.

Find more about the program on the AAdvantage page and on American's airline page.