The American Airlines loyalty program, also known as AAdvantage, is free to join and offers some notable perks, especially if you regularly fly with the airline. American Airlines offers flights to 350 destinations throughout 50 countries.

We’ll share the pros and cons of the loyalty program to help you decide if its right for you.

The pros of the American Airlines loyalty program

American Airlines has several hubs

Whether or not AAdvantage membership is worth pursuing largely depends on where you're based and where you like to fly. Choosing an airline that has a hub near you or in your city can be beneficial. You can then assume the airline will have flight availability for your travel needs.

American Airlines has several hubs throughout the U.S., including:

Charlotte.

Chicago-O'Hare.

Dallas-Fort Worth.

Los Angeles.

Miami.

New York-JFK.

New York-LaGuardia.

Philadelphia.

Phoenix.

Washington-Reagan.

The large number of hubs increases the likelihood of American Airlines flights being widely available where you're based.

Award redemptions begin at 7,500 miles for domestic tickets

American has instituted some pretty big changes in 2023, including the launch of a fully dynamic award chart. Even so, the airline's published "award chart" still indicates that you can expect to redeem your miles for one-way domestic flights within the contiguous 48 U.S. states and Canada for as little as 7,500 miles through the American frequent flyer program.

You may also be able to find award redemptions for even less than 7,500 miles, thanks to the dynamic pricing model, but that's less certain.

Multiple ways to earn miles

American Airlines gives you several ways to earn miles. For starters, you can fly and earn, and the number of miles you’ll earn on a flight depends on your status level.