Sweet Spot Sunday: Use AAdvantage miles to travel to the Caribbean, Mexico, or Central America

While shorter than many domestic flights, journeys to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America can be pricey. Alongside higher taxes and fees, airlines often impose steeper award rates for these routes.

However, it's possible to find affordable flights to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America with American Airlines. By following the steps below, you might discover award availability to these destinations for a relatively low amount of American Airlines miles.

What makes it unique

American Airlines AAdvantage is set to introduce fully dynamic mileage awards and a simplified award chart for travel on their flights. In the meantime, you can still secure MileSAAver off-peak awards to specific areas, allowing you to save on economy awards during certain travel windows.

Typically, MileSAAver awards for travel to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America cost 15,000 AAdvantage miles each way in economy, but during off-peak times, they can be booked for only 12,500 miles.

The discount is automatically applied, allowing you to book these awards even if your mileage balance falls short of the standard rates.

You can secure some fantastic destinations at these reduced rates, including San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO), Panama City (PTY), Aruba (AUA), Barbados (BGI), Bermuda (BDA), Mexico City (MEX), and Cancun (CUN).

Steps to book this award

Booking an off-peak MileSAAver award is just like any other AAdvantage redemption. However, it’s important to know the off-peak dates to make your reservation.

The designated off-peak dates for travel to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America are from April 21 to May 20 and from September 9 to November 18. Remember, the fall dates coincide with peak hurricane season for some destinations, so consider using a credit card with travel protections to cover the taxes and fees.

After selecting your travel dates, simply search on the American Airlines website as you normally would. Input your route, choose your dates, and check the "Redeem miles" option.

If MileSAAver awards are available, you’ll see the reduced rates automatically — no promo code required. Just keep in mind that this discount applies only to economy class, not to business or first class.

If you don’t find any MileSAAver availability, I suggest using the calendar search feature to explore alternative dates. Keep in mind that MileSAAver off-peak awards require you to fly with American Airlines, so connecting through partner airlines like Alaska won't qualify for these rates.

Since American Airlines prices awards dynamically, we’ve discovered some dates available for even lower rates than the typical off-peak MileSAAver pricing. If you have flexibility, you might secure these awards for just 10,000 miles (plus taxes and fees) each way.

The drawback of dynamic pricing is that during peak times, American can charge significantly more than the standard rates. For instance, we found one-way economy awards to Costa Rica priced as high as 65,000 miles plus $28.28 in taxes and fees.

Once you’ve chosen your flight, you’ll need to log in to your AAdvantage account to finalize the booking. Some of the top cards for covering taxes and fees on award tickets include The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Chase Sapphire Reserve. These cards not only earn bonus points on flights but also offer trip delay reimbursement — which is crucial during hurricane season.

How to accumulate miles for this award

If you're not a regular flyer with American Airlines, you may be curious about how to accumulate enough miles for this award. Initially, it might seem tough since American isn't a transfer partner for American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Citi ThankYou. However, there are numerous other ways to earn AAdvantage miles.

Accruing American miles through credit cards

Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio, whereas you can convert Marriott points to American Airlines AAdvantage at a 3:1 ratio. To accumulate Marriott points, consider adding a Marriott Bonvoy credit card to your collection.

A potentially easier way to accumulate AAdvantage miles is by obtaining and using an American cobranded credit card. Besides boosting your AAdvantage account, some American Airlines cobranded cards offer valuable "elite-lite" perks, including free checked bags on domestic flights and lounge access.

Additional ways to earn American miles

You don't need to apply for a new credit card to earn the miles you need. Although generally at less favorable rates, you can also transfer World of Hyatt points, IHG One Rewards points, and Choice Privileges points to American AAdvantage.

Alternatively, you can shop online via the AAdvantage eShopping portal or dine through AAdvantage Dining. You also have the option to purchase American Airlines miles, though this may sometimes be more expensive than buying the ticket directly.

For additional options, check out our comprehensive guide on earning American Airlines miles.

In summary

American Airlines AAdvantage is set to remove its MileSAAver and AAnytime awards, transitioning entirely to dynamically priced flight redemptions. However, as of now, you can still reserve off-peak MileSAAver awards. As highlighted in this article, some dates may offer even lower pricing due to dynamic pricing adjustments.