Transfer AA Miles to Another Person: Costs, Limits, and Smarter Alternatives
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Want to help a friend or family member top up their AAdvantage balance? Yes, you can transfer AA miles to another person’s account. There are several ways to do this: you can transfer miles between accounts, but you will have to pay a fee, or you can avoid the fee by booking a reward ticket directly in the other person’s name. Here’s how the rules currently work, the exact cost, restrictions, and when a transfer really makes sense.
Transfer AA Miles to Another Person
As I mentioned, transferring AAdvantage miles to another member online is not free: the cost is $0.005 per mile (half a cent) with no additional processing fee. Each calendar year, you can transfer up to 200,000 miles and receive up to 200,000 miles. Transfers are usually reflected almost instantly (within 4 hours) and are non-refundable.
Keep in mind that transferred miles do not earn loyalty points and do not count toward Million Miler status. It is often smarter to waive the transfer fee and simply book the award from your account in the name of another traveler, which is permitted by AAdvantage.
How to Transfer AA Miles (Step-by-Step)
- Log in at aa.com → AAdvantage → Buy, gift or transfer miles → Transfer.
- Enter the recipient’s name, AAdvantage number, and miles to transfer (1,000-mile increments).
- Review the cost at 0.5¢/mile, pay, and submit. Transfers are final.
Requirements & Limits
- Sender and recipient must both be AAdvantage members.
- Max 200,000 miles sent and 200,000 received per member, per calendar year.
What It Costs
American now charges $5 per 1,000 miles to transfer. Example:
- Send 20,000 miles → $100.
- Send 60,000 miles → $300.
If you value AA miles around 1.3¢ each (a common benchmark), paying 0.5¢ to move them can be fine to top up for a specific high-value award — but don’t transfer speculatively.
Should You Transfer or Just Book an Award for Them?
If you’ve got enough miles, you can use them to get a ticket for someone even if it’s not for you. Usually, there’s no extra cost for this. On American Airlines’ website, you can book the award travel and just put in the other person’s information when you pay.
Okay, here’s when to transfer miles:
- The person you’re sending to is just a few miles short of getting an award.
- You are trying to snag an award quickly before it disappears and moving miles will help you book the ticket from their account right away.
Here’s when you should just book the ticket for them:
- You already have enough miles yourself.
- You don’t want to pay transfer fees.
- You want to deal with the booking yourself until it’s finalized (American Airlines only holds award tickets for 24 hours now).
Comparison Table: Your Options to Share AAdvantage Value
| Option | Cash Cost | Annual Limits | Loyalty Points? | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer Miles | $0.005/mi (½¢) | 200k out / 200k in per member | No | Quick top-ups so the other person can book from their own account. |
| Gift Miles (you buy miles for them) | Variable sale price (frequent promos) | Buy/Gift up to 200k/yr | No | When the recipient needs miles and a buy miles sale is attractive. |
| Book Award in Their Name | $0 transfer fee | N/A | N/A | Usually the smartest (no transfer fee). You ticket from your account. |
Fine Print That Matters
- Once transferred, miles can’t be pulled back unless the recipient initiates a new transfer (and you both stay within annual caps).
- Miles typically post right away (allow up to 4 hours).
- Buying, gifting, or transferring miles doesn’t earn Loyalty Points or Million Miler credit.
- AA doesn’t let you transfer AAdvantage miles to other loyalty programs (and vice versa).
- AA cut award holds to 24 hours for everyone — plan redemptions accordingly.
Cost Examples
| Scenario | Miles You Move | Cash You Pay | When It Makes Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top-up for a domestic saver award | 5,000 | $25 | Recipient is just short for a ticket that’s likely to disappear. |
| Transatlantic off-peak top-up | 20,000 | $100 | Good if the award is high value (e.g., avoiding pricey cash fares). |
| Large pool for business class | 80,000 | $400 | Consider booking from your account instead to skip fees—only transfer if necessary. |
Booking an AA Award Ticket for Someone Else
It’s easy to book an American Airlines AAdvantage award ticket for someone else. Just log into your account and search for award flights like you normally would. Once you find the flights you want, go to checkout and enter the traveler’s info. This includes their full legal name exactly as it appears on their passport or ID, birth date, gender, and any Known Traveler or Redress numbers.
If they want perks with a certain airline, you can add their frequent flyer number.
Note: the ticket won’t earn miles, but it might help with seat selection on some airlines.
Pay for the award ticket with your miles and use a credit or debit card to cover the taxes and fees. Put the traveler’s email and phone number as the contact info, that way they’ll receive updates about any schedule changes or check-in reminders.
After you book, share the record locator with the person, so they can choose their seats and manage the trip. This is import, especially if a partner airline operates the flight. They might need the partner’s record locator to select seats or add passport info.
Triple-check the names before you buy the ticket. Name changes aren’t allowed on award tickets. Also, make sure the traveler meets any visa or entry requirements. Keep in mind that any changes or cancellations follow your AAdvantage rules, even though someone else is flying.
Also, if you need some time to confirm plans, you can usually put the flight on hold for a short period before buying the ticket. Just make sure the hold option is available for the flights you want.
FAQs
Is there a minimum or increment to transfer?
Yes — 1,000-mile increments (you’ll see this on the transfer screen during checkout).
How fast do transferred miles show up?
Usually instant, but AA says allow up to ~4 hours.
Do transferred miles earn Loyalty Points?
No. Transferred (and gifted/bought) miles do not earn Loyalty Points or Million Miler credit.
Can I transfer AA miles to another airline or to a bank program?
No. AAdvantage miles are only transferable between AA accounts, not to other programs.
Can I book an award for someone else instead?
Yes. Redeem from your account and enter the other traveler’s details at checkout (often the best move).
Bottom Line
Transferring AA miles is much cheaper than it used to be at ½¢ per mile — great for small top-ups when a specific award is on the line. But the fee-free play is still to book the award from your own account in the other person’s name whenever you can. Know the 200k-per-year limits, expect near-instant posting, and remember: no Loyalty Points from transfers.
