American Airlines dropping three hotel partners – Hilton, Choice and Best Western
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In a surprising move, American Airlines has announced that it is dropping three major hotel partners on 31st March.
The hotel chains impacted are:
- Best Western Rewards
- Choice Privileges Rewards
- Hilton Honors
The following chains remain partners for now:
- IHG Rewards Club
- Marriott Bonvoy
- World of Hyatt
- Wyndham Rewards
American Airlines has been aligning itself closely with Hyatt over the last couple of years. It is possible that, as existing contracts expire, Hyatt will end up as the only American Airlines hotel partner.
I’m not sure this makes a huge amount of sense given Hyatt’s small footprint. There are huge parts of the world where you can’t stay in a Hyatt property even if you want to, and in those cases there is no revenue loss if a keen AA collector chooses a different partner.
American Airlines requires some account activity every 18 months to keep your miles alive. Three options for achieving this – converting Hilton, Best Western and Choice hotel points – will soon be taken away.
Want to learn more about redeeming Avios on American Airlines?
This HfP article tell you everything you need to know about how to redeem Avios points on American Airlines including the best ‘sweet spot’ redemptions.
How to earn American Airlines miles from UK credit cards (March 2024)
American Airlines no longer has its own UK credit card.
There is, however, still a way to earn American Airlines miles from a UK credit card.
The route is via Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty points convert to American Airlines miles at the rate of 3:1.
The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points is via the official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card. It comes with 20,000 points for signing up and 2 points for every £1 you spend. At 2 Bonvoy points per £1, you are earning (at 3:1) 0.66 American Airlines miles per £1 spent on the card.
You can apply here.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express
20,000 points sign-up bonus and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review