American starts letting customers mix cash and miles for tickets

American Airlines is joining carriers that allow customers to book with a combination of cash and miles, the latest change at the carrier as it tries to grow its lucrative loyalty program.

American said customers will see a slider bar allowing them to combine AAdvantage program miles with cash for their tickets at checkout.

The option could be useful when customers don’t have enough miles for the entire ticket and are looking to shave some cash off the ticket price.

Other airlines, including American’s chief rivals United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, currently allow customers to combine their frequent flyer miles with cash. For example, a one-way ticket on United from its Newark Liberty International Airport hub in New Jersey to Paris the first week of November was going for 40,000 United MileagePlus miles plus $5.60 in tax, $428.50 in cash, or $369 plus 6,000 miles.

The slider bar American plans to roll out in the coming days will give customers the option of using more miles for a bigger discount.

American’s updated tool comes as airlines’ battles for high-spending customers extend to new airport lounges, bigger premium cabins and in-flight Wi-Fi.