This Highlight details the recent emergence of a new type of A3 reaction (three-component condensation of an amine, an aldehyde and an alkyne). In contrast to the classic A3 coupling process, the redox-A3 reaction incorporates an iminium isomerization step and leads to amine α-alkynylation. The overall transformation is redox-neutral by virtue of a combined reductive N-alkylation/oxidative C-H bond functionalization.