You Should NOT Be Buying AAdvantage Miles In The Current Sale
American Airlines has unleashed its latest miles promotion in which it is offering discounts of up to 35% when you buy AAdvantage miles. A 35% discount may sound reasonable and may even sound tempting but I'm here to tell you that you should definitely NOT be buying miles in this promotion.
Reminder: Last Day To Register For Hyatt/AAdvantage Promotion
Hyatt has been running a promotion in conjunction with the American Airlines AAdvantage program since the end of February and although the promotion still has 2 months to run the closing date for registration is today...so don't miss out.
Six American Airlines AAdvantage Business Class Sweet Spots
As regular readers will know I've recently made the move away from the AAdvantage program and am currently crediting my flights to the British Airways Executive Club. The BAEC makes earning top-tier status easier for me but I miss earning AAdvantage miles as the AAdvantage program offers a number of Business Class sweet spots that can be very useful and which represent a great use of miles.
American Airlines Is Selling Miles Again And This Time They’re Worth A Closer Look
American Airlines is back again with one of its very frequent miles sales. The past few sales have been poor (to say the least) but, while I usually advise against buying AAdvantage Miles, this time around I can definitely see where buying miles in this promotion may work for some.
Earn 10,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles On Select European Routes (US Departures Only)
American Airlines has announced a new promotion to help advertise three of its new European routes that we'll be seeing in 2018. There are a couple of limitation to the promotion (as you'll see in the details below) but, if you're looking for a vacation to Europe this year this could be a bonus.
American Airlines Is Back With Another Miles Sale (Through 16 Feb)
Back on 9 January I wrote about American Airlines’ first points sale of 2018 and I concluded that, at 2.1 cents/mile, I was finding it hard to recommend a purchase. I also said that the way American Airlines is going “there’s every chance there will be another [promotion] along soon after this one ends” and “if history keeps repeating itself the next promotion should offer miles at around 2.02 cents each”.
Well….guess what? Almost the moment the last American Airlines points sale ended a new one was launched and…you guessed it….the points are on sale for ~2.02 cents each :)
Moving From AAdvantage To The British Airways Executive Club – How I’m Handling It
Thanks to the superb job American Airlines management has done in decimating the once wonderful AAdvantage program, 2018 will be my last year of top-tier status with American Airlines.
I'm not saying that I'll never return to AAdvantage or that I'll never fly American Airlines again (both of those would be ridiculous statements to make) but I am saying that I'm done with trying to make the most of an ever depreciating program - it's time to try something different.
Is This Evidence That American Went Too Far When Gutting AAdvantage?
It's not really a secret that the new(ish) leadership team at American Airlines has been systematically cutting benefits, devaluing the AAdvantage program and generally introducing a series of customer-unfriendly changes to services and aircraft...but are we now starting to see signs that management went too far?
American Airlines Is Now Selling Miles For 2.1 Cents Each
American Airlines is back with another offer of a bonus for anyone still willing to buy AAdvantage miles and in keeping with the recent trend the airline is repeating a promotion we've seen before - buy miles and get up to 50,000 bonus miles thrown in.
I’m Giving Away THREE American Airlines Systemwide Upgrades
Christmas is coming a little early to Traveling For Miles as I'd like to give readers the use of the three American Airlines systemwide upgrades I couldn't use this year.
The systemwide upgrades don't expire until 31 January 2018 but, as I've explained in previous posts, I'm doing my best to avoid giving American Airlines any more of my cash than I absolutely have to and, thanks to the lack of confirmable upgrade space on American Airlines, I really don't see that changing anytime soon....even if it is to use up my systemwide upgrade allocation.
The Math Tells Me Not To Credit Flights To American Airlines
I've been trying my hardest not to be one of those travelers who complains incessantly about an airline devaluing its frequent flyer program only to keep handing that same airline his/her cash on an ongoing and frequent basis.
American Airlines has destroyed the AAdvantage program for travelers like me (for a very small minority it may have improved) so my plan has been to avoid flying American Airlines as much as possible...but it's been quite hard.
You Can Now Buy AAdvantage Miles For 1.77 Cents Each….Again
Someone really needs to sit the AAdvantage team down and explain the concept of a "sale" to them because I'm not convinced they understand what a sale actually is - perhaps someone in the Dallas Fort Worth area could drop off a dictionary to help them out.
Here's how ridiculous this is all getting.
AAdvantage Aviator Card Holders Can Earn Up To 20 Miles/$ Through Sunday
American Airlines has been sending out emails to AAdvantage Aviator credit card holders offering them up to 20 miles per dollar on spending at the AAdvantage eShopping store. Before you get overly excited you should know that the greatly enhanced earning rates are only available at a few select stores....but this could still be an economical way of racking up some AAdvantage miles while doing your Holiday shopping.
This offer appears to have been running for a few days so I'm not sure why I've only just received the email but, that aside, the offer looks interesting.
American Airlines Black Friday Deal – Buy Miles From 1.77 Cents (a.k.a I Told...
I know smugness really isn't an attractive quality on anyone but I'm feeling a little pleased with myself right now. In the first week of November American Airlines launched yet another miles promotion in which it was offering a bonus of up to 100,000 miles and, at the time, I suggested that no one should be jumping on that deal. My reasoning was that it appeared as if American was simply regurgitating its promotions from 2016 so, if the pattern continued, we would see the bonus increased by 20% for Black Friday/Cyber Monday.
American Airlines Is Still Sending Out Status Buy-Back Emails…..My Offer Is Ridiculous
One thing you can be sure about with American Airlines is that you're not going to be short of emails offering you different ways to part with your cash in increasingly uneconomic ways. If the airline isn't trying to sell you miles that you can't easily use it's pushing its co-branded credit cards, trying to get you to buy a cruise or tempting you to book a hotel room through RocketMiles (where you'll also earn miles you can't easily use).
Quite simply the airline will try to sell you anything it thinks you may be gullible enough to buy....and that included airline status.
Win 500,000 American Airlines AAdvatage Miles (US Only)
American Airlines AAdvantage miles may be getting harder and harder to use economically but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't take notice when the airline is offering to give you 500,000 miles for doing next to nothing.
American Airlines Is Offering A 100,000 Mile Bonus On Purchased Miles…..But I Can See...
It's time for another American Airlines mileage sale and this time around the airline is offering a bonus of up to 100,000 miles on purchased miles. Normally I'd probably tell you not to buy the miles because they're overpriced and hard to use economically....but this time I'm going to do something a little different.
First I'm going to tell you what the promotion is actually offering, then I'm going to show you the math and lastly I'm going to show you why I think I can predict the future.
Earn AAdvantage Miles For Booking Hotel Rooms (And Still Keep Status Benefits)
Earning airline miles for hotel stays isn't exactly a new concept but, in most cases, earning airline miles at hotels comes with some degree of sacrifice.
If you book your hotel stay through the likes of PointsHound, Kaligo or Rocketmiles you'll earn airline miles but, because you're not booking through the hotel chain directly, you won't be eligible for any status benefits that may be due to you.
AAdvantage Promotion: Earn Up To 60,000 Miles On Flights To Asia
American Airlines has come out with its second Asia promotion of the year and this one is not too dissimilar to the first. Flyers can earn up to 60,000 bonus AAdvantage miles when booking qualifying fares for travel on non-stop JAL and American Airlines flights between the US and Asia.
You Can Buy AAdvantage Miles For 2.10 Cents Each….But It’s A Bad Deal
Right now American Airlines is advertising a new offer in which you can buy AAdvantage Miles with a bonus of up to 35,000 miles thrown in if you buy at least 80,000 miles during the promotion period. Put simply, what all those numbers mean is that you can buy AAdvantage miles at around 2.10 cents each....and that's a bad deal.
Win 100,000 AAdvantage, Alaska Or United Miles When You Shop
Shopping portals can be a very good way of boosting your rewards balances while you go about your regular shopping. If you're sensible and disciplined (i.e you don't shop just because you're earning miles) you can keep the miles rolling in without spending any more than you would have done if the miles hadn't been on offer.
Great Starwood To American Airlines Conversion Bonus…But You Should Probably Ignore It
Great conversion bonuses don't normally come with huge caveats attached to them but when it comes to describing any kind of conversion to American Airlines AAdvantage miles a health warning should always be attached....and in big letters too.
Barclaycard USA Pilot Program Allows You To Buy Miles From 1 Cent Each
At the beginning of 2017 Citibank's monopoly on issuing AAdvantage credit cards was broken thanks to a deal American Airlines inked with Barclaycard USA....and this has seen some innovation in the AAdvantage credit card sector.
Citi's offerings had become somewhat stale so, when Barclaycard opened up its AAdvantage Aviator cards to new applications in January, it was a welcome change for a lot of customers.
Sign Of The Times With American Airlines – 75% Of My Systemwide Upgrades Will...
Not too long ago I was a pretty big fan of American Airlines. I liked the fact that the airline was investing in a newer fleet, I loved the AAdvantage program (it was the best airline loyalty program out there) and as a top-tier elites I had some very nice perks. But that was then.
American Airlines Is Hawking Miles Again – Most Should Stay Away (As Usual)
When I write a post here on TFM there can be any one of a number of reasons why I chose to write it - I may think the information in it will save someone money, I may think that a review of a product will better inform travelers of what's on offer and, sometimes I consider the post to be a PSA. This post definitely falls into that last category.
Earn Up To 5,000 AAdvantage Miles With Sam’s Club Membership
American Airlines & Sam's Club have come together to offer AAdvantage members the chance to earn up to 5,000 miles by taking out a Sam's Club membership. The number of miles you can earn will depend on the membership you take out and the AAdvantage status you hold.
I’m Very Glad American Airlines Eliminated This Rule
I already have most of my travels mapped out for 2017 and, as I've explained in the past, I'll be crediting my trips to American Airlines' AAdvantage program for one more year before almost certainly becoming a free agent in 2018.
While I'm more than used to having to hit 100,000 Elite Qualifying Miles every year to retain Executive Platinum status there's a new element to earning status this year that has seen me change how I book my flights - Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQD).
Big Changes To The Alaska Airlines & American Airlines Partnership
Alaska Airlines has long been a haven for flyers who like to credit their American Airlines flights to Alaska's Mileage Plan program for its better (and often easier) redemptions on a variety of airlines. Unfortunately, following an announcement today, that haven will soon disappear as Alaska and American Airlines dissolve most of their partnership.
American Airlines Selling Miles At 1.72 Cents/Mile (Again) – Should You Buy?
Since American Airlines merged with US Airways we've, unsurprisingly, seen a lot of US Airways-type behavior from the joint entity. One type of behavior that stands out in particular is that the airline almost always has some kind of "offer" available to anyone who wants to buy AAdvantage Miles. The last offer ran out on 30 June so it's not that surprising that we now have the airline's latest promotion....which appears to be an extension of the one that just ended.
A Great Example Of When AAdvantage Members Should Book Through Partner Airlines
On Tuesday I wrote about a very good British Airways Economy Class fare that's currently on offer for travel between Düsseldorf and Los Angeles ($383 roundtrip) and yesterday I wrote a guide showing how to calculate the number of Elite Qualifying Dollars you'll earn from a trip credited to American Airlines AAdvantage.
Today I'm going to use that fare to show why there are times when AAdvantage members should book fares through American's partners and not American itself...... even when the cost through both is the same.
How Do You Calculate AAdvantage Elite Qualifying Dollars?
From time to time, when I find a particularly good OneWorld fare (or set of fares), I'll write a post highlighting the routes on which the fare(s) can be found and detail out how many AAdvantage Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM), Redeemable Miles (RDM) and Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQD) can be earned by booking these fares. I've had a number of requests to explain how I work out how many EQDs each fare earns so here is a guide explaining just how American Airlines calculates how many Elite Qualifying Dollars to award for trips credited to AAdvantage.
You Can Buy AAdvantage Miles “Cheaply” Right Now…….And Here’s Why You Shouldn’t
AAdvantage miles are currently available to purchase directly through American Airlines for just 1.725 cents each but, although that's the lowest price we've seen for a number of years, you probably shouldn't be buying any miles from American - here's why.
AAdvantage Shopping Portal Is Running a “Mystery Bonus Event”
Shopping portals are a great way to boost your miles and points balances without spending any more that you would anyway (as long as you're disciplined!). By clicking through any one of a myriad of shopping portals (most major airlines have them as do some of the more popular credit card issuers) users can earn bonus points/miles on everyday spend without having to leave the comfort of their own homes.
American Airlines Offering Elite Qualifying Miles For Hotel Stays [Targeted]
American airlines is sending out emails to select AAdvantage members offering them the chance to earn Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM) for hotel stays across most major hotel chains. The offer is definitely targeted as only one of the three AAdvantage accounts I control received it and, as a point of reference, it was the account with least activity that received the offer.
How & Why American Airlines Has Lost Most Of My Business
American Airlines has been my primary airline for quite a few years now and the AAdvantage loyalty program was, for a long time, my favourite airline program by a considerable margin….but all that has changed very quickly over the past 18 months.
From the moment the management of US Airways got their hands on American back in December 2013 a lot of AAdvantage loyalists began to fear for the future of the program.
AAdvantage was the world’s first true airline loyalty program and, historically, had been one of the most generous programs out there…but we knew that couldn’t last.
AAdvantage was so much better than the loyalty programs United (MileagePlus) and Delta (SkyMiles) offered that we knew that, at some point, there was going to have to be a review of what AAdvantage offered.
How On Earth Did This Happen At The Freddies?!
Most travel awards are utter nonsense - that's just a fact of life. Even those awards that you'd expect to have an experienced and educated voter pool often turn out some pretty ridiculous results that prove just how meaningless the results are....but I've always held the Freddies (the annual loyalty program awards) to a higher standard. While they're certainly not perfect I'm not used to seeing the Freddies return any stunningly ridiculous results....up until this year.
From 2012 to 2015 the Airline Program of The Year Award (for the Americas) was won by the American Airlines AAdvantage program and the same program has also taken home the Best Elite Program (Airlines in the Americas category) from 2014 (when the category was introduced) through to 2016. None of those wins were much of a surprise as the accolades were mostly well deserved. But that was then.
American Airlines AAdvantage Isn’t Ready For Iberia Premium Economy
In October last year Iberia announced that it would be introducing a Premium Economy product into its fleet and, in January of this year, the airline opened up reservations for its new product on flights between Madrid and a number of US cities for travel starting as early as May.
With all that in mind you would have thought that, by now, American Airlines (Iberia's OneWorld partner) would be able to tell us how may Redeemable Miles/Elite Qualifying Miles/Elite Qualifying Dollars we will earn if we book Iberia Premium Economy and credit the flight(s) to AAdvantage. Sadly it appears as if that's too much to ask.
Why A Lot Of Flyers Should Be Booking Codeshare Flights If Crediting Travel To...
Since American Airlines moved over to a revenue based system for mileage accrual most travelers have seen their AAdvantage mileage earnings plummet. On 1 August 2016 AAdvantage completed its transformation from one of the most generous airline rewards programs to a shadow of its former self. Never was that fact made more obvious than when the miles from a recent trip to Sao Paulo posted to my account.
American Airlines Black Friday AAdvantage Sale – Buy Miles From 1.77 Cents
American Airlines is running a special Black Friday promotion alongside the "buy miles and get a bonus promotion" it launched earlier this month. Anyone buying AAdvantage miles between now and 11:59:59pm CT on 28 November 2016 will get an additional 20% bonus on the miles that they purchase.
American Airlines Will Sell You Elite Status – What Was Your Offer?
American Airlines has been sending out emails to AAdvantage members reminding them that they will, once again, allow customers to pay to retain their existing status (if it looks like that won't happen naturally) or to buy up to the next elite status level if they're within a reasonable distance of qualifying anyway.
Will American Airlines Use Premium Economy To Devalue AAdvantage Again?
Since we found out American Airlines' plans for its Premium Economy product there has been a lot of talk about what changes this is going to bring about. We've had discussions on how the airline will implement the new cabin, what effect Premium Economy will have on upgrades, what routes American will introduce Premium Economy on and how much American Airlines will charge for Premium Economy.
What I haven't seen discussed is how American Airlines is going to fit Premium Economy redemptions into its award chart and it's this aspect of what's coming soon that has me concerned.
American Offering Miles For 1.91 Cents Each…..But Don’t Jump In Too Quickly
American Airlines has opened up another of its regular "buy miles and get a bonus/discount" promotions so I thought I'd take a look at what value the promotion offers and if its worth readers considering a purchase.
This latest promotion runs through to 11:59pm CT on 28 November 2016 and, just like just about all other American Airlines miles promotions, it's tiered. At the top end you can buy miles with a 67% bonus while, lower down the scale, the bonuses range from a somewhat pointless 10% through to a more acceptable 60%.
No Surprise: American Airlines Adds New Elite Top-Tier
There have been rumours going around for some time suggesting that American Airlines will be adding a new top-tier status level to the AAdvantage program (I mentioned it just last week) and, as of yesterday, that's exactly what the airline has done.
American Airlines Will Waive Minimum Spend For Some US Flyers But Forgets Everyone Else
The changes to American Airlines' AAdvantage program continue to flow and, while I'll address most of the changes in a post later today, I'd like to focus on one particular change that American announced yesterday - a change to minimum spend.
Back in June, when American dropped the bombshell that it was introducing minimum spend criteria for all AAdvantage status levels, AAdvantage members were left wondering why American Airlines hadn't offered any ways to bypass the minimum spend criteria like both United and Delta have.
My Elite Status Plan Going Forward – British Airways, American Airlines Or Something Else
American Airlines has devalued the AAdvantage program considerably over the past year and when I take a look at the changes we know are coming, the changes we’re pretty sure are coming and the changes that are rumored to be coming, things just seem to get worse.
American Airlines May Introduce A New Top-Tier AAdvantage Status…..And Why I Don’t Really Care
A rumor has resurfaced that suggests that American Airlines may be about to introduce a new top-tier to the AAdvantage program. This isn’t the first time this has been muted – there was a lot chatter about this in the first few months of this year – but, even as a current top-tier elite with American Airlines, I’m relatively unconcerned.
Calling All UK Marriott Rewards Members…..
American Airlines has announced a very nice promotion whereby travelers can earn 20% more miles when they convert their Marriott Rewards points to AAdvantage miles and it was while I was researching that promotion that I noticed something a little odd. I tend to use the US Marriott Rewards website so my knowledge of the UK website is limited....and that's why I'm hoping to enlist the help of any UK readers who have used Marriott's UK website to check out the Flight & Hotel packages recently.
American Airlines Offering 20% Bonus On Transfers From Marriott
American Airlines has launched a promotion that gives travelers a 20% bonus on all points transfers from Marriott Rewards to the American Airlines AAdvantage program. In itself that’s not a bad promotion but what makes it even better it that it includes points transfers via Marriott’s “Flight & Hotel” packages.
Is American Airlines Offering Triple Elite Qualifying Miles?
Just a very quick post to alert readers to a promotion that American Airlines may be running but that seems to be limited to, at best, a small subset of American Airlines AAdvantage members (none of the three accounts I control were targeted for this promotion). Still, if this promotion is genuine and if you're lucky then American Airlines may be happy to offer you some bonus miles.
Hyatt To AAdvantage 25% Conversion Bonus – Good Or Bad Idea?
Hyatt has launched a 25% bonus for anyone looking to convert their Hyatt Gold Passport points into American Airlines AAdvantage miles and, if you convert 50,000 points to AAdvantage in one transaction, Hyatt will add a further 5,000 mile bonus. But just how good a deal is this?
Earn Up To 30,000 AAdvantage Miles On USA – Europe Travel
American Airlines is offering up to 30,000 AAdvantage Miles on flights between the US and Europe for travel this fall. With American's OneWorld partner, British Airways, offering a Triple Avios promotion during the same period travelers have the chance to bulk up their reward account balances if flying over the next few months.
American Airlines Asia Promotions – Earn Bonus AAdvantage Miles
American Airlines has launched a couple of Asia-related promotions which allow AAdvantage members to earn bonus miles on flights between the US/Canada and select cities in Asia as well as on round trip flights within Japan. These promotions are in conjunction with JAL so flights on both airlines will earn bonus miles.
BOOK QUICK! Great American Airlines Award & Upgrade Availability USA – Europe!
We've seen this before from American Airlines and this is clearly becoming "a thing". American Airlines has, once again, opened up a substantial number of Miles SAAver Business Class awards for travel to Europe from various American cities.
20% Bonus On Starpoint Transfers to American Airlines AAdvantage
American Airlines is offering a 20% bonus on all Starwood Starpoint transfers between 1 August and 14 September 2016.
Starpoints transfer over to American Airlines AAdvantage at a ratio of 1:1 (like they do for the majority of airline currencies) and, as always, the best value is to be had by transferring Starpoints over in multiples of 20,000.
Dilemma: AAdvantage Executive Platinum or British Airways Gold?
I haven't exactly made it a secret that I don't think very highly of American Airlines anymore and I haven't exactly been quiet on the changes that have been made (and that are still to be made) to the AAdvantage program. With those things in mind it's probably no surprise to find out that I've been keeping my eye open for somewhere new to credit all my flying. So far I haven't really come up with any great alternatives but a blog I wrote last week gave me pause for thought and it's given me a dilemma.
American Airlines Still Offering Miles At 1.91 Cents Each – Don’t Buy!
American Airlines is emailing AAdvantage members reminding them that, through 29 July the airline is still offering a bonus to anyone wishing (willing?) to purchase AAdvantage Miles ....but you should almost certainly ignore this promotion.
American Airlines New AAdvantage Partner Earnings & EQD – Full Analysis
On Friday American Airlines finally published how many AAdvantage Miles and Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQD) AAdvantage members can expect to earn for flights marketed by partner airlines. I never had high hopes for the new partner earnings charts and the fact that American waited until around 5pm Central Time on a Friday before publishing the information told me all I needed to know before I even so much as glanced at the new information.
American Airlines Announces New Credit Card Deal With Citi AND Barclaycard
We've known for a while that American Airlines' credit card deal with Citi was being renegotiated as the current deal draws to an end and we've been waiting to hear what any new deal has in store for customers. Today we should start to find out as American Airlines announced a new deal with Citi and, somewhat surprisingly, a new deal with Barclaycard US.
How To Make The Best Of American Airlines’ “No Stopovers” Rule For Awards
American Airlines does not allow stopovers if you're booking an award flight with AAdvantage Miles and, unlike Singapore Airlines, there's no way to get around this by paying a small fee or by booking round-trip travel. If you want to break your journey up with a stopover en route to your final destination (A to C with a stopover at B) American Airlines will charge you the price of two awards (A to B and B to C) and this requires considerably more AAdvantage Miles than if you were just booking an award from A to C.
Why I’m Sticking With American Airlines AAdvantage…..For Now
I've been pretty vociferous when it comes to the changes we've seen made to the American Airlines AAdvantage program over the past 9 months and I've been very clear that don't trust the airline's hierarchy one little bit....so some of you may have been surprised when, yesterday, I outlined the tactics I think I'll be employing to requalify for Executive Platinum status in 2017.
How AAdvantage Devaluations Will See Me Change My Tactics
From the moment that American Airlines announced that Executive Platinum members would only be receiving 4 systemwide upgrades (instead of 8) starting in 2017 I knew that the way I book my flights was probably going to have to change. That "probably" turned in to a "definitely" when I worked out just how badly I was going to be affected by the airline's move to a revenue-based system for redeemable mileage accrual.
Great American Airlines First Class Award Space (USA – Paris)
Right at the end of last month American Airlines opened up a surprising amount of Business Class award space for flights between the US and various European cities - award space which, by and large, is still available - and now some First Class award space appears to have opened up as well.
Why I Don’t Trust American Airlines Any More
I've already been pretty clear that I'm disappointed with the changes that American Airlines announced to the AAdvantage program on 6 June but that's not where my issue with the airline lies. The AAdvantage program is American's to do with as it pleases so, irrespective of how anyone feels about what they've done to it, we have to grin and bear it - the airline has every right to change its rewards program in any way it likes.
What it shouldn't have the right to do is to keep AAdvantage members dangling in suspense waiting for clarification on issues that directly affect the bookings they may want to make.
AAdvantage Miles Now Cheaper Than Ever….But Do We Really Care?
I don't remember a time when American Airlines AAdvantage Miles were worth less that they are right now. The devaluations that messrs Parker and Kirby have foisted upon AAdvantage members have taken their toll and a once amazing loyalty program is now a shadow of its former self.
But that's not going to stop American Airlines from selling us AAdvantage Miles and, in a move that would seem to show that even the leadership at AA recognises that their currency is worth a lot less than before, the latest "buy AAdvantage Miles" promotion sees AAdvantage Miles on offer at 1.72 cents each.
How To Upgrade With American Airlines AAdvantage Miles
On of the few things that American Airlines has left untouched (so far!) amongst all the AAdvantage changes are the Mileage Upgrades. We've seen the number of miles that we need to book award travel increase significantly, we've seen the number of miles we earn for travel plummet and we've seen American Airlines introduce minimum spend criteria for elite status...but the number of miles you need to upgrade your flights has, miraculously, remained unchanged.
Earning Status With The Big 3 US Airlines – Meeting Minimum Spend Requirements
On Tuesday I took a look at the qualification criteria set by the Big 3 US legacy airlines for anyone looking to earn status in their respective rewards programs and yesterday I followed that up with a post on how the Big 3 US airline award miles towards elite qualification. Today I'm going to take a look at the second major requirement that all three legacy carriers now have as part of their rewards programs - the minimum spend requirements - and specifically look at how flyers can meet the spend requirements on the 3 Big US legacy airlines.
Earning Status With The Big 3 US Airlines – Earning Miles Towards Elite Qualification
The announcement on Monday that American Airlines will be introducing minimum spend criteria to its AAdvantage program spurred me into taking another look into how elite status can be earned on the Big 3 US legacy airlines. Yesterday I took a look at the criteria set by American, Delta and United for those wishing to attain status in their rewards programs and today I'm going to take a look at how easy each airline makes it to earn the required number of miles that each elite status level requires.
Earning Status With The Big 3 US Airlines – The Requirements
After yesterday's news that American Airlines is further devaluing the AAdvantage program in a number of different and disappointing ways, including introducing a spending requirement for elite status, I thought it would be interesting to compare the criteria for earning status with all three of the remaining legacy US airlines. I also thought it would be interesting to see how easy or difficult each airline makes it to earn their status based on how they award miles, what exceptions they make to status requirements and what extra ways (other then flying) they offer to help travelers attain status faster.
American Airlines Guts The AAdvantage Program – Elite Qualifying Dollars & New Status Level...
American Airlines has just released details of what the AAdvantage program is going to look like going forward and it's almost universally bad news for miles & points collectors and those of us who've enjoyed what used to be the best airline loyalty program out there. The Delta-isation of AAdvantage is upon us so those with a weak disposition should probably stop reading now.
A Look At The Upcoming Changes To How You Earn AAdvantage Miles
American Airlines devalued the AAdvantage program on 22 March 2016 (when the cost of awards went up - some by over 60%) and will be devaluing it again at some point in 2016...or possibly even early 2017 (they don't seem to be able to put a timeline on this) when the loyalty program transitions over to a revenue based system for the purposes of mileage earning.
What Type Of British Airways Flyer Should Collect AAdvantage Miles?
Last week I suggested that there may be a section of British Airways flyers who would do quite well by switching their miles/points earning from Avios to American Airlines AAdvantage...at least for the duration of the current American Airlines promotion. The original point of that post was to show how British Airways Business Class flyers could earn a very healthy haul of AAdvantage Miles in the current promotion and to show how valuable those AAdvantage miles could be, compared to Avios, for long-haul reward flights.
Should British Airways Flyers Choose AAdvantage Miles Instead Of Avios?
AAdvantage Miles and Avios can both be earned and used on a very similar set of airlines thanks to the fact that the airlines to which they're aligned (American Airlines & British Airways) both belong to the oneWorld alliance. But, despite this fact and given a choice, I will almost always choose to earn AAdvantage Miles over Avios - the two currencies are very different.
Amazing Business Class Award Availability USA-London! (Upgrades Available Too)
There's no getting away from it, American Airlines is incredibly stingy with its premium cabin award inventory and the lack of award space on American Airlines has been a regular grip with frequent flyers for years. However, every now and again, the airline seems to go from one extreme to the other and a glut of award space opens up on routes where previously none had existed. Cue a feeding frenzy in the miles & points world.
Business Class Milan – JFK & 35,000 Miles From $1,590 (£1,095/€1,420)
There is a great Business Class fare currently available for travel between Milan and New York JFK that's not only good value price-wise but could earn you a significant number of miles as well. The one issue is that the fare isn't available for too many dates but, if you can be flexible with your dates, this may work well for you.
American Airlines To Introduce Domestic Premium Economy In 2017
Scott Kirby, President of American Airlines, was presenting at The Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2016 Transportation Conference this morning and, while there wasn't too much in his talk that we haven't heard from American before, one thing that came out of the Q&A stood out for me - Premium Economy cabins are coming to domestic American Airline flights in 2017.
American Airlines Promotion – Earn Up To 50,000 AAdvantage Miles
American Airlines has launched a promotion which allows AAdvantage members to earn up to 50,000 AAdvantage miles when they travel roundtrip between the US...
You Can Buy AAdvantage Miles For 1.8 Cents Each….But Should You?
American Airlines has introduced yet another "buy miles & get a bonus" promotion for anyone still happy to try to find value out of the AAdvantage program following the devaluation on 22 March. In February they offered miles at a little over 2 cents each while this time they're matching December's promotion of 1.8 cents per AAdvantage Mile.
Valuing AAdvantage Miles Post Devaluation
American Airlines devalued the AAdvantage Award charts on Tuesday 22 March so we're all now living in a world where AAdvantage Miles aren't worth...
Do Malaysia Airlines Codeshares On Emirates Earn AAdvantage Miles?
A reader recently emailed me to ask whether he would earn AAdvantage Miles for a flight he's taking with Emirates that he booked as a Malaysia Airlines codeshare. I'm guessing this reader isn't the first person to ask this question so here's what you need to know.
AAdvantage Devaluation Tomorrow – How To Buy More Time
I'm sure that just about everyone reading this blog knows that today is the last day to book awards using AAdvantage Miles at their historic rates so there's probably going to be a bit of a frenzy today. As of tomorrow the cost of awards is going up, in some cases by quite a significant amount, but what can you do if you're not ready to book an award today or if you can't find the award you want? What do you do if you need more time?
American Airlines AAdvantage Devaluation – 4 Days Left To Book
The American Airlines AAdvantage devaluation is just 4 days away so time is running out to book awards at the current levels. You have up...
American Airlines Awards You Should NOT Book Yet
Devaluation Day (D-Day ) is approaching rapidly for those of us with American Airlines AAdvantage miles and, with a lot of the better awards increasing in...
Qatar Airways Awards Available For World’s Longest Flight
Last week I wrote about Qatar Airways officially announcing a new route between Doha and Auckland which, at a little over 9,000 miles, will be the longest commercial flight in the world. Qatar Airways has scheduled the route to start from 3 December 2016 and it looks like Business Class award availability on this flight is already looking good.
Spending AAdvantage Miles Before The 22 March Devaluation
If you have any kind of meaningful balance of American Airlines AAdvantage miles then you almost certainly know that 22 March 2016 is not...
American Airlines Opening Up First & Business Class Awards To South America
Over the past few years American Airlines has been getting more and more stingy with the award seats it releases. This has led to...
Is American Airlines About To Add New Elite Status Levels?
A tweet posted by Holly Hegeman of PlaneBusiness.com has set off rumours that American Airlines is set to shake up AAdvantage elite levels...and not in a good way. The tweet suggests that we could be set to see new elite levels added to the AAdvantage program, specifically at the top level of the pyramid.
American Airlines Dismisses Reciprocal Upgrade Idea
Last Thursday I highlighted a piece from Australian Business Traveller (ABT) which indicated that American Airlines and Qantas were considering reciprocal points upgrades (presumably as a...
American Airlines & Qantas Considering Reciprocal Points Upgrades
American Airlines and Qantas have recently got a lot closer than just being OneWorld partners thanks to a joint venture agreement signed last year....
Buy American Airlines AAdvantage Miles For 2.02 Cents
American Airlines has started to make a habit of making their "buy AAdvantage Miles" promotions more complicated than they really need to be...and this promotion just goes to prove that point. If you purchase AAdvantage Miles between now and 1 March 2016 American Airlines will sweeten the pot with up to 42,500 bonus miles.
American Airlines Going Upgrade Crazy
Over the past few days quite a few blogs have been reporting on the sudden glut of award inventory that American Airlines has opened up on various routes. To American's frequent flyers this is mana from heaven and is a bounty we haven't seen for a very long time indeed.
But that's a subject that I've seen covered a lot elsewhere so that's not what I'm going to concentrate on in this post. What I'm more interested in is the upgrade availability that American has also opened up.
Should You Buy AAdvantage Miles
I’ve had a few emails from readers asking if they should be buying Advantage Miles in the current promotion so I thought I’d quickly...
American Airlines Still Won’t Tell Us When Mileage Earning Will Change
Back in November American Airlines announced that it would be following the pack and devaluing the once excellent AAdvantage loyalty program. The devaluation had...
AAdvantage Awards – A Possible Workaround the Devaluation Date
As most people know by now, American Airlines has begun to devalue their AAdvantage loyalty program and, come 22 March 2016, the cost of award...
United MileagePlus vs American Airlines AAdvantage (Part 2) – Earning & Burning Miles
Recent changes and devaluations to the American Airlines AAdvantage program have left me less than happy with what has been my loyalty program of...
New & Better AAdvantage Aviator Red Promotion
There were reports, last week, of AAdvantage Aviator Red credit card holders receiving a promotion in the mail that offered them 30,000 AAdvantage miles if they spend $2,500/month on their card for the next 6 months. I can’t say I was particularly impressed.
United MileagePlus vs American Airlines AAdvantage (Part 1) – Earning Status & Upgrades
Over a series of posts I'm going to take a look at how United's MileagePlus and American Airline's AAdvantage programs match up from my point of view. I'll see how status earning and status benefits compare, how award travel differs between the two airlines and anything else that may affect my view of both airlines' loyalty programs.
AAdvantage Executive Platinum Status – Would I Miss It?
The recently announced devaluations to the American Airlines AAdvantage program have had me considering my "loyalty" to the airline over the past few weeks and I've been considering my options. I'm asking myself if the benefits of flying American Airlines are still what they used to be before the devaluation? And if they're not, then should I be looking to another airline or booking flights purely on price?
American Airlines AAdvantage Devaluation: How The Earning Rate Changes Will Affect Me
One of the better ways to see just what effect the devaluations to a program will have is to compare what you earned under the existing policies and earning structure to what you would have earned if the new, devalued, policies and earning rates had been in place instead. So that's exactly what I've done with my AAdvantage earnings here.
American Airlines AAdvantage Changes – Effect on Redeemable Miles
A couple of days ago I published a post discussing how the recently announced changes to the AAdvantage Program would affect award redemptions by European based AAdvantage members (American Airlines AAdvantage Award Chart Devaluations – Euro Travelers’ Viewpoint) and it wasn't pretty. In this post I'm going to show how the changes to how we earn redeemable miles, being introduced from late 2016, makes everything doubly bad. Yep, I'm full of good news this week!
Buying AAdvantage Miles – One Last Hurrah?
This week saw a massive devaluation to the American Airlines AAdvantage program and, with the changes to the award charts being as welcome as a bout of botulism, you may be wondering why I'm writing a post about purchasing AAdvantage Miles. Bear with me and I'll explain why.
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