Apr 6, 2014, 12:02 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
Reengagement Challenge / Challenges to Reinstate / Restore Expired Miles
Some consolidated info about the American Airlines Reengagment Challenge.
NOTE: It appears AA has implemented significant miles reinstatement policy changes as of May, 2019.
1) You may reinstate your miles only within eighteen months after your miles expired because off account inactivity.
2) We know you can pay a fee to do this, but we don’t know at this time if there are still other ways to “re-engage” in some of the ways discussed below.
1) You may reinstate your miles only within eighteen months after your miles expired because off account inactivity.
2) We know you can pay a fee to do this, but we don’t know at this time if there are still other ways to “re-engage” in some of the ways discussed below.
You have to call in to the AAdvantage Customer Service desk to register for this unpublished benefit
What you have to do:
- Subscribe and remain subscribed to receive AAdvantage Account Summary and AAdvantage Promotions emails
- For under 50000 miles
- Earn 5,000 partner base miles*
OR - Earn miles for 1 round trip flight**
- Earn 5,000 partner base miles*
- For 50,001-75,000 Expired Miles
- Earn 7,000 partner base miles*
AND - Earn miles for 1 round trip flight**
- Earn 7,000 partner base miles*
- For 75,001 or More Expired Miles
- Earn 10,000 partner base miles*
AND - Earn miles for 2 round trip flight**
- Earn 10,000 partner base miles*
You can restore part of your balance, then choose to continue on and restore the rest by completing the additional mileage earning activities.
*Partner miles include anything that doesn't involve flying listed under the earn miles section of American's page, however you only earn miles at the published rates as bonus miles (such as the AA Citi Sign up offer do not count).
Based on my questions to the AA desk, transfers of SPG points don't count either.
** Purchase a ticket and fly round trip on American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, or Qantas flight numbers (codeshares marketed by these carriers but operated by others are also eligible), earning miles in your AAdvantage account. You may mix outbound and return carriers.
Here US Airways also counts as American.
Note: AA has more recently offered reinstatement of lost / expired AAdvantage miles by charging a fee (post by myguess1 was an offer to reinstate 84,000 expired miles for $600.00).
How to Reactivate / Restore / Reinstate Expired Miles – Reengagement Challenge
Aug 7, 2008, 11:29 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: MD
Programs: AA Plat, PC Plat, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 18
How to Reactivate / Restore / Reinstate Expired Miles – Reengagement Challenge
I recently switched over to AA for business trips.
Thanks to this website, I took the fast track to Plat only in a couple months. (challenges)
I had about 30k expired miles in my account that I had let expire a couple years ago.
While i was signed up for the platinum challenge, AAdvantage services concurrently signed me up for their "Re-Engage" Challenge. I searched the FT forums and found no mention of this, so I thought some other people might be interested as well.
Once i met the challenges, they reactivated all of my expired miles at NO FEE!
The challenges were simple:
1) be subscribed to AAdvantage promotional emails for at least 3 months (already was)
2) fly one round trip of at least 750 miles in each direction
3) earn miles from some other third party (i.e. rental cars, dining, citi credit card, etc)
If anyone is interested, I can copy and paste the whole email I received from them detailing all the specifics of the challenge.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MODERATOR'S NOTE
The details of the Reengagement Challenge appear to have changed since this initial post. For the latest as of Dec 2010, see bearaway's post here.
dstan
AA Forum Co-Moderator
Thanks to this website, I took the fast track to Plat only in a couple months. (challenges)
I had about 30k expired miles in my account that I had let expire a couple years ago.
While i was signed up for the platinum challenge, AAdvantage services concurrently signed me up for their "Re-Engage" Challenge. I searched the FT forums and found no mention of this, so I thought some other people might be interested as well.
Once i met the challenges, they reactivated all of my expired miles at NO FEE!
The challenges were simple:
1) be subscribed to AAdvantage promotional emails for at least 3 months (already was)
2) fly one round trip of at least 750 miles in each direction
3) earn miles from some other third party (i.e. rental cars, dining, citi credit card, etc)
If anyone is interested, I can copy and paste the whole email I received from them detailing all the specifics of the challenge.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MODERATOR'S NOTE
The details of the Reengagement Challenge appear to have changed since this initial post. For the latest as of Dec 2010, see bearaway's post here.
Here’s the Info You Requested on Restoring Your Expired Miles:
We’re delighted that you wish to re-engage in the AAdvantage® program, and encourage you to keep up your progress. You are already opted in to the AAdvantage® eSummarySM email and the AAdvantage® Promotions email. The first requirement is to remain subscribed to these two programs for the duration of your challenge. These emails not only provide opportunities to earn bonus miles but also give you a monthly reminder of the date on which your mileage balance is set to expire.
For additional requirements, please refer to the chart below to automatically restore some or all of the miles that expired from your account:
Level 1: Up to 50,000 Miles
Choose 1 of the following:Level 2: Up to 200,000 Miles
1. Satisfy Level 1 to get 50,000 miles restored
2. If you satisfied Level 1 with Partner Mileage, then you must add another 5,000 miles from 3 different partners, making a total of 10,000 miles earned
OR
3. If you satisfied Level 1 with a qualifying flight, then you’re all set and you’ve also satisfied Level 2!
Level 3: More than 200,000 Miles
1. Satisfy Level 2 to get a total of 200,000 miles restored
2. Add either:The All-Important Details:
Finally, keep in mind that anytime you need to use some of your expired miles quickly, the fastest way to get them restored is with the reactivateAAmiles program. For more information on the cost, validity period and procedures, please visit our reactivateAAmiles page on AA.com.
Even though your miles have expired we hope this unique opportunity helps to reward you for becoming active once again. We want you to make the most of your membership, and we are always available to help.
We’re delighted that you wish to re-engage in the AAdvantage® program, and encourage you to keep up your progress. You are already opted in to the AAdvantage® eSummarySM email and the AAdvantage® Promotions email. The first requirement is to remain subscribed to these two programs for the duration of your challenge. These emails not only provide opportunities to earn bonus miles but also give you a monthly reminder of the date on which your mileage balance is set to expire.
For additional requirements, please refer to the chart below to automatically restore some or all of the miles that expired from your account:
Level 1: Up to 50,000 Miles
Choose 1 of the following:
- Earn 5,000 miles from 3 different partners
OR - Fly 1 roundtrip on AA or any oneworld carrier and earn at least 750 base miles each way
1. Satisfy Level 1 to get 50,000 miles restored
2. If you satisfied Level 1 with Partner Mileage, then you must add another 5,000 miles from 3 different partners, making a total of 10,000 miles earned
OR
3. If you satisfied Level 1 with a qualifying flight, then you’re all set and you’ve also satisfied Level 2!
Level 3: More than 200,000 Miles
1. Satisfy Level 2 to get a total of 200,000 miles restored
2. Add either:
- An additional roundtrip on AA or a oneworld carrier, earning at least 750 base miles each way – making a total of two roundtrips
OR - An additional 10,000 miles from 3 different partners, making a total of 20,000 miles earned
- Only miles that expired on or after December 31, 2002 are eligible to be restored.
- Partner Mileage Requirement: Earn a minimum of 5,000, 10,000 or 20,000 AAdvantage miles by using the products or services of at least 3 AAdvantage partners. For suggestions, visit the nifty Web site at aadvantageconnections.com. Or visit AA.com® for a complete list of partners and see how easy it is to stay active and retain your mileage balance. The only miles that will not count toward this requirement are any miles received through the shareAAmiles® program or the reactivateAAmilesSM program or through Customer Service
- American Airlines or oneworld Flight Requirement: Purchase a ticket and fly 1 or 2 roundtrips on AA or any other oneworld carrier, earning a minimum of 750 base AAdvantage miles each way. Go to AA.com for the latest fare sales and take a business trip or treat yourself to a weekend getaway or family vacation. With our online booking tool at AA.com, it’s easy to find the price and schedule you prefer!
- Deadline: You will have 6 months from the day you contacted us and we set up your challenge to complete all the requirements. Remember, in order to meet the challenge, you must still be opted in to receive the required emails, and all qualifying activity must have posted to your account
- Approximately 7 – 12 days after you’ve met the requirements for each level, we will automatically restore the applicable expired miles to your account and send you a confirmation email. That’s when you’ll know the miles are back in your account and ready for use!
Finally, keep in mind that anytime you need to use some of your expired miles quickly, the fastest way to get them restored is with the reactivateAAmiles program. For more information on the cost, validity period and procedures, please visit our reactivateAAmiles page on AA.com.
Even though your miles have expired we hope this unique opportunity helps to reward you for becoming active once again. We want you to make the most of your membership, and we are always available to help.
AA Forum Co-Moderator
Last edited by dstan; Dec 3, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Aug 12, 2008, 9:20 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: MD
Programs: AA Plat, PC Plat, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 18
****Copied from my email ****
Here’s the Info You Requested on Restoring Your Expired Miles:
We’re delighted that you wish to re-engage in the AAdvantage® program, and encourage you to keep up your progress. Once you complete the following requirements, be sure to let us know and we will restore up to 50,000 of the miles that expired from your account:
1. You are already opted in to the AAdvantage® eSummarySM email and the AAdvantage® Promotions email. The first requirement is to remain subscribed to these two programs for the duration of your challenge (which must be a minimum of 3 consecutive months). We encourage you to stay opted-in since these emails help you keep up to date on your AAdvantage® account activity and provide many opportunities to add bonus miles to your account. One other benefit of receiving the AAdvantage eSummarySM email is that you will have a monthly reminder of the date on which your mileage balance is set to expire – so you can avoid having to deal with expired miles ever again!
2. For the next requirement, you can choose any one of three options:
a. You can become a Citi® / AAdvantage® cardholder and earn a minimum of 750 base AAdvantage® miles with the card. You can meet this requirement by applying for and receiving a new Citi® / AAdvantage® credit or debit card and using the card for purchases. Depending on the type of card you obtain, you will earn 1 AAdvantage® base mile for every $1 or $2 spent on purchases with the card. To speak with a Citi representative about applying, please call 800-640-1517 (be sure to have your AAdvantage® number handy). Or, use this link to visit the Web site at miles7.citicards.com. (Please allow 8-10 weeks after your first purchase for miles to be posted to your account.) Remember, any enrollment bonus you may earn for becoming a new Citi cardholder does not count toward the 750 base miles you must earn to satisfy this requirement – but it sure can help you rebuild your mileage balance!
b. Another alternative is to earn a minimum of 5,000 AAdvantage® miles by using the products or services of at least 3 AAdvantage® program participants. For suggestions, visit the nifty Web site at mileagemaximizer.com. This interactive tool helps you calculate how many miles you can earn simply by doing the things you normally do. Visit AA.com® for the complete list of program participants and learn all of the many ways to earn AAdvantage® miles. We think you’ll see how easy it is to stay active in the program – and keep your mileage balance from expiring ever again. Once you get in the habit of earning miles for your transactions, it’s a tough habit to break! The only miles that will not count toward this requirement are any miles received through the shareAAmiles® program or the reactivateAAmilesSM program or through Customer Service.
c. The third option is for you to purchase a ticket and fly 1 roundtrip on American Airlines, earning a minimum of 750 base AAdvantage® miles each way. Go to AA.com® for the latest fare sales and see just how affordable it can be to travel on AA. Treat yourself to a weekend getaway or a family vacation; visit relatives or historic sights; take that business trip or spur-of-the-moment flight. With our online booking tool at AA.com®, it’s easy to explore the possibilities.
3. Please note that you will have 12 months from the day you contacted us and we set up your challenge to complete all the requirements. The sooner you let us know that you’re done, the sooner we will restore up to 50,000 of the miles that expired from your account.
4. Which brings us to the most important step: Once you have fulfilled all requirements, you must contact AAdvantage® Customer Service so we can validate your activity and restore your expired miles. This does not happen automatically, so please don’t forget to call! The number is 800-882-8880 and speak “AAdvantage® Services” then select “Account Information” and ask for an “agent.” We’ll take it from there.
Finally, keep in mind that anytime you need to use some of your expired miles quickly, the fastest way to get them is with the reactivateAAmilesSM program. For more information on the cost, validity period and procedures, please visit our Web site at aa.com and select “Buy, Share, Gift Miles” from the AAdvantage® fly-out menu.
Even though your miles have expired we hope this unique opportunity helps to reward you for becoming active once again. We want you to make the most of your membership, and we are always available to help.
Here’s the Info You Requested on Restoring Your Expired Miles:
We’re delighted that you wish to re-engage in the AAdvantage® program, and encourage you to keep up your progress. Once you complete the following requirements, be sure to let us know and we will restore up to 50,000 of the miles that expired from your account:
1. You are already opted in to the AAdvantage® eSummarySM email and the AAdvantage® Promotions email. The first requirement is to remain subscribed to these two programs for the duration of your challenge (which must be a minimum of 3 consecutive months). We encourage you to stay opted-in since these emails help you keep up to date on your AAdvantage® account activity and provide many opportunities to add bonus miles to your account. One other benefit of receiving the AAdvantage eSummarySM email is that you will have a monthly reminder of the date on which your mileage balance is set to expire – so you can avoid having to deal with expired miles ever again!
2. For the next requirement, you can choose any one of three options:
a. You can become a Citi® / AAdvantage® cardholder and earn a minimum of 750 base AAdvantage® miles with the card. You can meet this requirement by applying for and receiving a new Citi® / AAdvantage® credit or debit card and using the card for purchases. Depending on the type of card you obtain, you will earn 1 AAdvantage® base mile for every $1 or $2 spent on purchases with the card. To speak with a Citi representative about applying, please call 800-640-1517 (be sure to have your AAdvantage® number handy). Or, use this link to visit the Web site at miles7.citicards.com. (Please allow 8-10 weeks after your first purchase for miles to be posted to your account.) Remember, any enrollment bonus you may earn for becoming a new Citi cardholder does not count toward the 750 base miles you must earn to satisfy this requirement – but it sure can help you rebuild your mileage balance!
b. Another alternative is to earn a minimum of 5,000 AAdvantage® miles by using the products or services of at least 3 AAdvantage® program participants. For suggestions, visit the nifty Web site at mileagemaximizer.com. This interactive tool helps you calculate how many miles you can earn simply by doing the things you normally do. Visit AA.com® for the complete list of program participants and learn all of the many ways to earn AAdvantage® miles. We think you’ll see how easy it is to stay active in the program – and keep your mileage balance from expiring ever again. Once you get in the habit of earning miles for your transactions, it’s a tough habit to break! The only miles that will not count toward this requirement are any miles received through the shareAAmiles® program or the reactivateAAmilesSM program or through Customer Service.
c. The third option is for you to purchase a ticket and fly 1 roundtrip on American Airlines, earning a minimum of 750 base AAdvantage® miles each way. Go to AA.com® for the latest fare sales and see just how affordable it can be to travel on AA. Treat yourself to a weekend getaway or a family vacation; visit relatives or historic sights; take that business trip or spur-of-the-moment flight. With our online booking tool at AA.com®, it’s easy to explore the possibilities.
3. Please note that you will have 12 months from the day you contacted us and we set up your challenge to complete all the requirements. The sooner you let us know that you’re done, the sooner we will restore up to 50,000 of the miles that expired from your account.
4. Which brings us to the most important step: Once you have fulfilled all requirements, you must contact AAdvantage® Customer Service so we can validate your activity and restore your expired miles. This does not happen automatically, so please don’t forget to call! The number is 800-882-8880 and speak “AAdvantage® Services” then select “Account Information” and ask for an “agent.” We’ll take it from there.
Finally, keep in mind that anytime you need to use some of your expired miles quickly, the fastest way to get them is with the reactivateAAmilesSM program. For more information on the cost, validity period and procedures, please visit our Web site at aa.com and select “Buy, Share, Gift Miles” from the AAdvantage® fly-out menu.
Even though your miles have expired we hope this unique opportunity helps to reward you for becoming active once again. We want you to make the most of your membership, and we are always available to help.
Aug 13, 2008, 2:52 pm
#6
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AA EXP; SPG Gold; Hyatt Platinum; Amex Platinum; Meaningless to Everyone Else
Posts: 253
Thanks for posting this information. My sister just lost 35,000 miles due to 18 months of inactivity. When she logged into her account to redeem her miles she was upset she lost them about a month ago. She called me in a frantic state and I told her the only way to get them back is to pay to reactivate them. This is a much better deal!
Sep 2, 2008, 10:19 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Freising
Posts: 94
Glad to have found this. Have a friend in a similar situation. He was unaware of the change from 36months to 18months and just found out he lost ~100,000 miles in December '07. (An unpardonable sin in my book, but that is water under the bridge ....)
He just completed a business trip to Japan (DFW-NRT) last month on AA that cost about $2200. That was his first trip on AA in some time. Most of his current business flights are on WN (DAL-HOU). I would appreciate some advice/feedback on how to ask for the entire ~100K miles back. According to the text of the reactivate challenge you can only get back 50K.
He just completed a business trip to Japan (DFW-NRT) last month on AA that cost about $2200. That was his first trip on AA in some time. Most of his current business flights are on WN (DAL-HOU). I would appreciate some advice/feedback on how to ask for the entire ~100K miles back. According to the text of the reactivate challenge you can only get back 50K.
Sep 2, 2008, 11:05 am
#8
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Fort Worth, Tx
Programs: My views are strictly my own and do not reflect the views of any company.
Posts: 339
Glad to have found this. Have a friend in a similar situation. He was unaware of the change from 36months to 18months and just found out he lost ~100,000 miles in December '07. (An unpardonable sin in my book, but that is water under the bridge ....)
He just completed a business trip to Japan (DFW-NRT) last month on AA that cost about $2200. That was his first trip on AA in some time. Most of his current business flights are on WN (DAL-HOU). I would appreciate some advice/feedback on how to ask for the entire ~100K miles back. According to the text of the reactivate challenge you can only get back 50K.
He just completed a business trip to Japan (DFW-NRT) last month on AA that cost about $2200. That was his first trip on AA in some time. Most of his current business flights are on WN (DAL-HOU). I would appreciate some advice/feedback on how to ask for the entire ~100K miles back. According to the text of the reactivate challenge you can only get back 50K.
The tiers are thus...
50k and under..the above reengagement applies..
1-200k..in addition to the above, you must become a Citi AA cardholder, take a rt on AA equaling 750 miles or more in each directio OR earn 5k partner miles.
over 200k, change the rt to 2 rt's and 10k miles..you have a year to do it in .
The reengagement is NOT retroactive to flights already taken.
Call ACS for specific account info.
Sep 2, 2008, 11:36 am
#9
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Welcome to FlyerTalk, robp, and thanks for sharing!
This has now been linked to in the "AAdvantage Miles" section of the "Unofficial Users' Guide" sticky thread.
This has now been linked to in the "AAdvantage Miles" section of the "Unofficial Users' Guide" sticky thread.
Sep 5, 2008, 6:21 pm
#11
Join Date: Jan 2006
Programs: AA gold MM, HH gold, SPG gold,
Posts: 217
This was a pleasant surprise. Had no idea this could be done, but will be passing the word along to two relatives who had miles expire a few years ago. It wasn't worth buying them back, but this is doable for them. FT is such a resource!
Sep 5, 2008, 9:18 pm
#12
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
:-:Thanks:-: for posting this - it may help some folks who got out of touch return.
The tiers are thus...
50k and under..the above reengagement applies..
1-200k..in addition to the above, you must become a Citi AA cardholder, take a rt on AA equaling 750 miles or more in each directio OR earn 5k partner miles.
over 200k, change the rt to 2 rt's and 10k miles..you have a year to do it in .
The reengagement is NOT retroactive to flights already taken.
Call ACS for specific account info.
50k and under..the above reengagement applies..
1-200k..in addition to the above, you must become a Citi AA cardholder, take a rt on AA equaling 750 miles or more in each directio OR earn 5k partner miles.
over 200k, change the rt to 2 rt's and 10k miles..you have a year to do it in .
The reengagement is NOT retroactive to flights already taken.
Call ACS for specific account info.
Sep 6, 2008, 5:52 pm
#13
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Pasadena, CA; southwest Michigan; Oxford, UK... (LAX, ORD, LHR)
Programs: AA GLD (sometimes PLT), former Mileage Plus
Posts: 89
I had about 17,000 UA miles from way back when expire recently. They didn't offer anything like this. Wanted me to pay $300 to re-activate. 
I just told them that American could expect even more of my business in the future (at some point I'd been planning to take another United flight to get up to 25,000 and get an award ticket, at least, but now obviously that's out the window!)
I just told them that American could expect even more of my business in the future (at some point I'd been planning to take another United flight to get up to 25,000 and get an award ticket, at least, but now obviously that's out the window!)
Nov 19, 2008, 7:53 pm
#14
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 19
Two questions for anyone with experience of the "Re-engagement Challenge".
i) Is it by invitation only or can one just call up and get a challenge launched?
ii) Regarding the credit card requirement (option 2b in the official email) - can one still get the 25k miles card enrollment bonus if it is done as part of the Challenge? That email quoted by the earlier poster suggests it might be possible as it states "any enrollment bonus you may earn for becoming a new Citi cardholder does not count toward the 750 base miles you must earn". I wondered if anyone had successfully done this and received the 25K bonus in addition to getting their miles reinstated.
thanks
i) Is it by invitation only or can one just call up and get a challenge launched?
ii) Regarding the credit card requirement (option 2b in the official email) - can one still get the 25k miles card enrollment bonus if it is done as part of the Challenge? That email quoted by the earlier poster suggests it might be possible as it states "any enrollment bonus you may earn for becoming a new Citi cardholder does not count toward the 750 base miles you must earn". I wondered if anyone had successfully done this and received the 25K bonus in addition to getting their miles reinstated.
thanks
Nov 19, 2008, 8:02 pm
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond
Posts: 21,422
Two questions for anyone with experience of the "Re-engagement Challenge".
i) Is it by invitation only or can one just call up and get a challenge launched?
ii) Regarding the credit card requirement (option 2b in the official email) - can one still get the 25k miles card enrollment bonus if it is done as part of the Challenge? That email quoted by the earlier poster suggests it might be possible as it states "any enrollment bonus you may earn for becoming a new Citi cardholder does not count toward the 750 base miles you must earn". I wondered if anyone had successfully done this and received the 25K bonus in addition to getting their miles reinstated.
thanks
i) Is it by invitation only or can one just call up and get a challenge launched?
ii) Regarding the credit card requirement (option 2b in the official email) - can one still get the 25k miles card enrollment bonus if it is done as part of the Challenge? That email quoted by the earlier poster suggests it might be possible as it states "any enrollment bonus you may earn for becoming a new Citi cardholder does not count toward the 750 base miles you must earn". I wondered if anyone had successfully done this and received the 25K bonus in addition to getting their miles reinstated.
thanks
I think you can just call up
Regarding the 2nd question. All they are saying is the 25K (or whatever) you earn for enrolling can not count for the 750 mille requirement. This doesn't prevent you from getting the bonus milles for enrolling, it just requires you to earn 750 miles in addition to the bonus.
It's a FF program. It seems that the most logical way to get the miles back is option 2c. Fly a roundtrip of 750 miles each way.