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• How do I book a specific fare class for a Challenge?

AA elite status Challenges are based on elite-qualifying points (EQP), not miles. Because Deep Discount Economy fares only accrue 0.5 EQP per mile, Challenge participants sometimes seek to book higher Discount Economy fares that accrue 1.0 EQP per mile. However, the Economy Saver fare shown in AA.com Price and Schedule searches is often not the lowest published Discount Economy fare. Accordingly, the following procedure can be used to book that fare without incurring telephone booking fees:

1. Identify the lowest published Discount Economy fare for your destination(s) and date(s). This can be done using fare tools such as Travelocity (free) or ExpertFlyer or KVS Availability Tool (paid subscription services).
2. Identify flights on which inventory for the lowest published Discount Economy fare is available. Inventory for specific routes and dates can be determined using ExpertFlyer's Flight Availability tool or the KVS Availability Tool. Routes and dates having the desired inventory can also be identified using ITA flight searches in which a specific booking class(es) is specified using the ITA route language (example: "ORD:: aa /f bc=h").
3. Note the full price (fare plus taxes and fees) of the desired itinerary at the specified fare using ITA as above.
4. Place the desired itinerary on Hold at AA.com in the lowest available fare (can be Deep Discount Economy).
5. Telephone AA Web Services or AA Reservations (or use the Click To Talk option on the website) and ask them to change the fare ("upfare") to your desired fare class. Verify that the final price matches the price from ITA.
6. Return to the Hold reservation on AA.com and complete the purchase online.
7. In some cases, the itinerary may be repriced back to the lowest available fare upon attempting to complete the purchase. An alert will be displayed on AA.com if this is the case. If this happens, call AA Web Services or AA Reservations, explain that you cannot complete the purchase online at this higher fare, and ask them to process the purchase without charging the telephone booking fee. Alternatively, log out of your AA.com account, use the record locator to find the reservation, click Purchase and the higher fare should appear, then log into your account once you reach the credit card screen to retreive your account details.

Wiki: Elite Status Challenge
FT: Help Desk: AAdvantage elite status Challenges (Gold and Platinum)
FT: Upfaring an AA itinerary on hold (consolidated)
FT: What to do when upfared itinerary on hold gets downfared when attempting to purchase
FT: Mileage Run Discussion Forum: How to specify a booking code on ITA