I'll take what I feel is a valid contrarian position for some so called program drawbacks.

1- I don't think that the $100 "close in fee" is that bad for those on this board
First it dissuades casual joe consumer from competing for those seats. More importantly , It incents AA to release coach seats in hub to hub flights that it would not sell. They figure that at least they can monetize that perishable seat for $100. If they did not get a "cash co-pay" -- AA might not release the seat at the saver level.

Case in point, I went to a conference in Dallas. Revenue coach was $1200 R.T. ( I probably would have stayed home)

Instead , I paid $100 and 25,000 miles JFK-DFW and got to attend a useful, beneficial conference. I actually would have been willing to pay $700 for that ticket , so I got at least $600 value for my 25,000 miles.

Similarly, I have seen business and first trans con and international open up "close in"


2- I like that partner and one world awards are not bookable on line.
There is a finite inventory of seats. I love the roadblocks and barriers to redeeming them.
If premium cabin to Australia was bookable on line in 5 minutes,do you think it would make a already tough redemption easier or harder?
sometimes telephone reps are time consuming to deal with on complex redemptions. But It makes the prize for those with the patience of Job get a sweet prize at the end of the maze.

3- Phone reservation fees of $30- are dandy with me. If I want to maximize my routing , mileage value and get a human being to help me, what the heck is $30-?
In an era where no one likes to actually talk on the phone , I find SOME AA telephone reps immensely helpful.

Do others have examples of "negatives" that are beneficial to them?