Originally Posted by sdsearch

Are you sure? I've seen it said that that once the AA system knows the card is in your account, the benefits are tied to your account, no matter how your purchase the ticket. That can be important if you're booking in way that doesn't require payment with a card at all (for example, a fare paid totally with an AA VDB -- bumped passenger -- voucher can't be paid for by your card!).

My understanding was you had to have the card linked to your account (is it enough to have it opened with your account number, or do you have to periodically use it so that miles from it post to AA? that I don't know), and the reservation has to have your account number in it.

For example, unless booking with Alaska miles has the same benefit for other reasons, you would not have the benefit if you booked a trip on AA with Alaska miles and left it linked to your Alaska account, but I thought you would have the benefits if you booked a trip on AA with Alaska miles but then after booking changed it to have your AA account be the one associated with that reservation. (If you have status at AA and not at Alaska, you use the same trick to be able to get AA status-related benefits on an AA flight booked with Alaska.) Alsska is just an example, the same would be the case with any partner whose miles you can use for AA flights.