Originally Posted by
ssk244
This happened to me recently. I opened my card on December 27th 2014 and my companion certificate showed up a few days after.
For this year 2016 - by late January, I still didn't have it and I was anxious to book a ticket using it for early March. I called AS CS and they directed me to call BoA. BoA said that they couldn't do anything about it and that it's supposed to show up 6 weeks after the card anniversary date. It finally showed up the first week of February. (Misleading right? It's supposed to be an ANNUAL benefit!)
BoA said that sometimes AS CS will allow you to book and then reimburse you the difference once the code shows up but I asked about that and AS CS basically laughed at me. It was incredibly frustrating both sides were saying that there's nothing they can do.
6 weeks!?! This is troubling!
I'm waiting to book a ticket for May, and today (2/19) is my card anniversary. In the past, the companion fare always posted within a few days of the anniversary, but if I have to wait 6 weeks, who knows what the fares will be (or if exit rows will still be available!).
By the time I get the code, I'll probably be within the 60 change fee window (only MVP). I might just have to pull the trigger and book the cheapest flight right now.
Edit to add:
ssk244, it doesn't sound like this will help you, but for others:
I should point out, explicitly, that there is no change/cancellation fee for changes made 60 days prior to the flight. So you can book now. Once you have the companion code, you should be able to rebook using the companion code as long as its 60 days out (this might require a cancellation and a new booking instead of just a change).
The problem with this approach, is that fares will probably be higher when you rebook, so you might not be saving that much. If you do save money, it will be as an AS credit, not cash (if that matters).