Originally Posted by
dvs7310
For AA members it's not about trying to save money on the fare, it's forcing it to earn by distance rather than fare.
Crediting to AA if you buy it normally:
Base member: about 3,000 miles / LPs earned
EXP: about 6,600 miles / LPs earned
Buying via AA Vacations:
Base member: 8,762 Miles / LPs
EXP: 19,276 Miles / LPs
That's a huge difference since the fare is quite cheap, the revenue earning is miniscule. I'd even be willing to pay MORE from AAVacations considering it's 3x more Miles / LPs for an EXP.
I'm aware that
some AA Vacations bookings used to earn based on a the special fare chart and have booked such flights just to earn the extra loyalty points, but not all did. Now most AA Vacations packages earn 5 LP's for elite AAdvantage members based on the entire package subtotal price (excluding taxes and carrier-imposed fees), so an EXP would do better booking direct unless you save a ton of money on the package (booking direct you'd earn 11 LP's per dollar spent)! If you have a companion those earnings are cut in half.