Duh! You buy a gift certificate to a store, intending to purchase a product that costs $X. In between the time you buy the gift certificate and the time you purchase, the price goes up to $X + 10%. Has consumer fraud been committed? Of course not. Anytime you hold on to currency of any kind, what you can get for that currency can change. FF miles are currency. Prices change. Get over it.

All of the programs now include the "right to make changes at any time" language noted above. However, much to everyone's benefit, some years ago a task force of state attorneys general negotiated with the major airlines (after some consumers expressed dissatisfaction with changes many years ago) and got the majors to agree that they would give 6 months notice of future changes. That's what American has done here. I see nothing wrong with anything they have done.

Djlawman