EXPs need a positive sticker balance to get upgraded???
May 13, 2014, 9:29 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: AUS
Programs: AA Exec Platinum/MM, DL Gold/MM, Hilton Diamond, Accor Platinum, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,975
EXPs need a positive sticker balance to get upgraded???
For a BOS-DFW flight yesterday I requested a companion upgrade for my son a couple days before the flight, after my own cleared. He was on a separate PNR. About 6 hours before departure I got an email that he had cleared. BOS-DFW requires 4 500-mile upgrades (stickers) and I had exactly that number in my account. But the agents at BOS could not produce a boarding pass for him because I had "insufficient upgrades" in my account.
The AC agents said that two of my four upgrades were "pending" use for my own upgrades (BOS-DFW and DFW-AUS). They said that when I boarded each flight one sticker would be debited but then put right back in. But it meant that I did not have all four available to upgrade a companion. Moreover, they said that if I did not have upgrades in my account then I would never get any "complimentary" EXP upgrades.
After going back and forth with them for some time, boarding began, all seats on the plane were taken, and it became clear that if he were to get the upgrade (or even have a seat on the plane) I was going to have to buy 2 more stickers, which I did at the inflated $35 airport price.
This morning my account showed a sticker balance of 6. I will wait until tomorrow to see how all this shakes out in my account and then call AAdvantage to get a refund for the $70.
Does any of this make sense or are the agents in BOS incompetent? Is there anywhere in the AAdvantage T&Cs that says the "complimentary" upgrades require that you have a positive 500-mile upgrade balance?
The AC agents said that two of my four upgrades were "pending" use for my own upgrades (BOS-DFW and DFW-AUS). They said that when I boarded each flight one sticker would be debited but then put right back in. But it meant that I did not have all four available to upgrade a companion. Moreover, they said that if I did not have upgrades in my account then I would never get any "complimentary" EXP upgrades.
After going back and forth with them for some time, boarding began, all seats on the plane were taken, and it became clear that if he were to get the upgrade (or even have a seat on the plane) I was going to have to buy 2 more stickers, which I did at the inflated $35 airport price.
This morning my account showed a sticker balance of 6. I will wait until tomorrow to see how all this shakes out in my account and then call AAdvantage to get a refund for the $70.
Does any of this make sense or are the agents in BOS incompetent? Is there anywhere in the AAdvantage T&Cs that says the "complimentary" upgrades require that you have a positive 500-mile upgrade balance?
May 13, 2014, 9:35 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: AA EXP 3MM; LH FT (*A Silver); Marriott Rewards Platinum Elite; Starwood Corporate Preferred
Posts: 782
Wrong. The agents in BOS are misinformed. You as an EXP never need to consider a balance in your account. Your upgrade has NOTHING to do with your 500-mile sticker balance.
Your son should have cleared and gotten the seat and your sticker balance should now be zero. I say challenge it with the EXP Desk (which means you might end up talking to Customer Servide).
Your son should have cleared and gotten the seat and your sticker balance should now be zero. I say challenge it with the EXP Desk (which means you might end up talking to Customer Servide).
May 13, 2014, 9:48 pm
#3
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: stl
Programs: AA LT Plat/8.1mm now with 1350 miles left in my account and proud of it.. SPG LT Titanium.
Posts: 3,079
maybe we have a new enhancement with some kinks in it. the new bosses don't seem to think advance notice is required.
May 13, 2014, 9:53 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Location: BOS/UTH
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May 13, 2014, 9:54 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: AUS
Programs: AA Exec Platinum/MM, DL Gold/MM, Hilton Diamond, Accor Platinum, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,975
May 13, 2014, 10:21 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2011
Programs: AA Platinum Pro, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Exploralist, Marriot Silver
Posts: 2,065
Well, at least it's a good thing that the website is so useful that we can check our 500 mile upgrade balances online easily. Oh wait.
May 13, 2014, 10:44 pm
#7
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: SFO, CLT
Programs: AA Bonsai EXP (2.9 MM), AS MVPG
Posts: 1,394
I agree about the shameful performance of aa.com, but as a workaround to this specific issue, the 500-mile upgrade balance is properly displayed and easily viewed on AA's mobile site.
May 13, 2014, 10:55 pm
#8
Join Date: Mar 2011
Programs: AA Platinum Pro, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Exploralist, Marriot Silver
Posts: 2,065
I know. You can also view it in the code for the page source. I just wanted to vent my built-up FT snark. Long day at work!
May 14, 2014, 4:55 am
#9
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Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Programs: OWEmerald; STARGold; BonvoyPlat; IHGPlat/Amb; HiltonGold; A|ClubPat; AirMilesPlat
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Since I only have 2 500-mile upgrade credits in my account (left over from almost two decades ago) and never earned any when doing my UA 1K status match/challenge two years ago, this can't be how it operates since I've continued to get my ExecPlat comp upgrades with no issues. I've never had enough to have taken out and reaccredited, so the BOS agents were incorrect about how this works for ExecPlats. (Unless this is a very recent "enhancement" since March when I last flew AA and all my upgrades cleared.)
May 14, 2014, 5:16 am
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: LAX/SNA
Programs: AA, Hilton Gold
Posts: 3,887
Wrong. The agents in BOS are misinformed. You as an EXP never need to consider a balance in your account. Your upgrade has NOTHING to do with your 500-mile sticker balance.
Your son should have cleared and gotten the seat and your sticker balance should now be zero. I say challenge it with the EXP Desk (which means you might end up talking to Customer Servide).
Your son should have cleared and gotten the seat and your sticker balance should now be zero. I say challenge it with the EXP Desk (which means you might end up talking to Customer Servide).
May 14, 2014, 7:35 am
#11
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Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,388
May 14, 2014, 7:56 am
#12
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May 14, 2014, 8:23 am
#13
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 523
The system does hold a fake/dummy 1 upgrade for EXP. That might have caused a discrepancy.
May 14, 2014, 8:38 am
#14
Join Date: Sep 2011
Programs: AA SPG Amex
Posts: 4,644
EXP with zero balance traveling alone: no problem, system holds dummy
EXP with positive balance traveling alone: no problem, doesn't matter if system holds dummy or live upgrade
EXP with zero balance traveling w/companion: no problem, holds dummy for EXP, EXP then has to buy for companion
EXP with >number needed for companion: no problem, doesn't matter if system holds dummy or real upgrade
EXP with exactly the number needed for companion: problem because the system will try and hold a real (since it exists) instead of making a dummy
That actually makes sense since the OP was being told that two were required for him (one for each segment) when in fact, if the OP were being charged upgrades or a hold were placed for the number required, the first segment alone would have required three.
May 14, 2014, 11:36 am
#15
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Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
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So what you're saying is that the only time there will ever be a problem is when trying to use all remaining upgrades for a companion? In other words:
EXP with zero balance traveling alone: no problem, system holds dummy
EXP with positive balance traveling alone: no problem, doesn't matter if system holds dummy or live upgrade
EXP with zero balance traveling w/companion: no problem, holds dummy for EXP, EXP then has to buy for companion
EXP with >number needed for companion: no problem, doesn't matter if system holds dummy or real upgrade
EXP with exactly the number needed for companion: problem because the system will try and hold a real (since it exists) instead of making a dummy
That actually makes sense since the OP was being told that two were required for him (one for each segment) when in fact, if the OP were being charged upgrades or a hold were placed for the number required, the first segment alone would have required three.
EXP with zero balance traveling alone: no problem, system holds dummy
EXP with positive balance traveling alone: no problem, doesn't matter if system holds dummy or live upgrade
EXP with zero balance traveling w/companion: no problem, holds dummy for EXP, EXP then has to buy for companion
EXP with >number needed for companion: no problem, doesn't matter if system holds dummy or real upgrade
EXP with exactly the number needed for companion: problem because the system will try and hold a real (since it exists) instead of making a dummy
That actually makes sense since the OP was being told that two were required for him (one for each segment) when in fact, if the OP were being charged upgrades or a hold were placed for the number required, the first segment alone would have required three.