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International upgrade - $350 + 25,000 miles -- can I do with award ticket?

International upgrade - $350 + 25,000 miles -- can I do with award ticket?

 
Old Aug 22, 2009, 6:55 am
  #1  
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International upgrade - $350 + 25,000 miles -- can I do with award ticket?

Hi Everyone,

I have looked at the information on American Airlines about the upgrade to business class for international for $350 + 25,000 miles.

1) Are you able to do this on the AA website, or you need to call the 1-800 number?
2) I'm assuming I could purchase a coach award ticket for the return trip for the 20,000 miles and do the 25,000 + $350 for the flight over?

Any help would be great.

Many thanks!
BritishMusicFan is offline  
Old Aug 22, 2009, 7:08 am
  #2  
 
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I'm pretty sure this particular upgrade is only for paid economy tickets, rather than award tickets; however, there's no harm in you calling American to find out.
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Old Aug 22, 2009, 7:15 am
  #3  
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Originally Posted by BritishMusicFan
Hi Everyone,

I have looked at the information on American Airlines about the upgrade to business class for international for $350 + 25,000 miles.

1) Are you able to do this on the AA website, or you need to call the 1-800 number?
2) I'm assuming I could purchase a coach award ticket for the return trip for the 20,000 miles and do the 25,000 + $350 for the flight over?

Any help would be great.

Many thanks!
You cannot do this on an award ticket. There is a very slight chance that a cash-only upgrade will be offered at check-in which would apply to award tickets, but don't count on it.

1). On paid tickets, you need to call the 1-800 number to upgrade using miles + copay. The correct seat inventory must be available.

2. You could purchase a revenue ticket for your outbound and upgrade it, and get a coach ticket for the return. I would call to check whether upgrade inventory exists before buying the outbound ticket (in fact, if it does exist I would buy the ticket and the upgrade on that same phone call).
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Old Aug 22, 2009, 7:35 am
  #4  
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Originally Posted by gemac
There is a very slight chance that a cash-only upgrade will be offered at check-in which would apply to award tickets, but don't count on it.

Note that the kiosk-offered LFBU on award tickets is for AA elites only. If the OP does not currently hold status, he/she will not be offered a LFBU at kiosk check-in.


(Now, if we're talking about a flight returning from overseas, it is possible, as you say, that the ticket counter might be offering cash-only upgrades, as sometimes happens when they have extra premium seats available. But these are separate from the ex-US LFBU program.)
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Old Aug 22, 2009, 7:47 am
  #5  
 
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Isn't it easier to get business award ticket?
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Old Aug 22, 2009, 10:19 am
  #6  
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Originally Posted by yuchung5
Isn't it easier to get business award ticket?
That's the way I would do it. 2 oneway awards. Coach going and business returning.
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Old Aug 22, 2009, 10:26 am
  #7  
 
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Originally Posted by BritishMusicFan
Hi Everyone,

I have looked at the information on American Airlines about the upgrade to business class for international for $350 + 25,000 miles.

1) Are you able to do this on the AA website, or you need to call the 1-800 number?
2) I'm assuming I could purchase a coach award ticket for the return trip for the 20,000 miles and do the 25,000 + $350 for the flight over?

Any help would be great.

Many thanks!
You can't do this. Besides, assuming its available, why wouldn't you just get a one-way biz ticket for 50,000 miles?
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Old Aug 22, 2009, 11:01 am
  #8  
 
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Originally Posted by magic111
That's the way I would do it. 2 oneway awards. Coach going and business returning.
Funny, I'm the exact opposite--business outbound, coach return (whether award or upgrade). I get there rested, and miserable when I get home--works like a charm!
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Old Aug 22, 2009, 9:59 pm
  #9  
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One-way paid tickets on international long-haul flights (a paid ticket being the only way to do the 25k+copay upgrade) are typically very expensive, often more expensive than a round-trip.
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Old Aug 23, 2009, 2:50 am
  #10  
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Originally Posted by ijgordon
One-way paid tickets on international long-haul flights (a paid ticket being the only way to do the 25k+copay upgrade) are typically very expensive, often more expensive than a round-trip.
You csn buy s roundtrip ticket and only upgrade on way.

For the OP. Whywould you want pay 20K for the award ticket, then 25K + $350 to upgrade.... which isn't possible, when a one way BC award is only 50K? That would be like paying $350 to save 5000 miles.

If you want to upgrade one way, get a one way coach award and a one way business class award
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Old Aug 23, 2009, 8:18 am
  #11  
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Originally Posted by mvoight
You csn buy s roundtrip ticket and only upgrade on way.

For the OP. Whywould you want pay 20K for the award ticket, then 25K + $350 to upgrade.... which isn't possible, when a one way BC award is only 50K? That would be like paying $350 to save 5000 miles.

If you want to upgrade one way, get a one way coach award and a one way business class award
I don't think the OP ever intended to use miles + copay on a reward ticket - reread the original post again.

And you math example is thus off. You are paying $350 to save 25k miles (diff btwn upgrade and biz award ticket) plus however many EQMs and RDMs you earn for the paid (and upgraded) flight segment.
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Old Aug 24, 2009, 2:50 am
  #12  
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Originally Posted by ijgordon
I don't think the OP ever intended to use miles + copay on a reward ticket - reread the original post again.

And you math example is thus off. You are paying $350 to save 25k miles (diff btwn upgrade and biz award ticket) plus however many EQMs and RDMs you earn for the paid (and upgraded) flight segment.
Nope. I thought the OP was referring to upgrading a 20K econ ticket to a business class ticket by paying 25K MORE plus the the $350 Copay fee, for a total of 45K miles + $350.

This statement isn't really clear to me.
"2) I'm assuming I could purchase a coach award ticket for the return trip for the 20,000 miles and do the 25,000 + $350 for the flight over?"

I don't know if OP was talking about buying a econ ticket one way and upgrading for 25000K + $350, then using 20K for an econ award on the way back. This wouldn't make sense as it is generally be cheaper to by a roundtrip econ ticket and use the miles plus copay to upgrade it.

I don't quite get your view that spending $350 is saving the difference between the miles for business (50K) and the 20K he mentioned (presumably off peak econ ticket). The $350 is the copay amount, NOT the one way Econ fare.
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Old Aug 24, 2009, 11:39 am
  #13  
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Originally Posted by mvoight
Nope. I thought the OP was referring to upgrading a 20K econ ticket to a business class ticket by paying 25K MORE plus the the $350 Copay fee, for a total of 45K miles + $350.

This statement isn't really clear to me.
"2) I'm assuming I could purchase a coach award ticket for the return trip for the 20,000 miles and do the 25,000 + $350 for the flight over?"
That statement is pretty clear to me. One-way coach award ticket on the return. One-way upgrade on the flight over, the cash paid ticket is implied.

I don't know if OP was talking about buying a econ ticket one way and upgrading for 25000K + $350, then using 20K for an econ award on the way back. This wouldn't make sense as it is generally be cheaper to by a roundtrip econ ticket and use the miles plus copay to upgrade it.
Yes, I agree it doesn't make sense, which is why I referenced the exorbitant prices of one-way tickets to Europe in my post #9.

I don't quite get your view that spending $350 is saving the difference between the miles for business (50K) and the 20K he mentioned (presumably off peak econ ticket). The $350 is the copay amount, NOT the one way Econ fare.
Yeah, I can't recall exactly what I was getting at in that post. The gist was that the savings are increased on a paid & upgraded ticket vs. a reward ticket by the miles you earn on the paid fare, but I'm sure you know that.

Last edited by ijgordon; Aug 24, 2009 at 11:45 am
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Old Aug 24, 2009, 12:00 pm
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To our friend BritishMusicFan - I think the big problem here is that you're asking a question that implies some sort of underlying plan or set of restrictions, but nobody can figure out what that plan is, so it's hard to give an answer.

if you're still following, I'd recommend re-posting the question, except this time explain what you're trying to do and why, and how many miles you have, where you're going to/from, if you're trying to get around a problem (like lack of award seats in one direction) or something, and so on.

As asked the question has been basically answered. But there's likely a rationale below that surface that would inspire much more helpful answers.

Maybe your situation is something like this:

* I'm trying to fly JFK-LHR for a week
* I have XX,000 miles in my account, not enough to do business class both way but I wanted to try business out one way.

Or:

* I'm trying to fly JFK-LHR and my travel dates are really tight, no flexibility.
* I'm got a saver award seat one direction, but on the other there's nothing, and I found a good price for a one-way ticket back, so I confirmed everything awhile ago. Now I have more miles and thought I'd use them to fly business one way, but they told me on the phone there's only upgrade inventory on the way out, not a saaver business award, so can I get that?

Or:
* I need to pay for at least one of the legs as I need the miles to requalify, but thought I'd award the other way.

Or:
* I've completed an overseas posting and have a paid one-way ticket home paid for by work, but I'd prefer to live here so I have to go home and finish up work but then plan to come back and spend a few more months here, so one way is paid coach, and the other is an award.

....or a million other scenarios.

What you appear to be considering doesn't seem logical, so maybe if you explained clearly and succinctly what you're *really* trying to do someone might give you advice on how to maximize your miles/experience/$ more efficiently.
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