Jan 2, 2013, 4:01 am
Last edit by: Prospero
Glossary:
500 mile upgrades: earned by Gold and Platinum Elites, can be used to upgrade segments in 500 mile increments of North and Central America, Caribbean flights from Economy to the next class of service.. Read below.
e500: Occasional nickname used for 500 mile upgrades.
Electronic or 500 mile upgrades: non-expiring electronic instruments used for near Americas and Caribbean elite upgrades; please read below.
MTEU: Miles Toward Electronic Upgrades. The MTEU earning year zeroes February 28.
Stickers: Holdover name from when 500 mile upgrades were actual stickers applied to tickets when upgraded.
UDU: Unlimited Domestic Upgrades granted EXP and PRO members in lieu of earning or using 500 mile upgrades. (Consequently, they do not earn “stickers”.)
Related thread: End of Feb insufficient miles for 4 500 mile upgrade stickers (2017). (Requesting "stickers" for incremental MTEU threshold accomplishment.)
NOTE: CHANGES in effect as of 1 January 2017:
Upgrade priority:
Platinum Pro status holders join Executive Platinum members with complimentary "Unlimited Domestic Upgrades / UDU.
Companions:
ONE passenger traveling with you can “borrow” your status for upgrade purposes. They do not have to be on the same PNR. When this is done, you’ll not be upgraded unless sufficient upgrade seats become available to upgrade two (or more) people. This link often is broken when the flight control goes to the airport, and it can be reestablished there (e.g. at the gate). A good clue that the link has broken is if you’re #1 or 2 and your companion is significantly below that on the upgrade list, such as #11. Finally, because of IT flaws, the 500 mile upgrades for your traveling companion will by necessity come from your account, even if your companion has their own “stickers”. This has not been true for some time, if your companion has status, the system will try to pull the stickers from the companion's account. If there are not enough stickers, you will have to check-in at the airport to have stickers pulled from your account
For questions about whether to split or consolidate PNRs for itineraries involving multiple parties, please see this thread:
Companion upgrade issues including "link" / split PNR for status etc. (master thread)
Link to aa.com 500 mile upgrades (AKA "stickers") page.
Link to aa.com to "Upgrade your experience".
500 mile upgrades: earned by Gold and Platinum Elites, can be used to upgrade segments in 500 mile increments of North and Central America, Caribbean flights from Economy to the next class of service.. Read below.
e500: Occasional nickname used for 500 mile upgrades.
Electronic or 500 mile upgrades: non-expiring electronic instruments used for near Americas and Caribbean elite upgrades; please read below.
MTEU: Miles Toward Electronic Upgrades. The MTEU earning year zeroes February 28.
Stickers: Holdover name from when 500 mile upgrades were actual stickers applied to tickets when upgraded.
UDU: Unlimited Domestic Upgrades granted EXP and PRO members in lieu of earning or using 500 mile upgrades. (Consequently, they do not earn “stickers”.)
Related thread: End of Feb insufficient miles for 4 500 mile upgrade stickers (2017). (Requesting "stickers" for incremental MTEU threshold accomplishment.)
NOTE: CHANGES in effect as of 1 January 2017:
Upgrade priority:
- Elite tier
- Systemwide and Mileage award upgrades
- Business Extra and certain Agency upgrade certificates
- 500-mile / courtesy DODU / UDU upgrades on purchased tickets
- 500-mile upgrades on PRO, EXP award tickets
- Last 12 month rolling EAD spend
- Fare code
- Date if purchase
Platinum Pro status holders join Executive Platinum members with complimentary "Unlimited Domestic Upgrades / UDU.
- Usable to upgrade from Economy to next class of service (Not Business to First)
- Flights 500 miles or less: Unlimited, auto-requested complimentary upgrades*
- Flights over 500 miles: Complimentary "domestic" (North & Central America, Caribbean) upgrades
- Upgrade one companion traveling with you on the same flight with 500-mile upgrades*
Companions:
ONE passenger traveling with you can “borrow” your status for upgrade purposes. They do not have to be on the same PNR. When this is done, you’ll not be upgraded unless sufficient upgrade seats become available to upgrade two (or more) people. This link often is broken when the flight control goes to the airport, and it can be reestablished there (e.g. at the gate). A good clue that the link has broken is if you’re #1 or 2 and your companion is significantly below that on the upgrade list, such as #11. Finally, because of IT flaws, the 500 mile upgrades for your traveling companion will by necessity come from your account, even if your companion has their own “stickers”. This has not been true for some time, if your companion has status, the system will try to pull the stickers from the companion's account. If there are not enough stickers, you will have to check-in at the airport to have stickers pulled from your account
For questions about whether to split or consolidate PNRs for itineraries involving multiple parties, please see this thread:
Companion upgrade issues including "link" / split PNR for status etc. (master thread)
Link to aa.com 500 mile upgrades (AKA "stickers") page.
Link to aa.com to "Upgrade your experience".
AA "Sticker" / 500-mile & EXP "UDU" Complimentary Upgrade Policy / FAQ
Jul 30, 2018, 3:55 pm
#76
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: CLT
Programs: AA EXP; Avis PC; Hertz PC; Marriott LT Gold; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,133
My niece is AA Gold and booked on a flight she won't be taking tomorrow as she changed to a later departure date by buying a cheap one way and is just going to let the ticket for tomorrow go unused (change fee plus fare difference was much higher than a one way).
She didn't cancel her sticker upgrade request for the flight she won't be taking and her sticker upgrade just cleared. She has stickers in her account and doesn't want to lose them on a flight she's not taking.
What's the best procedure here? Cancel the ticket? Ignore and do nothing? Something else?
Thanks!
She didn't cancel her sticker upgrade request for the flight she won't be taking and her sticker upgrade just cleared. She has stickers in her account and doesn't want to lose them on a flight she's not taking.
What's the best procedure here? Cancel the ticket? Ignore and do nothing? Something else?
Thanks!
Aug 14, 2018, 8:40 pm
#78
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: AUS
Programs: AA Exec Platinum/MM, DL Gold/MM, Hilton Diamond, Accor Platinum, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,977
What happened to the line on the AA.com your account page that told you the number of miles you needed to earn another slug of 500 mile upgrades? The new account pages are such a jumble of styles and typefaces and links to other pages that I may be easily missing it.
Aug 14, 2018, 8:49 pm
#79
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: AUS
Programs: AA Exec Platinum/MM, DL Gold/MM, Hilton Diamond, Accor Platinum, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,977
Never mind. I see the answer a few posts back. Obviously I'm not the only one defeated by a horrible design.
Aug 19, 2018, 3:48 pm
#81
Suspended
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 860
Aug 20, 2018, 10:30 am
#83
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: AAdvantage PP
Posts: 13,913
Aug 22, 2018, 3:20 am
#84
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AA PLT, IHG Spire
Posts: 551
Another question, I had a sticker upgrade confirmed for this mornings flight DCA to BNA and the flight was cancelled. I was rebooked directly in first (without requesting the upgrade) on another flight PHL to BNA instead. Should I expect the stickers to still be pulled or will the IROPS work in my favor?
Sep 6, 2018, 8:32 pm
#85
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: AA Ex Platinum
Posts: 161
This may be a dumb question, but I just became Platinum Pro for the first time. Do I still have the ability to earn 500 mile upgrade stickers? My husband will only hit Platinum this year, and I want to be able to upgrade him when we fly together. In the American App Wallet section, the countdown of 'miles needed for 500 mile upgrade' section is now gone in my app.
Any guidance would be appreciated.
Any guidance would be appreciated.
Sep 6, 2018, 8:36 pm
#86
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: DTW / SJC
Programs: AA EXP, DL DM, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 764
This may be a dumb question, but I just became Platinum Pro for the first time. Do I still have the ability to earn 500 mile upgrade stickers? My husband will only hit Platinum this year, and I want to be able to upgrade him when we fly together. In the American App Wallet section, the countdown of 'miles needed for 500 mile upgrade' section is now gone in my app.
Any guidance would be appreciated.
Any guidance would be appreciated.
Sep 6, 2018, 8:36 pm
#87
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, Owner of 2,000 TWA shares
Posts: 812
This may be a dumb question, but I just became Platinum Pro for the first time. Do I still have the ability to earn 500 mile upgrade stickers? My husband will only hit Platinum this year, and I want to be able to upgrade him when we fly together. In the American App Wallet section, the countdown of 'miles needed for 500 mile upgrade' section is now gone in my app.
Any guidance would be appreciated.
Any guidance would be appreciated.
Sep 19, 2018, 1:36 pm
#89
Join Date: Jan 2000
Programs: Free agent
Posts: 1,296
Thanks
Sep 19, 2018, 2:27 pm
#90
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,483
I've been told two different things on this front, I was just told by the phone agent that you can designate whose account the stickers are pulled from by telling the gate agent. I've been told by a gate agent that it's not possible because it's locked to who requested the upgrade. This is critical for me as my wife has 70+ stickers and I have less than 10 now. Does status matter, meaning clearing upgrades with the higher status and pulling from the lower status account once you get to the gate? As of right now we're both PLT but she'll drop to Gold next year.
Thanks
Thanks