Feb 18, 2015, 5:57 pm

FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides

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AAdvantage eShoppping by Cartera Commerce
Using, earning miles, problems, etc. (Consolidated thread)

American Airlines is not the contact for Cartera / AAdvantage eShopping .

AAdvantage eShopping FAQs and an e-contact form can be found via the "Contact Us" link at the bottom left corner of the home page.

If you have trouble getting purchases to track, there's also a browser extension to help.

Quote:

Cartera website: http://www.cartera.com

Cartera Commerce, Inc.
One Cranberry Hill
Lexington, Massachusetts 02421

Tel. (781) 541-6800 Fax: (781) 541-6801

For general inquiries, please contact [email protected] or 888.456.6255

Quote:

MODERATOR GUIDEPOST (Please do not alter contents following)

This thread is the sole thread to address issues with AAdvantage eShopping (operated by Cartera Commerce). Other queries or complaints will invariably end up merged into this thread. All posts must comply with FlyerTalk Guidelines and Rules / TOS, or may be summarily deleted or edited by moderators.

A related article, highlighting an interview of Cartera Commerce CEO Tom Bercher, is "Secrets of Cartera Commerce Revealed: Inside the Company that Brings You Miles for Online Shopping" by Gary Leff on March 3, 2014. Link.

As described in this thread, AAdvantage Shopping now offers a downloadable button installable on your desktop (not mobile) device to facilitate e-shopping. Link.

Older posts may be read at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...or-consol.html

Notes about Giftcards.com:

A separate thread exists for discussing Giftcards.com and likely has more data points than this generic thread.
Purchases from giftcards.com earn miles on the first $2,000 spent in the named calendar month, meaning for example between March 1st and March 31st. [Note: as of Aug 2023, the $2k limit is per order, not per purchase]
Giftcards.com has had various limits over the years, and it was always by calendar month.
Some data points show the $2,000 monthly limit is not always enforced. [Note: as of Aug 2023, the $2k limit is per order, not per purchase]
In 2022, larger orders track more slowly, and you may need to wait a full month to see miles. Strong advice from the thread is to make multiple small purchases (say under $300) rather than large ones to avoid the dreaded "manual review"

(Copied from the LP thread wiki): Once you click through the AAdvantage eShopping portal to a vendor offer and make a purchase, you will eventually get the associated miles posted to your AAdvantage account as both redeemable miles and Loyalty Points. If the merchant advertises an increase in the miles per dollar spent, you'll earn the higher amount in both redeemable miles and an equal number of Loyalty Points. The same applies if a merchant advertises a higher fixed amount per purchase, rather than a per dollar amount. Examples of this would appear on the portal as, "Extra miles. Was 1 mile/$. Now earn 3 miles/$" or "Extra miles. Was up to 3700 miles. Now up to 6200 miles." However, if the website advertises a "Limited-time bonus offer" for "bonus miles" after meeting a spending threshold, that bonus will only post as redeemable miles and not Loyalty Points. If a bonus is offered for some site-wide activity such as 1000 miles for installing an extension, or 500 miles for enrolling in the portal, or 2000 miles for meeting a spending threshold across multiple merchants, the bonus will only post as redeemable miles and not Loyalty Points.

Some anti-virus software silently blocks tracking, and you may want to consider disabling it for your purchase.

AAdvantage eShopping / Cartera Questions / Discussion / Vendors / Issues (archive)

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Sep 25, 2022, 9:47 pm

#1591

anabolism

Join Date: Aug 2004

Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)

Posts: 8,937

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antarius

How do you typically use them? A lot of online portals don't allow multi card transactions - is there a way to lump them together?

My 2 GCs so far have been used on various purchases and the remainder (<50) got loaded to Amazon to zero the card out.

I typically end up with a bunch of cards with small balances left. I've found that doctors and labs (e.g., for my annual exam) send a bill that allows payment via an online site that lets you enter the amount to pay. So I just run through the cards, smallest remaining balance first, until the bill's paid. It can get tedious entering data to pay a $60 bill with 8 cards, but it's a way to use them to the penny. If I have no better bonus for Amazon, I use a card that provides extra cash back for online purchases, so I don't want to use up the cards with Amazon.

Antarius likes this.

Sep 26, 2022, 8:58 am

#1592

nk15

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Aug 2014

Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances

Posts: 11,669

Apple is 4x today but all new products excluded. Boooooo Apple....

Sep 26, 2022, 11:41 am

#1593

marlee1421

Join Date: Apr 2011

Programs: Bonvoy Amb LTT, HHonors Diamond, AA ExPlat, United Silver

Posts: 643

Motley Fool questions

Motley Fool seems to be an inexpensive way to pick up a bunch of LPs (7500 LPs for $89). Any thoughts from personal experiences as to pros and cons? Lots of spam? Ease of turning off auto renewal? Can it be canceled after a period of time and still retain LPs? Can I buy it for a family member? Any other thoughts are appreciated.

Last edited by marlee1421; Sep 26, 2022 at 11:43 am Reason: addition

Sep 26, 2022, 12:47 pm

#1594

WannaTheater

Join Date: Sep 2009

Programs: AA Executive Platinum, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, IHG Platinum

Posts: 1,451

Quote:

Originally Posted by marlee1421

No issues when I did it a few months ago. I set up an email filter in Outlook that pumps all the emails into a separate folder, which honestly have not been that many. It is completely manageable. I had no issues getting the points. I have not yet turned off auto renewal, but do not expect any issues.

Disclaimer: My individual experiences only. YMMV. I believe others here may have waited a long time for points.

coolbeans202 likes this.

Sep 26, 2022, 2:23 pm

#1595

nk15

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Aug 2014

Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances

Posts: 11,669

I have to confess, even though I would rather boycott giftcards.com until they raise the earnings, I still buy some because the 1 mile and the 1% discount on some cards is still better than nothing....

Sep 26, 2022, 8:47 pm

#1596

anabolism

Join Date: Aug 2004

Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)

Posts: 8,937

Quote:

Originally Posted by VegasGambler

The only reason that switching cards might help is if there's something about your CC that is raising flags. Is it in your name? Did the name match the name on your AA account? (I'm not sure if a name is passed to them in the tracking cookie, but if it is it should probably match the name on the CC as well as the name that you give giftcards.com and the name that you give Cartera.

Same with email; I would think that it would be best if the email address that you use for the portal should be the same as your giftcards.com account, and the same as your AA account. I'm not sure how much of this information gets passed through in the cookie but if it all matches you don't need to worry about it.

I am positive that email addresses don't get shared amongst AA, Catera and Giftcards.com. I use a unique email address for each entity, as a security and anti-spam measure. I highly recommend not using the same email at more than one web site or service.

My guess as to what gets orders cancelled are some combination of:

Shipping and billing addresses:
- Are they commercial or residential addresses?
- Is the street address shared by multiple people or entities (e.g., a UPS store or other private mailbox, a post office box, an apartment building or condo that share the same street address, differing only in apartment or unit number)?
- Are they different?
Phone numbers:
- Cell or landline?
- Business or residential?
- VoIP number?
Order history:
- Ramping up slowly with one small order per day until orders always go through is best.
IP address:
- Are you using a VPN?
- Are you behind a NAT where multiple unrelated people are using the same IP address?

All these can trigger a fraud alert. Private mailboxes make it very likely that someone at a different box committed fraud. Also likely, but maybe not quite as likely, at PO Boxes, apartments, condos, etc. VPNs, especially the free ones, are often used by attackers. If you're behind a NAT, someone else may be using it for fraud.

Last edited by anabolism; Sep 26, 2022 at 8:52 pm

Sep 26, 2022, 8:54 pm

#1597

anabolism

Join Date: Aug 2004

Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)

Posts: 8,937

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antarius

I've actually done guest checkouts on giftcards.con thus far. Just created an account, so maybe that helps? Only bought 250 USD Visa virtual cards and Nothing else.

Starting out with $250 cards is likely the trigger.

Sep 27, 2022, 5:14 pm

#1598

anabolism

Join Date: Aug 2004

Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)

Posts: 8,937

Quote:

Originally Posted by erdoran

I'm finding more and more of my orders on aadvantageeshopping aren't crediting and are requiring me to write in. This month it's out of 6 orders, 4 aren't crediting even though they show as store visits. One is for about $400, the other $1100, then the rest are relatively small amounts. My Walmart orders almost never credit unless I write in. Anyone else finding that the shopping portal consistently fails to credit all your orders? This has been going on for months, but it seems to be getting worse and worse.

Are you strictly adhering to the best practices?

My recommendations:

Use a dedicated browser for AAdvantageeshopping. Don't use this browser for anything else, and always use this browser for AA E-shopping.
Don't use Safari as this browser. (I use Microsoft Edge, because it's one of the more egregious privacy-violating browsers so is good to dedicate to a task where privacy isn't a concern.)
Be sure that the dedicated browser does not have any ad blockers, privacy plug-ins, tracker blockers, or any other add-ons or plug-ins (except for password/credit card managers).
Go through the settings and turn off all privacy protections and any built-in ad blocking. This is your zero-privacy browser (which is one reason to not use it for anything other than AA E-shopping).
Install the AA E-Shopping button.

Following these practices should cause your purchases to automatically track and post.

Sep 27, 2022, 5:24 pm

#1599

anabolism

Join Date: Aug 2004

Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)

Posts: 8,937

Quote:

Originally Posted by VegasGambler

Paying with a VGC does not make it a gift card purchase. It's just a debit card. That generally refers to branded store gift cards (and in my experience, even with store GCs, you usually get miles when liquidating those regardless of what the terms say)

FWIW I've yet to come across a single online merchant or payment processor that doesn't accept these, and the double dip works well.

Would it work to purchase a VGF with a VGF? Not worth it just at the moment, but if they go back to 3x miles and offer a discount to offset the fee, could someone just purchase them in a loop? It sounds like something they'd catch, but I don't know if they would.

Sep 27, 2022, 9:34 pm

#1600

nk15

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Aug 2014

Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances

Posts: 11,669

Quote:

Originally Posted by anabolism

No, it doesn't work.

On another note, Cartera was very responsive and gave me all the missing points from the purchases that did not track at all, and very quickly. So, do not hesitate to ask...

Sep 27, 2022, 11:36 pm

#1601

LittleBird

Join Date: Jul 2013

Location: 32 16N/110 57W

Programs: Asiana Club Diamond (*G), AA PPro (OWE), Korean Air Skypass MC (STE)

Posts: 157

Quote:

Originally Posted by anabolism

Doesn’t work

Sep 28, 2022, 6:58 am

#1602

linglingfool

Join Date: Nov 2008

Location: ORD

Programs: AA PLT

Posts: 2,781

Data point: bought $2k VGC from GC.com on 8/31, tracked instantly with the correct order number (although at the pre-5% subtotal, interestingly enough), but has not yet been credited. Not sure if it was flagged for review because the subtotal was >$2k, or why the delay when others have seen theirs post, but Cartera responded and quoted a 4-8 week timeline for resolution.

(As an aside: I've found them nearly impossible to use organically at places that only accept debit. The most disappointing one is BIllMatrix, who told me unsolicited over the phone that they do not accept prepaid cards for payment, so I can't use them to pay off my auto loan.)

It's also super interesting to me that they nerfed this deal just as interest rates were peaking. The prevent value of these cashflows should be even lower in this environment, so if they were willing to offer 5% and/or 3x in a much lower rate environment, it should be even more enticing for them to incentivize purchases now.

Sep 28, 2022, 4:44 pm

#1603

anabolism

Join Date: Aug 2004

Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)

Posts: 8,937

Quote:

Originally Posted by majikTib

My concern is coming from partial payments. Spending a $250 vGC isn't difficult, paying $240 and finding the ability to use the $10 elsewhere is more than taxing and difficult to track.

I use 1Password to manage passwords, credit cards, software licenses, passports, etc. Likely this is the same with other similar managers. I'm in the minority because I use it without an account; I use local vaults instead of a cloud-based vault. This may be the same process with an account/cloud-based vault, I'm not sure since I don't do that.

I already have a primary and an archive vault (I move credit cards and logins to the archive when they're no longer active). I created another vault for eGift cards. When I purchase a gift card, I retrieve it and enter it into the eGift vault right away. I title it in an obvious way, e.g., "Visa $250". As I spend it, I add a note to its entry, e.g., "$12.50 9/1/22 Bazooka chewing gum", and I update the title to add "-- $xx.xx left", so if I spent $12.50 on a $250 card, the card title becomes "Visa $250 -- $237.50 left". When it hits $0 left I move it to the archive vault. This makes it easy to scan down the list of cards to find the right one. If I'm paying a bill at a site that allows multiple payments, I'll use the smallest balances first, to get them used up. If I'm at a site that only takes one payment, I'll pick the closest match. It's a few extra steps, but not burdensome.

Sep 28, 2022, 5:00 pm

#1604

sidorg222

Join Date: Mar 2015

Posts: 14

Quote:

Originally Posted by marlee1421

When I look at the AAdvantage eShopping Motley Fool offer, it says "Was 3,700 Miles, now earn 7,400 miles". It doesn't seem to mention LP (Loyalty Points).

I'm assuming these are normal AAdvantage miles, and that 1 AAdvantage mile earns 1 Loyalty Points?

Sep 28, 2022, 5:35 pm

#1605

anabolism

Join Date: Aug 2004

Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)

Posts: 8,937

Quote:

Originally Posted by WannaTheater

I signed up for this service, and participated in a few surveys... then all of a sudden while filling one out, I received a message stating that I provided contradictory answers, and I was kicked out of the survey. And all of the remaining available surveys disappeared. This was in May, and I've received no surveys since. I reached out via email, and received a response stating their system detected multiple account violations, and suspended my account. I was directed to the terms and conditions, which I reviewed, and have no idea what they are talking about, and why this happened. I answered everything as honestly and completely as I could. After following up with a few more emails, and after receiving no responses, gave up. This is now viewed as a waste of my time.

I had a similar experience at Lifepointspanel (formerly Mysurvey). I'd been taking surveys when I had time for a couple of decades (they used to send $2 bills in the mail before they switched to points). I had a large stash of their points which I was going to convert to gift cards, when suddenly the site said my account was invalid. I emailed them and they said their systems detected violations, they wouldn't tell me what I did wrong, there is no appeal, and they won't discuss it. Very slimly.