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AA Anytime / AAnytime award / awards [master thread]

Old Oct 23, 2015, 3:05 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: Prospero
AAnytime Awards (restricted to AA marketed and operated flights)

NOTE: There will likely be further changes. See Dynamic Award Pricing to be Expanded - AA announces 30 May 2019 link

Link to American Airlines award chart

Link to one world and other airline partner award chart

Link to HELP DESK: MileSAAver / SAAver award questions, assistance, discussion thread.


AAnytime awards

With no blackout dates, you can use AAnytime awards for any seat on an American Airlines or American Eagle flight for as low as 20,000 miles each way, plus any applicable taxes and carrier-imposed fees.

AAnytime award levels vary by date (including time of day) and region. There are select dates that require a higher number of miles (in addition to Level 1 and 2 awards, there is a hidden level 3 based on aspirational value and premium product and even some hidden level 4 award space released on Flagship transcontinental flights). When you search for awards while booking, youll see the applicable available award level.
See this post (post #122) for more on the Level 3 increases introduced August 2016.

Link to The Points Guy article on the hidden Level 3.

If a seat is available for sale on an American Airlines marketed and operated flight, you can acquire it as an AAnytime award seat. AAnytime awards require more miles than the restricted MileSAver awards (for AA and required for partners); there are three tiers for the miles required for AAnytime awards seats; it can "cost" even more miles during high demand periods or on certain aspirational flights.

What you need to know
  • AAnytime awards are only offered on AA marketed and operated flights
    • Miles shown are for one-way travel
      • Book a one-way trip or combine awards for round-trip or multi-city travel
        • AAnytime awards mean as long as there is a seat available for sale, an AAnytime award can take it (but miles cost can be very high)
          • Each award is subject to taxes and carrier-imposed fees starting from $5.60 per person, per award. These taxes and fees vary by itinerary and are based on trip origin and destination. The exact amount of taxes and carrier-imposed fees that will apply will appear when searching for a particular itinerary.
            • For flights offering only two classes of service, the Economy and Business / First Class awards apply. For flights offering three classes of service Economy, Business / First and First Class awards apply.
              • NOTE: AAnytime miles "cost" can vary in accord with flight demand, even on the same day


Awards cost $150 to redeposit ($25 for multiple / other travelers' awards taken from the same account); the fee is waived for awards taken from and returned to the account of an Executive Platinum member, when one wishes to pay more miles for a higher class of service or when significant flight or schedule disruption occurs).

Fees for redepositing a MileSAAver award are generally waived if they are "upgraded" to an AAnytime award. Downgrading from AAnytime to !ileSAAver requires redeposited and a new award ticket issue.

AAnytime awards do not earn miles, but are more flexible than MileSAAver awards, allowing easier changes and more perquisites (baggage, Same Day Flight Change, Main Cabin Extra and premium seat selection, two courtesy bags to 23 kg / 50 lbs, etc.)

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AA Anytime / AAnytime award / awards [master thread]

Old Nov 6, 2012, 10:06 am
  #16  
 
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i was doing some more research - Y fare is defined as full fare coach. Confusing.
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Old Nov 6, 2012, 10:16 am
  #17  
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Originally Posted by flyinghigh77
i was doing some more research - Y fare is defined as full fare coach. Confusing.
you should know the day after the flight.....please post the answer.....
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Old Nov 6, 2012, 10:37 am
  #18  
 
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Originally Posted by flyinghigh77
i was doing some more research - Y fare is defined as full fare coach. Confusing.
"Y" is also used for AAnytime Awards. You probably won't get miles, but it's certainly a possibility.
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Old Nov 6, 2012, 10:47 am
  #19  
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Originally Posted by barelyelite
"Y" is also used for AAnytime Awards. You probably won't get miles, but it's certainly a possibility.
Exactly. AAnytime awards book in Y if economy and book in F if first class (that's the whole point - if there's a seat on the plane, you can have it with an AAnytime award). Someone once posted the technical mechanics behind the mileage block on award tickets that generally prevents mileage accrual or sticker/mileage/cert upgrades on AAnytime Y awards. Back in the day when the VIP2s (SWUs issued to EXPs without capacity controls) booked in F or J, a similar block generally prevented the class of service bonus miles.
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Old Sep 11, 2014, 7:59 pm
  #20  
 
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AAnytime not available when seats are for sale?

Hi There,
I had naively thought that if AA was willing to sell me a ticket on an AA-operated itinerary, then AAnytime awards would also be available on that itinerary. But I recently tried to book PDX-KOA one way on October 6. AA will sell me a ticket for money on an all-AA coach itinerary but not offer an AAnytime award on that same itinerary (at least not online).

What am I missing? Does it have something to with the number of segments or the degree to which the trip is circuitous? I was under the impression that none of that mattered for AAnytime awards.

Thanks very much,
saunders111
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Old Sep 11, 2014, 9:02 pm
  #21  
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I don't know if this applies in your case or not, but when a lower cabin is technically sold out but there's room in a higher cabin to "roll" passengers, AA may continue to (over)sell the lower cabin, but won't allow AAnytime Awards in that case (because the lower cabin is indeed sold out, just being intentionally oversold now).
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Old Sep 11, 2014, 9:22 pm
  #22  
 
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Originally Posted by sdsearch
I don't know if this applies in your case or not, but when a lower cabin is technically sold out but there's room in a higher cabin to "roll" passengers, AA may continue to (over)sell the lower cabin, but won't allow AAnytime Awards in that case (because the lower cabin is indeed sold out, just being intentionally oversold now).
Interesting. Is something one can check on Expert Flyer? Is there a particular fare inventory which is the "Available for sale but not AAnytime awards"?

I guess I get it. On expertflyer, the flights I am looking at have everything Y and below zeroed out. But AA.com is still willing to sell coach tix on those flights because there are seats available in F, A, or P. So your explanation makes perfect sense for this case.

Annoying though! Not really AAnytime, I guess!

Thanks,
saunders111
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Old Sep 11, 2014, 9:28 pm
  #23  
 
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AAnytime is linked to Y availability, isn't it? Since that's where it books if the flight is Y0, there would be none available since there aren't any seats to sell.

Are the coach fares you're seeing instant upgrades that book into A or P? If not, perhaps it's a lag issue - I wonder if it would hold or ticket a paid reservation and if so, in what fare class?
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Old Sep 11, 2014, 9:48 pm
  #24  
 
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AAnytime used to mean "anytime" and would give you last seat availability. But AA revamped its award calendar back in April and "AAnytime" is now effectively just a marketing name. I'm not sure they have said so officially but it appears that last seat availability may have gone away.
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Old Sep 11, 2014, 10:12 pm
  #25  
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Originally Posted by Stripe
AAnytime used to mean "anytime" and would give you last seat availability. But AA revamped its award calendar back in April and "AAnytime" is now effectively just a marketing name. I'm not sure they have said so officially but it appears that last seat availability may have gone away.
No, it has not, officially or otherwise.
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Old Sep 12, 2014, 10:35 am
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by Stripe
AAnytime used to mean "anytime" and would give you last seat availability. But AA revamped its award calendar back in April and "AAnytime" is now effectively just a marketing name. I'm not sure they have said so officially but it appears that last seat availability may have gone away.
Even if true, it wouldn't apply to the OP since the flight is Y0 in EF. There is no last seat available in coach. There is in F it would appear, but OP wants to pay Y.
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Old Sep 15, 2014, 7:00 pm
  #27  
 
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Originally Posted by JonNYC
Originally Posted by Stripe
AAnytime used to mean "anytime" and would give you last seat availability. But AA revamped its award calendar back in April and "AAnytime" is now effectively just a marketing name. I'm not sure they have said so officially but it appears that last seat availability may have gone away.
No, it has not, officially or otherwise.
Let's be a bit more accurate, while last seat award is still available, AA dramatically changed the pricing. The pricing used to be 2x anytime but can now , and often does, require 4x pricing for popular travel periods or even 5x I believe.
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Old Sep 15, 2014, 7:56 pm
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by unhappyflyer
Let's be a bit more accurate, while last seat award is still available, AA dramatically changed the pricing. The pricing used to be 2x anytime but can now , and often does, require 4x pricing for popular travel periods or even 5x I believe.
AAnytime went from 25k (2x saver) to 20-30k, with a few dates at 50k. I think I've seen the 50k (4x) level pop up twice when booking to SAN, both times around events with extreme demand.
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Old Sep 15, 2014, 8:06 pm
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by saunders111
Hi There,
I had naively thought that if AA was willing to sell me a ticket on an AA-operated itinerary, then AAnytime awards would also be available on that itinerary. But I recently tried to book PDX-KOA one way on October 6. AA will sell me a ticket for money on an all-AA coach itinerary but not offer an AAnytime award on that same itinerary (at least not online).

What am I missing? Does it have something to with the number of segments or the degree to which the trip is circuitous? I was under the impression that none of that mattered for AAnytime awards.

Thanks very much,
saunders111
How does AA route PDX-KOA? I didn't think AA flew PDX-LAX in order to connect in LAX. Do you connect in Dallas? What is the exact route you're looking to book?

Have you tried calling AA to book the itinerary you want?
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Old Sep 15, 2014, 10:12 pm
  #30  
 
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Originally Posted by McFlyPHL
Quote:





Originally Posted by unhappyflyer


Let's be a bit more accurate, while last seat award is still available, AA dramatically changed the pricing. The pricing used to be 2x anytime but can now , and often does, require 4x pricing for popular travel periods or even 5x I believe.




AAnytime went from 25k (2x saver) to 20-30k, with a few dates at 50k. I think I've seen the 50k (4x) level pop up twice when booking to SAN, both times around events with extreme demand
Extreme demand can be defined
as roughly all mainly leisure destinations during all traditional family/school break periods.
unhappyflyer is offline  

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