Jul 28, 2015, 12:06 pm
Last edit by: Prospero
Mileage and copayment upgrades on American Airlines
As of May 20, 2017 upgrade prioritization is:
Enjoy a higher cabin of service Link.
Use your AAdvantage miles to upgrade on flights marketed and operated by American Airlines or American Eagle for yourself or anyone you designate.
Upgrades are valid to the next cabin of service* and are valid for a single one-way trip with a maximum of three segments. Upgrades are subject to capacity controls. Excluding award tickets, the following eligible fare types can be upgraded:
*E.g. Economy to Business, Business to three class First. At this time Premium Economy is treated as Economy for upgrade purposes.
See the chart here for cost in miles and dollars.
NOTE: The most expensive fare classes, full fare Economy Y, full fare Premium Economy W, and full fare Business J, may be upgraded without copay and at a lower cost in miles. See here.
Taxes and carrier-imposed fees:
Co-payment is non-refundable and inclusive of U.S. excise tax where applicable.
Mileage upgrade award tickets are subject to applicable taxes and security fees and may incur additional taxes as a result of upgrading to a higher class cabin (includes higher U.K. Air Passenger Duty If Flight originates in the UK or is a connecting flight with a connection time of 24:00 or more)..)
NOTE:
Miles and copay upgrades are to the next available cabin of service, are based on inventory being available, usable on AA marketed and operated flights (not codeshares operated by other airlines, not on other airlines' prime flights - BA and IB allow miles upgrades with AA miles but are very different and therefore not treated here).
See AA Participating Airline Upgrade Award - BA, IB, including codeshares (master thd), and note “one class of service” means Y to PE, PE to J, J to F where available on BA.
If the required inventory exists, they can be booked positively (i.e. upgraded immediately); if not, the request is wait listed. Wait list clearance is by status (EXP highest, no status lowest), and within status priority is by rolling 12 month EQD spend. Elites can have one traveling companion on the same PNR "borrow" their status for upgrade wait list purposes, until the request goes to the airport list, where you may want to assure your travel companion continues to hold your “borrowed” status for upgrade purposes.
Copays are waived for CK on all flights.
Frequently Asked Questions / FAQ:
Q. It says the upgrade fees are nonrefundable. Do I lose my miles and money if I'm not upgraded?
If your upgrade request does not go through, miles and copay are in fact refunded.
Q. If I am waitlisted, in what priority order are upgrades processed?
Upgrades are processed first by AAdvantage status tier, secondarily by type of upgrade, thirdly by the previous rolling 12 month EQD spend.
Q. Which has higher priority if all other preceding factors are the same? An upgraded with miles + copay, or an upgraded with SWU?
They have equal priority. A few reports state copay + upgrade have been given priority at some overseas stations.
Q. How soon will I know if my upgrade came through?
It can happen anytime inventory opens, from the time you book until the time you board. (Your request, including date and time of request, should carry over automatically to the airport list.)
Q. How soon will I know if my upgrade came through?
It can happen anytime inventory opens, from the time you book until the time you board. (Your request, including date and time of request, should carry over automatically to the airport list.)
Q. What happens to my booked seat whilst I'm waitlisted? If my upgrade doesn't come through, do I lose my reserved seat?
You normally retain your booked seat until (if) your upgrade comes through.
Q. How many flights can I upgrade with a single miles plus copay upgrade?
You may (assuming available inventory) upgrade up to three segments on the same ticketed itinerary (e.g. LHR-ORD-MIA-EZE, as long as they are on the same PNR).
Q. Can I look at AAnytime or MileSAAver award space to determine upgrade availability?
No. MileSAAver availability may be a good indication upgrade space may become available, but SAAver and upgrade inventories are separate.
Q. What fare inventory do I need to upgrade?
You need available "C" inventory to upgrade to two class domestic First and three class Business, "A" to three class First. These are not shown on aa.com, but some services (e.g. ExpertFlyer) do show them. The only way to reliably search for upgrade space on Expertflyer or other services is segment by segment. The reason for this is that by rule if C is available on the stand alone segment then the upgrade is allowed.
Q. I'm Executive Platinum. If I purchase an upgrade for someone without status, will they "borrow" my status for upgrade purposes?
They will if they are flying as your single traveling companion on the same flights. Otherwise, their status will determine their position on the upgrade wait list. This "borrowed" status was previously lost once the flight has gone to airport control; it doesn’t now, but it pays to check and see if it has been mismanaged by software - it can be restored when it has passed to airport control.
Q. Which miles earning and fare conditions will apply to my upgraded flights?
You will earn miles (award miles -- RDM -- and EQM) and EQ Dollars credit as determined by your originally purchased fare, and the applicable fare rules will also be determined by your originally purchased fare.
Older posts can be read in ARCHIVE: FAQ: Miles + Copay Upgrade / Upgrades (consolidated)
As of May 20, 2017 upgrade prioritization is:
- Elite status
- Concierge Key
- Executive Platinum
- Platinum Pro
- Platinum
- Gold
- Platinum
- Platinum Pro
- Executive Platinum
- Upgrade type
- Miles and copay award upgrades and systemwide upgrades (SWU)
- 500 mile upgrades on purchased tickets (including EXP complimentary UDU)
- 500 mile upgrades on upgrade eligible awards (including EXP complimentary UDU)
- 500 mile upgrades on purchased tickets (including EXP complimentary UDU)
- Elite qualifying dollars* in the past 12 months
- Booking class (in order, J, D, I, W, P, Y, H, K, M, L, V, G, S, N, Q, O, T)
- Time of request
- Booking class (in order, J, D, I, W, P, Y, H, K, M, L, V, G, S, N, Q, O, T)
- Miles and copay award upgrades and systemwide upgrades (SWU)
- Concierge Key
Enjoy a higher cabin of service Link.
Use your AAdvantage miles to upgrade on flights marketed and operated by American Airlines or American Eagle for yourself or anyone you designate.
Upgrades are valid to the next cabin of service* and are valid for a single one-way trip with a maximum of three segments. Upgrades are subject to capacity controls. Excluding award tickets, the following eligible fare types can be upgraded:
- Discount Economy with published fares booked in H,K,M,L,W,V,G,Q,N,O,S and
- Military or Government fares booked in Y
- Full-Fare Economy with published fares booked in Y
- Discount Premium Economy with published fares booked in P
- Full-Fare Premium Economy with published fares booked in W
- Discount Business with published fares booked in I
- Full-Fare Business with published fares booked in J, D or R
- Basic Economy fares booked in B are not upgradable
- Full-Fare Business with published fares booked in J, D or R
- Discount Business with published fares booked in I
- Full-Fare Premium Economy with published fares booked in W
- Discount Premium Economy with published fares booked in P
- Full-Fare Economy with published fares booked in Y
- Military or Government fares booked in Y
*E.g. Economy to Business, Business to three class First. At this time Premium Economy is treated as Economy for upgrade purposes.
See the chart here for cost in miles and dollars.
NOTE: The most expensive fare classes, full fare Economy Y, full fare Premium Economy W, and full fare Business J, may be upgraded without copay and at a lower cost in miles. See here.
Taxes and carrier-imposed fees:
Co-payment is non-refundable and inclusive of U.S. excise tax where applicable.
Mileage upgrade award tickets are subject to applicable taxes and security fees and may incur additional taxes as a result of upgrading to a higher class cabin (includes higher U.K. Air Passenger Duty If Flight originates in the UK or is a connecting flight with a connection time of 24:00 or more)..)
- Upgrading from Economy Class to Business Class or First Class may result in additional premium cabin taxes and carrier-imposed fees, including but not limited to flights originating in Great Britain and France.
- If the ticket is priced in USD, the additional taxes and carrier-imposed fees will be converted to USD at the time of ticketing.
- Please contact American Airlines Reservations to obtain applicable taxes and carrier-imposed fees for specific itineraries.
- If the ticket is priced in USD, the additional taxes and carrier-imposed fees will be converted to USD at the time of ticketing.
NOTE:
Miles and copay upgrades are to the next available cabin of service, are based on inventory being available, usable on AA marketed and operated flights (not codeshares operated by other airlines, not on other airlines' prime flights - BA and IB allow miles upgrades with AA miles but are very different and therefore not treated here).
See AA Participating Airline Upgrade Award - BA, IB, including codeshares (master thd), and note “one class of service” means Y to PE, PE to J, J to F where available on BA.
If the required inventory exists, they can be booked positively (i.e. upgraded immediately); if not, the request is wait listed. Wait list clearance is by status (EXP highest, no status lowest), and within status priority is by rolling 12 month EQD spend. Elites can have one traveling companion on the same PNR "borrow" their status for upgrade wait list purposes, until the request goes to the airport list, where you may want to assure your travel companion continues to hold your “borrowed” status for upgrade purposes.
Copays are waived for CK on all flights.
Frequently Asked Questions / FAQ:
Q. It says the upgrade fees are nonrefundable. Do I lose my miles and money if I'm not upgraded?
If your upgrade request does not go through, miles and copay are in fact refunded.
Q. If I am waitlisted, in what priority order are upgrades processed?
Upgrades are processed first by AAdvantage status tier, secondarily by type of upgrade, thirdly by the previous rolling 12 month EQD spend.
Q. Which has higher priority if all other preceding factors are the same? An upgraded with miles + copay, or an upgraded with SWU?
They have equal priority. A few reports state copay + upgrade have been given priority at some overseas stations.
Q. How soon will I know if my upgrade came through?
It can happen anytime inventory opens, from the time you book until the time you board. (Your request, including date and time of request, should carry over automatically to the airport list.)
Q. How soon will I know if my upgrade came through?
It can happen anytime inventory opens, from the time you book until the time you board. (Your request, including date and time of request, should carry over automatically to the airport list.)
Q. What happens to my booked seat whilst I'm waitlisted? If my upgrade doesn't come through, do I lose my reserved seat?
You normally retain your booked seat until (if) your upgrade comes through.
Q. How many flights can I upgrade with a single miles plus copay upgrade?
You may (assuming available inventory) upgrade up to three segments on the same ticketed itinerary (e.g. LHR-ORD-MIA-EZE, as long as they are on the same PNR).
Q. Can I look at AAnytime or MileSAAver award space to determine upgrade availability?
No. MileSAAver availability may be a good indication upgrade space may become available, but SAAver and upgrade inventories are separate.
Q. What fare inventory do I need to upgrade?
You need available "C" inventory to upgrade to two class domestic First and three class Business, "A" to three class First. These are not shown on aa.com, but some services (e.g. ExpertFlyer) do show them. The only way to reliably search for upgrade space on Expertflyer or other services is segment by segment. The reason for this is that by rule if C is available on the stand alone segment then the upgrade is allowed.
Q. I'm Executive Platinum. If I purchase an upgrade for someone without status, will they "borrow" my status for upgrade purposes?
They will if they are flying as your single traveling companion on the same flights. Otherwise, their status will determine their position on the upgrade wait list. This "borrowed" status was previously lost once the flight has gone to airport control; it doesn’t now, but it pays to check and see if it has been mismanaged by software - it can be restored when it has passed to airport control.
Q. Which miles earning and fare conditions will apply to my upgraded flights?
You will earn miles (award miles -- RDM -- and EQM) and EQ Dollars credit as determined by your originally purchased fare, and the applicable fare rules will also be determined by your originally purchased fare.
Older posts can be read in ARCHIVE: FAQ: Miles + Copay Upgrade / Upgrades (consolidated)
FAQ: Miles + Copay Upgrade / Upgrades (master thread)
Dec 3, 2018, 7:45 pm
#571
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,316
Jan 23, 2019, 7:59 am
#572
Join Date: May 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, LT Gold
Posts: 3,148
Used 2 miles+copay to upgrade my wife and I DFW-NRT, and it cleared last week. I called and confirmed it all yesterday.
This morning, 45,000 miles deducted from my account. I look at the details and it says:
Base miles -25,000
Bonus miles
Promo: 2,500
Total -22,500
Anyone ever saw this? Nice to save a few miles, I suppose.
This morning, 45,000 miles deducted from my account. I look at the details and it says:
Base miles -25,000
Bonus miles
Promo: 2,500
Total -22,500
Anyone ever saw this? Nice to save a few miles, I suppose.
Jan 23, 2019, 8:24 am
#573
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 7,043
Used 2 miles+copay to upgrade my wife and I DFW-NRT, and it cleared last week. I called and confirmed it all yesterday.
This morning, 45,000 miles deducted from my account. I look at the details and it says:
Base miles -25,000
Bonus miles
Promo: 2,500
Total -22,500
Anyone ever saw this? Nice to save a few miles, I suppose.
This morning, 45,000 miles deducted from my account. I look at the details and it says:
Base miles -25,000
Bonus miles
Promo: 2,500
Total -22,500
Anyone ever saw this? Nice to save a few miles, I suppose.
Regards
Jan 23, 2019, 8:35 am
#574
Join Date: May 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, LT Gold
Posts: 3,148
I have the Aviator Silver and the Citi Executive card. Never realized there was a 10% discount on mileage awards, wow. I guess this is the first time I've done a miles+copay and been charged for it in the last few years. Had a M+CP clear last October at the gate in LHR, but was never charged.
Jan 23, 2019, 10:25 am
#575
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 7,043
I have the Aviator Silver and the Citi Executive card. Never realized there was a 10% discount on mileage awards, wow. I guess this is the first time I've done a miles+copay and been charged for it in the last few years. Had a M+CP clear last October at the gate in LHR, but was never charged.
Regards
Jan 24, 2019, 9:58 pm
#576
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: INT/GSO/CLT/RDU
Programs: AA EXP 1MM; HH Gold; Bonvoy Gold; Wynd Diamond
Posts: 228
Upgrade with Miles
What's the process for "upgrading with miles?" Specifically, are these the C buckets? And what other methods are fighting for those 'C' seats?
Most importantly, if someone has a 5 leg R/T and calls to 'upgrade with mile' only to learn that they will be wait-listed to segments 1,2,and 4, but there are currently seats available on legs 3 and 5, is he out the 15K miles whether or not the seats become available on the other flights? Or does the whole itinerary revert back to Y?
Most importantly, if someone has a 5 leg R/T and calls to 'upgrade with mile' only to learn that they will be wait-listed to segments 1,2,and 4, but there are currently seats available on legs 3 and 5, is he out the 15K miles whether or not the seats become available on the other flights? Or does the whole itinerary revert back to Y?
Jan 24, 2019, 10:47 pm
#577
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Gatwick, UK
Programs: UA *G, BA Silver
Posts: 1,673
What's the process for "upgrading with miles?" Specifically, are these the C buckets? And what other methods are fighting for those 'C' seats?
Most importantly, if someone has a 5 leg R/T and calls to 'upgrade with mile' only to learn that they will be wait-listed to segments 1,2,and 4, but there are currently seats available on legs 3 and 5, is he out the 15K miles whether or not the seats become available on the other flights? Or does the whole itinerary revert back to Y?
Most importantly, if someone has a 5 leg R/T and calls to 'upgrade with mile' only to learn that they will be wait-listed to segments 1,2,and 4, but there are currently seats available on legs 3 and 5, is he out the 15K miles whether or not the seats become available on the other flights? Or does the whole itinerary revert back to Y?
Generally most people would only request miles upgrades on the longest segment first (or maybe the redeye segment first) and then add the others once the long one has cleared. But if, for example, you're doing LAX-JFK-LHR then you might decide to waitlist both of those. If your trip includes SAN-LAX-JFK-LHR then there is a good chance that SAN-LAX could clear on request, but you'd be silly to clear an upgrade on SAN-LAX until one of the long legs has cleared.
Most call center agents understand this quite well and will usually advise you well.
Jan 24, 2019, 11:46 pm
#578
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,030
What's the process for "upgrading with miles?" Specifically, are these the C buckets? And what other methods are fighting for those 'C' seats?
Most importantly, if someone has a 5 leg R/T and calls to 'upgrade with mile' only to learn that they will be wait-listed to segments 1,2,and 4, but there are currently seats available on legs 3 and 5, is he out the 15K miles whether or not the seats become available on the other flights? Or does the whole itinerary revert back to Y?
Most importantly, if someone has a 5 leg R/T and calls to 'upgrade with mile' only to learn that they will be wait-listed to segments 1,2,and 4, but there are currently seats available on legs 3 and 5, is he out the 15K miles whether or not the seats become available on the other flights? Or does the whole itinerary revert back to Y?
Do you have AA status?
Jan 25, 2019, 7:31 am
#579
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 4
I was able to get a miles+copay upgrade last minute on a flight from DFW to MAD tomorrow after getting a notification for C space by EF. The reservations agent I talked to said it was a $350 co-pay, but now I am seeing a second charge for $75 on my card that she never mentioned. It looks like this is some fee for upgrading last minute because I have no status?
Do I have a chance of getting this waived if I call back -- or should I reach out after my flight?
I missed Gold by ~1500 miles, and had around ~$6K EQD in 2018.
Do I have a chance of getting this waived if I call back -- or should I reach out after my flight?
I missed Gold by ~1500 miles, and had around ~$6K EQD in 2018.
Jan 25, 2019, 7:53 am
#580
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,483
I was able to get a miles+copay upgrade last minute on a flight from DFW to MAD tomorrow after getting a notification for C space by EF. The reservations agent I talked to said it was a $350 co-pay, but now I am seeing a second charge for $75 on my card that she never mentioned. It looks like this is some fee for upgrading last minute because I have no status?
Do I have a chance of getting this waived if I call back -- or should I reach out after my flight?
I missed Gold by ~1500 miles, and had around ~$6K EQD in 2018.
Do I have a chance of getting this waived if I call back -- or should I reach out after my flight?
I missed Gold by ~1500 miles, and had around ~$6K EQD in 2018.
If you requested the upgrade outside of 21 days, but it just cleared today, then the fee is not due and you should call AA back. However if you were not on the waitlist and just called today when you saw C space, then the fee is due unfortunately.
Jan 25, 2019, 9:03 am
#581
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,316
Yes that is most likely the $75 close in (within 21 days) "expedite" fee.
If you requested the upgrade outside of 21 days, but it just cleared today, then the fee is not due and you should call AA back. However if you were not on the waitlist and just called today when you saw C space, then the fee is due unfortunately.
If you requested the upgrade outside of 21 days, but it just cleared today, then the fee is not due and you should call AA back. However if you were not on the waitlist and just called today when you saw C space, then the fee is due unfortunately.
Jan 25, 2019, 9:25 am
#582
Join Date: Oct 2015
Programs: AA: EXP, 1MM Marriott: Ambassador, LTT
Posts: 407
Can I Use Miles Upgrade for 4 People on Same PNR?
Question for miles & co-pay experts: I am an EXP traveling with 3 no-status family members on the same PNR and all booked in PE W Class to LAX-NRT. Currently no C space available on flight in May 2019. I have EF alerts set up in case any C space opens up between now and departure. My intent is to put all 4 of us on wait list and If C space opens up to use 15K mile upgrades given we are in W (I have plenty of miles). Ideally all 4 of us get upgrades, but I am focused on trying to get at least 2 seats upgraded.
A few questions:
1. In terms of upgrade wait list priority, if I ask AA to put all four of us on the upgrade wait list on same PNR, where would our request rank on the list? From what the FAQ says, only 1 person can "borrow" my EXP status for wait list purposes, but there are 4 of us on the PNR. Would we all get pushed to bottom of the list or would AA just consider our place in line to be an EXP miles request for 2 upgrades instead of 4. Anyone know how this would actually work in practice?
2. When going through the upgrade list, if AA reaches our spot (assuming it is all 4 of us) and availability is less than C4, would they skip us entirely because they can't fill the C4 request or partially fill the request with whatever they have left?
3. Should I divide the PNR into 2 reservations with 2 people each to maximize my chances of at least 2 miles upgrades clearing? I know this will give the PNR with the 2 non-status people the lowest upgrade priority, but given my EXP status I will likely get a high spot on the waiting list for at least 2 out of the 4 requests.
Any information, advice or examples of what people have experienced in similar situations is greatly appreciated!
A few questions:
1. In terms of upgrade wait list priority, if I ask AA to put all four of us on the upgrade wait list on same PNR, where would our request rank on the list? From what the FAQ says, only 1 person can "borrow" my EXP status for wait list purposes, but there are 4 of us on the PNR. Would we all get pushed to bottom of the list or would AA just consider our place in line to be an EXP miles request for 2 upgrades instead of 4. Anyone know how this would actually work in practice?
2. When going through the upgrade list, if AA reaches our spot (assuming it is all 4 of us) and availability is less than C4, would they skip us entirely because they can't fill the C4 request or partially fill the request with whatever they have left?
3. Should I divide the PNR into 2 reservations with 2 people each to maximize my chances of at least 2 miles upgrades clearing? I know this will give the PNR with the 2 non-status people the lowest upgrade priority, but given my EXP status I will likely get a high spot on the waiting list for at least 2 out of the 4 requests.
Any information, advice or examples of what people have experienced in similar situations is greatly appreciated!
Jan 25, 2019, 9:27 am
#583
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: New York
Programs: AA, CX, Hyatt, Marriott
Posts: 1,484
That hasn’t been my experience, I got charged (more than one instance) when it cleared within 21 days (requested way earlier) when the miles came out of my wife’s (no status) account. Any citations would be helpful as I’ll go back and fight it (most recent time was last month).
AAdvantage award processing charge
- A $75 fee will be charged for award tickets booked or mileage upgrades requested less than 21 days prior to departure
- This charge will be waived for Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro, Platinum and Gold members using miles from their account
Jan 25, 2019, 9:59 am
#584
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,463
I'm wondering if anyone done Copay+miles upgrade on the PHL-DUB flight, We are in PE, put in request the day tickets were purchased and have alert on EF nothing yet, J is wide open with only 5 seats taken, I'm surprised no C space has been released at all. Wanting J going to DUB as it's a night flight and would like some sleep.
Jan 25, 2019, 10:21 am
#585
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 214
I'm wondering if anyone done Copay+miles upgrade on the PHL-DUB flight, We are in PE, put in request the day tickets were purchased and have alert on EF nothing yet, J is wide open with only 5 seats taken, I'm surprised no C space has been released at all. Wanting J going to DUB as it's a night flight and would like some sleep.