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)
Jul 28, 2019, 4:16 pm
#721
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: BMI
Programs: AA EXP, Delta, Amtrak, Hertz PC
Posts: 657
I was trying to upgrade IAH-LAX-SFO and SFO-DFW-BMI next month.
In the past, they would not upgrade one leg unless both legs were available, so even though LAX-SFO has availability, since IAH-LAX doesn't they would not process.
Well, I look at my reservation, and LAX-SFO and DFW-BMI are upgraded, but IAH-LAX and SFO-DFW aren't. I called back and they said this was the way it was normally done. The PNR now looks split with 4 distinct legs. They said I can cancel the upgrades and go back to coach if the other legs don't clear, but that seems complicated.
Any advice?
Is this the normal now, or did I get to agents that didn't know what to do? Should I try to call again? Should I drop the request? I really don't want to burn 30,000 miles and $150 for LAX-SFO and DFW-BMI.
In the past, they would not upgrade one leg unless both legs were available, so even though LAX-SFO has availability, since IAH-LAX doesn't they would not process.
Well, I look at my reservation, and LAX-SFO and DFW-BMI are upgraded, but IAH-LAX and SFO-DFW aren't. I called back and they said this was the way it was normally done. The PNR now looks split with 4 distinct legs. They said I can cancel the upgrades and go back to coach if the other legs don't clear, but that seems complicated.
Any advice?
Is this the normal now, or did I get to agents that didn't know what to do? Should I try to call again? Should I drop the request? I really don't want to burn 30,000 miles and $150 for LAX-SFO and DFW-BMI.
I called the gold line and they said no worries you are fine. This happened a few years ago and they had to reissue the ticket at the airport in order to check me in. Should I believe him or call Aadvantage reservations instead, or I am worrying about nothing?
Jul 28, 2019, 5:55 pm
#722
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SBA
Programs: UA & AA 1 million miler
Posts: 1,134
OK, my IAH-LAX upgrade appears to have cleared so I am cleared IAH-LAX-SFO. It has been like this for about a week for a flight next Saturday (first leg of trip on Thursday). It shows me sitting in First and I was able to order a meal. However, it still shows "mileage upgrade requested" under upgrade request, and no miles or charges have come out of my account.
I called the gold line and they said no worries you are fine. This happened a few years ago and they had to reissue the ticket at the airport in order to check me in. Should I believe him or call Aadvantage reservations instead, or I am worrying about nothing?
I called the gold line and they said no worries you are fine. This happened a few years ago and they had to reissue the ticket at the airport in order to check me in. Should I believe him or call Aadvantage reservations instead, or I am worrying about nothing?
However, I noticed my ticket was reissued the next day and also received a upgrade confirmation email.
Jul 28, 2019, 6:45 pm
#723
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: BMI
Programs: AA EXP, Delta, Amtrak, Hertz PC
Posts: 657
The same thing happened to me a few days ago. I called AA EXP desk and asked to reissue the ticket. I was on hold for 5 minutes. The agent came back and told me it's in queue and will be reissued soon. She also told me that if my ticket is not reissued until a few days prior to my departure, should call back again.
However, I noticed my ticket was reissued the next day and also received a upgrade confirmation email.
However, I noticed my ticket was reissued the next day and also received a upgrade confirmation email.
Aug 4, 2019, 1:51 am
#724
Join Date: Jul 2019
Programs: AA, UA, DL, QF
Posts: 26
Hello all, my parents have enough miles (170k) to both get RT tickets in Main Cabin from LAX to SYD...I wanted to know can they (or me) pay to upgrade them to PE?
Or is it better to purchase two main cabin tickets then try to upgrade to PE with their miles...?
Or is it better to purchase two main cabin tickets then try to upgrade to PE with their miles...?
Aug 4, 2019, 2:26 am
#725
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 1,285
I've never heard of being able to transfer a miles + copay upgrade from one booking to another, much less from a cancelled booking to a presently nonexistent booking. Given the general level of competence of AAgents these days, I'd take whatever the agent told you with a grain of salt. I would be especially wary of waitlisting, because the way the waitlist is set up is that you are charged once you clear the waitlist. I'm not sure how an agent would be able to set it up so you are not charged when the upgrade clears.
of booking so agent was able to apply miles + copy upgrade(from cancelled ticket) to the new flight and i was instantly upgraded to J at the time of booking.
Aug 4, 2019, 4:43 am
#726
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
data point - I rebooked my trip and applied flight credit from cancelled flight. There was C space available at the time
of booking so agent was able to apply miles + copy upgrade(from cancelled ticket) to the new flight and i was instantly upgraded to J at the time of booking.
Aug 4, 2019, 5:15 am
#727
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: DCA/IAD/WAS
Programs: MAR AMB, WOH Explorist, AA EXP, UA 2P
Posts: 2,138
data point - I rebooked my trip and applied flight credit from cancelled flight. There was C space available at the time
of booking so agent was able to apply miles + copy upgrade(from cancelled ticket) to the new flight and i was instantly upgraded to J at the time of booking.
Aug 4, 2019, 6:01 am
#728
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,372
data point - I rebooked my trip and applied flight credit from cancelled flight. There was C space available at the time
of booking so agent was able to apply miles + copy upgrade(from cancelled ticket) to the new flight and i was instantly upgraded to J at the time of booking.
Aug 4, 2019, 6:22 am
#729
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
Happened to me, as well. When you do a Miles + Copay Upgrade, you are essentially using the miles and the $ to pay for an upgrade certificate that gets generated and applied to the reservation. If you cancel the reservation, that certificate is still good and can be applied to another ticket.
Relatedly, could one apply a cancelled C upgrade to upgrade from business to first, and simply pay the difference in copay? In other words, how easy is it to tweak the type of “upgrade certificate” without paying a redeposit fee (assuming non-EXP) and not losing the $ copay?
Aug 4, 2019, 11:05 am
#730
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,463
I would think purchasing PE tickets would be easier. Since the PE cabin sells out quickly then use the points to try and upgrade to J.
Aug 4, 2019, 11:14 am
#731
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,372
Relatedly, could one apply a cancelled C upgrade to upgrade from business to first, and simply pay the difference in copay? In other words, how easy is it to tweak the type of “upgrade certificate” without paying a redeposit fee (assuming non-EXP) and not losing the $ copay?
Aug 4, 2019, 11:18 am
#732
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,317
I’m guessing you loose the copay on all voluntary changes that don’t involve schedule changes. Swapping a miles/copay for SWU gets the miles back but not the copay.
Aug 21, 2019, 4:25 pm
#733
Join Date: Aug 2019
Programs: AA Platinum
Posts: 4
Hi all, first time poster and first time attempting a miles + co-pay upgrade on DFW-> LHR.
I am booked in PE on low fare (P?), I phoned up AA yesterday and was told it would be 25k miles and $350 for upgrade request which I agreed to. I re-read some of the posts here and it mentioned it shouldn't matter whether in W or P but the upgrade cost should just be 15k miles?
Is that still the case, if so should I call back and try to re-apply the upgrade request? Thanks!
I am booked in PE on low fare (P?), I phoned up AA yesterday and was told it would be 25k miles and $350 for upgrade request which I agreed to. I re-read some of the posts here and it mentioned it shouldn't matter whether in W or P but the upgrade cost should just be 15k miles?
Is that still the case, if so should I call back and try to re-apply the upgrade request? Thanks!
Aug 21, 2019, 4:44 pm
#734
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 1,285
Hi all, first time poster and first time attempting a miles + co-pay upgrade on DFW-> LHR.
I am booked in PE on low fare (P?), I phoned up AA yesterday and was told it would be 25k miles and $350 for upgrade request which I agreed to. I re-read some of the posts here and it mentioned it shouldn't matter whether in W or P but the upgrade cost should just be 15k miles?
Is that still the case, if so should I call back and try to re-apply the upgrade request? Thanks!
I am booked in PE on low fare (P?), I phoned up AA yesterday and was told it would be 25k miles and $350 for upgrade request which I agreed to. I re-read some of the posts here and it mentioned it shouldn't matter whether in W or P but the upgrade cost should just be 15k miles?
Is that still the case, if so should I call back and try to re-apply the upgrade request? Thanks!
Aug 21, 2019, 4:48 pm
#735
Join Date: Aug 2019
Programs: AA Platinum
Posts: 4
Thanks, I re-read the posts and realise my mistake now.
If you can use the same amount of miles + copay to upgrade from Main Cabin as from PE (P), is there a reason to not book Economy if you are hoping for an upgrade (being that you are happy to sit in Economy as opposed to PE)?
If you can use the same amount of miles + copay to upgrade from Main Cabin as from PE (P), is there a reason to not book Economy if you are hoping for an upgrade (being that you are happy to sit in Economy as opposed to PE)?