Feb 19, 2016, 2:01 pm
Last edit by: thorofare
AA Vacations / aavacations.com Flight and Ground Packages
Trust American Airlines to offer you the perfect package at the best price, guaranteed! When you choose to bundle your travel components into one package price we can offer you an unbeatable value by combining our unpublished low rates on flights with specially negotiated rates on hotels, activities and transportation. So, whether you're looking for a quick flight plus hotel weekend getaway or an all-inclusive package complete with flight, hotel, ground transportation and tickets to local attractions, you can rest easy knowing the entire trip is covered by our Lowest Price Guarantee.
FAQ
Q. Do these earn AAEQM Loyalty Points, Award Miles (RDM) and EQD (EQ Dollars in 2017)?
These generally book into discount paid fare buckets, so "Yes" at this time. There are a few promotional offers that do not earnEQM Loyalty Points; these will clearly say so, so read thoroughly. See:
Special fares: Earning Award Miles and Loyalty Points on aa.com (link)
Earning AA Elite Qualifying Miles / EQM on AA, oneworld, partners 2016
and this for the changes affecting Award Miles coming in the latter part of 2016.
Earning AA Award / Redeemable Miles / RDM on AA, partners later 2016
Q. Can I upgrade these with AA upgrade instruments (e500 "stickers", miles and copay, SWU)? NOTE: As of July 2022, AA no longer issues 500-mile upgrade certificates ("stickers"). Auto-requested complimentary upgrades are now available to all elite status members and one traveling companion. See details at aa.com
Yes. These follow the standard AA upgrade rules.
Q. Can I use AAadvantage Award Miles to "pay" for a vacation?
(Change late 2019) Yes. You can "pay" with money (cards, etc.), AAdvantage miles or a combination of both. Miles may be used to pay for any portion of the vacation package up, and including, all of it. At this time there is no way to distinguish the breakpoint between the land portion and the air portion of the package, except by calling. And even this is a mixed bag.
Q. If I use AAdvantage Aware Miles to pay for part of my vacation, does this impact upgrades or EQM/RDM for the flights?(RDM)?
(Change 2020) AA Vacations agents are confident that using miles will have no impact on EQM/EQD/RDM as the miles are converted to "cash" to pay for the trip, so the AA system sees these as cash paid. This is supposed to apply no matter how much of the trip is paid with miles. Experiences reported here using part miles indicate that all posts as expected in these cases..
Q. So, what kinds of fares are ineligible for earning AA miles?
"Exceptions (aa.com)
Q. What aboutEQM Loyalty Points and Award ("Redeemable") Miles earning later in 2016 after 1 January 2022?
AA has specified a set of "Special Fares", which includes select AA Vacations (where there is a * next to the booking code when looking at the flight details).
Note that the Special Fares page also says, "AAdvantage elite member bonuses will be applied in addition to the percentages shown for award miles."
Q. What fare classes do First and Business packages book into?
Typically A for international First, A, R or P domestic F, and I or D international Business.
Q. What if I'm flying on a flight on a partner airline?
AA Vacations most often books into AA "code shares" / AA marketed flights. In that case, you'll earn miles as if flying on American. If it doesn't, you'll earn per the agreement AA has with the partner airline. Start here to look them up.
Q. What advance purchase restrictions are imposed?
Most advance purchase, minimum stay, etc. normally imposed by the airline don't apply; the restrictions are those imposed by AA Vacations. (Detailed Fare Rules for your fare generally do apply, however.)
Q. Are the trips or fares refundable?
Generally not fully refundable. Hotels and ground activities are generally not at all, and air will depend on the fare bucket and detailed rules. AA vacations does offer protection, but hotels etc. may not be included.
"There are two types of protection available: We offer the Cancellation and Change Waiver (Pre-Departure Protection) which allows you to cancel and/or change either the land or air portion of their package without penalty. Trip Protector (Post-Departure protection) from Allianz Global Assistance can provide protection for your trip expenses, your health and your belongings."
A waiver is usually $129 for international travel and $69 for domestic travel. This can also be paid with miles.
Q. What is the shortest time I can book an air-hotel package for?
It appears three nights is the shortest period allowed by aavacations, unless the total duration of the trip is less than three days, then it is length of trip. However, those three nights do not need to be at a single property.
Q. Can I book a ten day package with only three days of prepaid hotel?
Sure. You'll have to call to do so, however.
You can change the dates of the hotel to be different from those of the flights in the "More Search Options" section of the search. You can also book multiple rooms here too, specifying the number of guests per room.I don't think you can book hotel to be in a different city though. A hotel in a different city (or continent, even) can be booked, but must be done over the phone.
Q. Is only one hotel offered?
No. A variety of properties is generally offered, but this will of course affect pricing.
Q. Does the hotel have to be in the destination city?
No. You can book a property in another city if it's offered by AA Vacations.
Q. What happens if I don't use the ground part (hotel, car, etc.)? Will they cancel my return flights?
Nothing. You can use it or forget it. No flight cancellations ensue. See AA Vacations - not checking in at Hotel Some purposely book the cheapest pricing for their trip knowing they're choosing a "throwaway hotel" they won't use.
Though one AA Vacations agent actually said "always book with us and just book the cheapest hotel for 3 days and throw it away", don't you say it's your intent.
Q. Will AA Vacations cause problems for me?
If you disclose your intent to AA Vacations to "throw away" (not stay at) the hotel, they can not sell you the package. So, don't.
Q. Will the hotel cause problems for me?
Not likely; they're paid for a prepaid stay whether you stay or not, as they get to keep the money and have "your" room to sell.
Q. Will I earn points at the hotel? Will they recognize my status?
Many chains don't recognize third party bookings for points or stay credit, but will usually recognize your status. Properties will treat as prepaid booking.
Q. Are there ever deals or promos?
Indeed. There are often sales and promotions; look for them on the site.
Q. What if I want to book open jaw or customize?
Calling can do that. There's a $39 call fee, unless it's not able to be booked online. Others have said you can generally calculate the price of an open jaw itinerary by adding half the price of pricing for vacations to the arrival and departure cities and adding those.
Q. Can I put these on "hold" while I think about it since these include air fare?
No. But: Refund of Air Ticket Portion Within 24 Hours of Purchase
Within 24 hours of booking, you are allowed to cancel your refundable or non-refundable air ticket for a full refund (and no change fees and/or difference in fare) subject to the following rules:
Q. My AAdvantage credit card earns double Award ("Redeemable") Miles on AA purchases. Will AA Vacations purchases earn 2x miles?
No. What transactions are eligible to earn double AAdvantage® miles?
Eligible American Airlines purchases are items billed by American Airlines as the merchant of record booked through American Airlines channels (aa.com, American Airlines Reservations, American Airlines airport, in-flight and city ticket counters). American Airlines tickets purchased through other channels or that are a component of any other cruise or tour package do not earn the additional mile purchase bonuses. Products or services that do not qualify for the additional bonus miles include car rentals, hotel reservations, American Airlines Vacations packages, purchases of American Airlines AAdvantage miles, duty free purchases and or AA Cargo℠
Q. Do these earn AA
These generally book into discount paid fare buckets, so "Yes" at this time. There are a few promotional offers that do not earn
Special fares: Earning Award Miles and Loyalty Points on aa.com (link)
and this for the changes affecting Award Miles coming in the latter part of 2016.
Earning AA Award / Redeemable Miles / RDM on AA, partners later 2016
Q. Can I upgrade these with AA upgrade instruments (
Yes. These follow the standard AA upgrade rules.
Q. Can I use AAadvantage Award Miles to "pay" for a vacation?
(Change late 2019) Yes. You can "pay" with money (cards, etc.), AAdvantage miles or a combination of both. Miles may be used to pay for any portion of the vacation package up, and including, all of it. At this time there is no way to distinguish the breakpoint between the land portion and the air portion of the package, except by calling. And even this is a mixed bag.
Q. If I use AAdvantage Aware Miles to pay for part of my vacation, does this impact upgrades or EQM/RDM for the flights?(RDM)?
(Change 2020) AA Vacations agents are confident that using miles will have no impact on EQM/EQD/RDM as the miles are converted to "cash" to pay for the trip, so the AA system sees these as cash paid. This is supposed to apply no matter how much of the trip is paid with miles. Experiences reported here using part miles indicate that all posts as expected in these cases..
Q. So, what kinds of fares are ineligible for earning AA miles?
"Exceptions (aa.com)
There are certain airline ticket types that are not eligible for mileage accrual regardless of the booking class. These include, without limitation, the following:
Q Are there any types of tickets that won’t earn award miles?
Yes, tickets that currently do not earn award miles, elite-qualifying miles or elite-qualifying segments will not earn award miles in the future. This includes:
Q Are there any types of tickets that won’t earn award miles?
Yes, tickets that currently do not earn award miles, elite-qualifying miles or elite-qualifying segments will not earn award miles in the future. This includes:
- All tickets issued as AAdvantage awards
- Other free ticket promotions including free or reduced rate tickets
- Companion tickets
- Charter flight tickets
- Travel agency/industry reduced rate tickets
- Infant tickets
- Extra seats or items occupying a purchased seat
- Unpublished fare tickets, including consolidator fares
- Tickets issued subject to special provisions
Q. What about
AA has specified a set of "Special Fares", which includes select AA Vacations (where there is a * next to the booking code when looking at the flight details).
Some fares (such as bulk or consolidator fares) earn award miles and Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs) Loyalty Points (LPs) at a modified rate based on a percentage of the distance flown as determined by the booking code.
Special fares are often purchased through a specialized agent, third party or as part of a package including air transportation and lodging.
Examples:
Special fares are often purchased through a specialized agent, third party or as part of a package including air transportation and lodging.
Examples:
- Bulk fares
- Cruise fares
- Consolidator fares
- Discounted or inclusive tour packages
- Vacation packages, including select American Airlines Vacations® packages. For Vacations, special fares are marked with an asterisk (*) after the booking code in the AAVacations.com booking path,
- Other tickets where the fare isn't disclosed, excluding bookings made through priceline.com or hotwire.com where the carrier isn't disclosed before buying
Q. What fare classes do First and Business packages book into?
Typically A for international First, A, R or P domestic F, and I or D international Business.
Q. What if I'm flying on a flight on a partner airline?
AA Vacations most often books into AA "code shares" / AA marketed flights. In that case, you'll earn miles as if flying on American. If it doesn't, you'll earn per the agreement AA has with the partner airline. Start here to look them up.
Q. What advance purchase restrictions are imposed?
Most advance purchase, minimum stay, etc. normally imposed by the airline don't apply; the restrictions are those imposed by AA Vacations. (Detailed Fare Rules for your fare generally do apply, however.)
Q. Are the trips or fares refundable?
Generally not fully refundable. Hotels and ground activities are generally not at all, and air will depend on the fare bucket and detailed rules. AA vacations does offer protection, but hotels etc. may not be included.
"There are two types of protection available: We offer the Cancellation and Change Waiver (Pre-Departure Protection) which allows you to cancel and/or change either the land or air portion of their package without penalty. Trip Protector (Post-Departure protection) from Allianz Global Assistance can provide protection for your trip expenses, your health and your belongings."
A waiver is usually $129 for international travel and $69 for domestic travel. This can also be paid with miles.
Q. What is the shortest time I can book an air-hotel package for?
It appears three nights is the shortest period allowed by aavacations, unless the total duration of the trip is less than three days, then it is length of trip. However, those three nights do not need to be at a single property.
Q. Can I book a ten day package with only three days of prepaid hotel?
You can change the dates of the hotel to be different from those of the flights in the "More Search Options" section of the search. You can also book multiple rooms here too, specifying the number of guests per room.
Q. Is only one hotel offered?
No. A variety of properties is generally offered, but this will of course affect pricing.
Q. Does the hotel have to be in the destination city?
No. You can book a property in another city if it's offered by AA Vacations.
Q. What happens if I don't use the ground part (hotel, car, etc.)? Will they cancel my return flights?
Nothing. You can use it or forget it. No flight cancellations ensue. See AA Vacations - not checking in at Hotel Some purposely book the cheapest pricing for their trip knowing they're choosing a "throwaway hotel" they won't use.
Though one AA Vacations agent actually said "always book with us and just book the cheapest hotel for 3 days and throw it away", don't you say it's your intent.
Q. Will AA Vacations cause problems for me?
If you disclose your intent to AA Vacations to "throw away" (not stay at) the hotel, they can not sell you the package. So, don't.
Q. Will the hotel cause problems for me?
Not likely; they're paid for a prepaid stay whether you stay or not, as they get to keep the money and have "your" room to sell.
Q. Will I earn points at the hotel? Will they recognize my status?
Many chains don't recognize third party bookings for points or stay credit, but will usually recognize your status. Properties will treat as prepaid booking.
Q. Are there ever deals or promos?
Indeed. There are often sales and promotions; look for them on the site.
Q. What if I want to book open jaw or customize?
Calling can do that. There's a $39 call fee, unless it's not able to be booked online. Others have said you can generally calculate the price of an open jaw itinerary by adding half the price of pricing for vacations to the arrival and departure cities and adding those.
Q. Can I put these on "hold" while I think about it since these include air fare?
No. But: Refund of Air Ticket Portion Within 24 Hours of Purchase
Within 24 hours of booking, you are allowed to cancel your refundable or non-refundable air ticket for a full refund (and no change fees and/or difference in fare) subject to the following rules:
- You must call 800-321-2121 within 24 hours of purchase to cancel the air ticket reservation and request a refund of the air ticket.
- The reservation must have been booked at least 7 days before scheduled departure.
- This policy does not apply to hotel or other non-air portions of the package. Standard cancellation policies will apply to all non-air components of the package.
- Refunds are only issued for tickets booked on aavacations.com or with American Airlines Vacations Reservations.
Q. My AAdvantage credit card earns double Award ("Redeemable") Miles on AA purchases. Will AA Vacations purchases earn 2x miles?
No. What transactions are eligible to earn double AAdvantage® miles?
Eligible American Airlines purchases are items billed by American Airlines as the merchant of record booked through American Airlines channels (aa.com, American Airlines Reservations, American Airlines airport, in-flight and city ticket counters). American Airlines tickets purchased through other channels or that are a component of any other cruise or tour package do not earn the additional mile purchase bonuses. Products or services that do not qualify for the additional bonus miles include car rentals, hotel reservations, American Airlines Vacations packages, purchases of American Airlines AAdvantage miles, duty free purchases and or AA Cargo℠
(lower right wiki corner)Updated by JDiver 19 Feb 2016
FAQ: aavacations.com / AA Vacations flight & vacation package questions, discussion
Mar 27, 2017, 2:19 pm
#151
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: ROC/NYC/MSP/LAX/HKG/SIN
Posts: 3,212
Other Vacation Packages work out as distance-based...
Got a last minute vacation package from OTA. Immediately after confirmation, base-fare was shown. CS mentioned it should be by fare, but took notes that it should be based in distance. Used eVIP to confirm outbound, turned out it was posted as special fare-distance even after the base fare showed in AA receipts with eVIP applied.
The other two eVIPed AAVs have no base fare/taxes shown at AA receipts at all. Looks like AAV is your best bet here, but OTA vacation packages worked out too.
The other two eVIPed AAVs have no base fare/taxes shown at AA receipts at all. Looks like AAV is your best bet here, but OTA vacation packages worked out too.
Apr 11, 2017, 2:32 pm
#152
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP, IHG PL, SPG G, MR G, HH G, CC G, AMEX PL
Posts: 1,465
I'm going to book JFK-HND-SIN on AAVacations in O. I'm AA PL. The total mileage for this itinerary is 20138. Is my math correct that I should get 20138 EQM, 16110 RDM and 2014 EQD? Thanks.
Apr 13, 2017, 11:10 am
#153
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
Did you get the mileage from AA? GCMaps says it's 20121, but AA could well be disagreeing by that much.
Apr 14, 2017, 4:35 pm
#154
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP, IHG PL, SPG G, MR G, HH G, CC G, AMEX PL
Posts: 1,465
The math looks correct for a Plat.
Did you get the mileage from AA? GCMaps says it's 20121, but AA could well be disagreeing by that much.
Did you get the mileage from AA? GCMaps says it's 20121, but AA could well be disagreeing by that much.
May 9, 2017, 9:09 pm
#155
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SF + PHX
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1k, Marriott Gold, HH Gold, X Elite+
Posts: 262
Looking for help -
Trying to book multi-city vacation online, and the FAQ and all accounts i read say it shouldn't be too much more than half of each total package combined. Or, at the very least won't be more than the most expensive package.
I've had at least 4 calls trying to book a multi-city now that have varied by up to 2k per person in pricing. What gives? Am i asking wrong?
Trying to book multi-city vacation online, and the FAQ and all accounts i read say it shouldn't be too much more than half of each total package combined. Or, at the very least won't be more than the most expensive package.
I've had at least 4 calls trying to book a multi-city now that have varied by up to 2k per person in pricing. What gives? Am i asking wrong?
May 10, 2017, 7:08 am
#156
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 3,698
Looking for help -
Trying to book multi-city vacation online, and the FAQ and all accounts i read say it shouldn't be too much more than half of each total package combined. Or, at the very least won't be more than the most expensive package.
I've had at least 4 calls trying to book a multi-city now that have varied by up to 2k per person in pricing. What gives? Am i asking wrong?
Trying to book multi-city vacation online, and the FAQ and all accounts i read say it shouldn't be too much more than half of each total package combined. Or, at the very least won't be more than the most expensive package.
I've had at least 4 calls trying to book a multi-city now that have varied by up to 2k per person in pricing. What gives? Am i asking wrong?
- Make sure it's booking into the right class of service. Sometimes when they try to book business, the system bumps the reservation into first, which increases the price.
- Tell them that the price is showing a lot cheaper online, and ask them to try to check that it's booking using the bulk rates.
FWIW, it's possible to use the BA Holidays site to book multi-city online, so depending on your goals that may be a good option to investigate as well.
May 10, 2017, 7:20 am
#157
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: CGX
Posts: 168
This situation happened to me last week, it was showing over $500 more than online. I asked the agent to check again based on what was showing online and she found a $500 cheaper rate than what I was seeing. So, it was a $1k swing by asking her to check again. YMMV
May 18, 2017, 12:58 am
#158
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SBA
Programs: UA & AA 1 million miler
Posts: 1,134
Asia Pacific Vacations
I just found
"Earn 20,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles when booking an Asia Pacific vacation package. Book by June 30, 2017." at aavacations.com
Does anybody know when the promotion started?
I booked a package to Japan recently and I wonder if I will get the 20,000 bonus miles or not...
"Earn 20,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles when booking an Asia Pacific vacation package. Book by June 30, 2017." at aavacations.com
Does anybody know when the promotion started?
I booked a package to Japan recently and I wonder if I will get the 20,000 bonus miles or not...
May 18, 2017, 11:31 am
#159
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
I just found
"Earn 20,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles when booking an Asia Pacific vacation package. Book by June 30, 2017." at aavacations.com
Does anybody know when the promotion started?
I booked a package to Japan recently and I wonder if I will get the 20,000 bonus miles or not...
"Earn 20,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles when booking an Asia Pacific vacation package. Book by June 30, 2017." at aavacations.com
Does anybody know when the promotion started?
I booked a package to Japan recently and I wonder if I will get the 20,000 bonus miles or not...
Regarding your question: "Offer is valid for new reservations made during promotional booking period and cannot be honored retroactively or applied to existing reservations."
I'd say you're out of luck.
Last edited by SpammersAreScum; May 18, 2017 at 11:34 am Reason: more info
May 18, 2017, 12:08 pm
#160
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SBA
Programs: UA & AA 1 million miler
Posts: 1,134
Nice. One gotcha for people who book the the minimum 3 nights as a "throwaway": "Hotel stay must match length of trip."
Regarding your question: "Offer is valid for new reservations made during promotional booking period and cannot be honored retroactively or applied to existing reservations."
I'd say you're out of luck.
Regarding your question: "Offer is valid for new reservations made during promotional booking period and cannot be honored retroactively or applied to existing reservations."
I'd say you're out of luck.
May 18, 2017, 12:12 pm
#161
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
May 18, 2017, 1:55 pm
#162
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 47
I booked a week ago and I noticed the promo at least a week prior to that. It may have been mid April when I first noticed it, but I don't remember. I think there's a good chance it was in effect when you booked.
May 18, 2017, 3:18 pm
#163
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SBA
Programs: UA & AA 1 million miler
Posts: 1,134
This deal didn't require a promo code at the time of booking. As long as the vacation was purchased while the promo was active, the bonus will be paid.
I booked a week ago and I noticed the promo at least a week prior to that. It may have been mid April when I first noticed it, but I don't remember. I think there's a good chance it was in effect when you booked.
I booked a week ago and I noticed the promo at least a week prior to that. It may have been mid April when I first noticed it, but I don't remember. I think there's a good chance it was in effect when you booked.
You are correct. No promo code is required for the promo. If I get extra 20,000 miles beside the 1,000 miles, that would be a nice surprise
Last edited by MrJBoy; May 18, 2017 at 4:43 pm
May 18, 2017, 4:43 pm
#164
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: IWI; Work: DCA/Everywhere; Play: LAS/SJU/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, LEYE Gold
Posts: 6,670
Nice. One gotcha for people who book the the minimum 3 nights as a "throwaway": "Hotel stay must match length of trip."
Regarding your question: "Offer is valid for new reservations made during promotional booking period and cannot be honored retroactively or applied to existing reservations."
I'd say you're out of luck.
Regarding your question: "Offer is valid for new reservations made during promotional booking period and cannot be honored retroactively or applied to existing reservations."
I'd say you're out of luck.
Where do you see the minimum 3 nights?
And any idea whether leaving Tuesday & returning Friday would count as "3 nights" (presuming a Wednesday arrival and thus two actual nights in a hotel)? Or is it 3 nights "on the ground"?
Edited to add: I will say that, somewhat incredibly, AAVacations is returning a total price of $730 for air (DCA-DFW-HKG, HKG-DFW-BWI) on desirable flights plus two nights in a throwaway hostel. The airfare alone would be $1100ish on aa.com or an OTA on these flights.
May 18, 2017, 7:41 pm
#165
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
Where do you see the minimum 3 nights?
And any idea whether leaving Tuesday & returning Friday would count as "3 nights" (presuming a Wednesday arrival and thus two actual nights in a hotel)? Or is it 3 nights "on the ground"?
Edited to add: I will say that, somewhat incredibly, AAVacations is returning a total price of $730 for air (DCA-DFW-HKG, HKG-DFW-BWI) on desirable flights plus two nights in a throwaway hostel. The airfare alone would be $1100ish on aa.com or an OTA on these flights.
And any idea whether leaving Tuesday & returning Friday would count as "3 nights" (presuming a Wednesday arrival and thus two actual nights in a hotel)? Or is it 3 nights "on the ground"?
Edited to add: I will say that, somewhat incredibly, AAVacations is returning a total price of $730 for air (DCA-DFW-HKG, HKG-DFW-BWI) on desirable flights plus two nights in a throwaway hostel. The airfare alone would be $1100ish on aa.com or an OTA on these flights.
Usually what they mean by "3 nights" is you pay for 3 nights in the hotel. Whether they would care if you did that but had flights making the 3 night stay impossible is a good question. Or maybe for this special you could just book 2 nights.
I guess you've found that the website will actually let you book just 2? Interesting.