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choose to bundle your travel components into one package price we can offer you an unbeatable value by combining our unpublished low rates on flights with specially negotiated rates on hotels, activities and transportation.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
Sep 4, 2016, 4:06 pm
#46
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 22
Booking with AA vacations and adding Avis WiZard loyalty
Hey!
Is there a way to book a flight+car with AA vacations then link in my AA Wizard profile?
There was no way during or after the booking to add the Avis number to my booking or profile.
I tried calling Avis with my reservation number and they told me i have to call AA, and I can't find a contact for AA.
Is there a way to book a flight+car with AA vacations then link in my AA Wizard profile?
There was no way during or after the booking to add the Avis number to my booking or profile.
I tried calling Avis with my reservation number and they told me i have to call AA, and I can't find a contact for AA.
Dec 13, 2016, 7:32 pm
#47
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: San Diego, CA USA
Programs: BA Executive Club Silver, UA Premier Silver, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 64
AAVacations (to merge)@
I'm trying to book SAN-CUN anytime in the next few months on Vacations. I keep getting no flights available, but if I go to the normal AA site, there are tons of seats available for the same dates? I've tried various browers, but no success? any clue anyone?
Dec 15, 2016, 4:18 am
#52
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: JFK/LGA
Programs: AA EXP/5 MM, BA Blue Bayou, HH LT Diamond
Posts: 5,823
Dec 15, 2016, 6:10 am
#53
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: DCA
Programs: AS MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 947
Yes, I received a paper voucher for the remaining value of the original non-refundable ticket and was able to apply it to an AAVacations package with the following wrinkles:
1. It could be applied only to the flight portion, which was $ several hundred less than the total cost of the package.
2. They insisted I submit the paper voucher by Express Mail because the package could only be held for 48 hours. I mailed it in, received a "ticketed" e-mail, and received another paper voucher for the change from my original voucher within a week of initiating the process.
(In my case, voucher price paid for airfare component < total package price < original voucher value)
(When I subsequently used this second voucher toward the cost of a straight AA plane ticket, I was able to pay at a DCA ticket counter.)
Dec 30, 2016, 9:30 am
#55
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: RDU
Posts: 2,262
Buying coach- then thinking about buying business
Question about AAvacations... looking at a family vacation, and will likely buy coach tickets on AAvacations.
Down the road, might get impulsive and want to buy-up to business (paying whatever the going rate is). I know that with a 'standard' AA ticket, I can do that and simply pay the current fare difference with no penalty or rebooking fee.
Anyone know how this would work with a Vacations ticket? Thanks.
Down the road, might get impulsive and want to buy-up to business (paying whatever the going rate is). I know that with a 'standard' AA ticket, I can do that and simply pay the current fare difference with no penalty or rebooking fee.
Anyone know how this would work with a Vacations ticket? Thanks.
Dec 31, 2016, 3:33 pm
#56
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: SLC/HEL/Anywhere with a Beach
Programs: Marriott Ambassador; AA EXP 3MM; AS MVP, Hilton Gold, CH-47/UH-60/C-23/C-130 VET
Posts: 5,234
Is there a way to buy a one way ticket on AA vacations? I can't seem to find an option for that or for a multicity trip.
Dec 31, 2016, 6:46 pm
#57
Join Date: Jul 2001
Programs: AA EP
Posts: 2,203
Question about AAvacations... looking at a family vacation, and will likely buy coach tickets on AAvacations.
Down the road, might get impulsive and want to buy-up to business (paying whatever the going rate is). I know that with a 'standard' AA ticket, I can do that and simply pay the current fare difference with no penalty or rebooking fee.
Anyone know how this would work with a Vacations ticket? Thanks.
Down the road, might get impulsive and want to buy-up to business (paying whatever the going rate is). I know that with a 'standard' AA ticket, I can do that and simply pay the current fare difference with no penalty or rebooking fee.
Anyone know how this would work with a Vacations ticket? Thanks.
Jan 6, 2017, 4:40 pm
#58
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: NYC
Posts: 6,423
I googled "AAvacations cancellation" and these were the 1st two results returned:
https://www.aavacations.com/waiver.asp
https://www.aavacations.com/faq.asp?...-FAQ-ALL-13-42
that one yielded this:
https://www.aavacations.com/waiver.asp
Code:
With the purchase of the Cancellation and Change Waiver, travelers may cancel and/or change either the land and/or air portion of their package. Some hotel room categories and airfares may be non-refundable and are not covered by this Waiver. Optional activities (transfers, sight-seeing, theme park passes, rail passes, etc) are non-refundable even when the waiver is purchased. In addition, some airfares may be available only in connection with land arrangements and those requirements are not covered by this Waiver. Administrative Service Charges (ASC) on certain airfares may still be applicable even if waiver is purchased. If one traveler purchases the Waiver, it is mandatory for all other travelers booked in the same reference number to purchase the Waiver. This includes both adults and children. The Cancellation and Change Waiver may only be purchased when the initial reservation is made. Cancel - the waiver covers cancellations, for any reason, up until scheduled departure time. The waiver also covers revision fees. Restrictions may apply as outlined in land revisions of terms and conditions. When making your reservation on-line, you will be given the option to add this valuable protection in the booking process. Please read the terms and conditions associated with the package you are purchasing before selecting the Cancellation and Change Waiver option and completing your reservation. When two or more parties travel together and stay in the same room, a cancellation will result in a refund on air and land only if the room is cancelled completely. If one person still stays in the room then there is no refund of the land cost to the canceling party. Cancellation should be advised as early as possible. Change - changes resulting in an increase to the air or land price will be at the expense of the traveler. Changes from one tour destination to an alternative tour destination or adding another tour to an existing itinerary are subject to the rules/restrictions of the new tour. Reminder: Some airfares may remain non-refundable even with the purchase of the waiver.
that one yielded this:
2017 Pre-Departure Protection Waiver - $129
All changes or revisions made to existing reservations are subject to change fees that vary by destination and dates of travel. Flight, date or hotel changes cannot be made 8 days or less prior to departure. Some packages or portions of packages are non-changeable. Changes in a package including, but not limited to, a change in origin, departure date, destination or hotel room category/configuration are subject to change fees in effect at the time changes are made. If changes involve a change in rate, payment will be required at the time of change. Standard change fees are $50 per person plus third party fees plus change in package price. Within 15 days of travel, the passenger is subject to a $200 per person reissue fee for domestic, Mexico, Latin America and Caribbean packages, $350 per person for all other packages. If no PDP was purchased, name changes made to packages more than 15 days prior to departure may be subject to a $200 per person charge. Name changes are not permitted 15 days or less prior to departure. The standard change fee of $50 per person may be waived in the following circumstances: • Pre-Departure Protection was purchased with the package (see "Changes with Pre-Departure Protection) • A change that results in a higher price in the non-air components of the package • Changes to a return flight during travel are subject to availability, airline contractual agreements and/or additional change fees. AAV will not be liable to pay any compensation or damages if it cancels or in any way changes a trip or package as a result of unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond its control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even with all due care. These include but are not limited to problems with transportation, acts of God, war or threat of war, civil strife, industrial disputes, natural disaster, weather, epidemic or terrorist threat or activity. For questions, please call us at 800-321-2121.
Jan 8, 2017, 3:33 pm
#60
Join Date: May 2008
Location: WAS
Programs: AA Ex Plt
Posts: 1,630
AA Vacations no AY codeshare?
On hold with AA vacations right now ---
So I booked an AA vacation last night. Ticketed last night (as per AA's app and website). Call today to try to upgrade the TATL leg. Agent states that the Finnair leg won't ticket (or something - she wasn't clear). A different agent states that Finnair flights can't be used as part of an AA vacation package and dares me to try and book the flight online -- same itinerary appears on a dummy booking. Different agent starts telling me how they're going to have to change the price rather than re-route.
Suggestions? Key word(s) to tell agent and/or supervisor? (agent is kind of nasty and I think she left me on hold waiting for me to hang up).
Ex Plt desk agent: trying to assist. States nothing is ticketed. AA vacations agent refused to get a supervisor. She stated I am not going on my trip and that it was a discounted flight anyway -- what the heck!
So I booked an AA vacation last night. Ticketed last night (as per AA's app and website). Call today to try to upgrade the TATL leg. Agent states that the Finnair leg won't ticket (or something - she wasn't clear). A different agent states that Finnair flights can't be used as part of an AA vacation package and dares me to try and book the flight online -- same itinerary appears on a dummy booking. Different agent starts telling me how they're going to have to change the price rather than re-route.
Suggestions? Key word(s) to tell agent and/or supervisor? (agent is kind of nasty and I think she left me on hold waiting for me to hang up).
Ex Plt desk agent: trying to assist. States nothing is ticketed. AA vacations agent refused to get a supervisor. She stated I am not going on my trip and that it was a discounted flight anyway -- what the heck!
Last edited by thegrailer; Jan 8, 2017 at 3:46 pm
