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choose to bundle your travel components into one package price we can offer you an unbeatable value by combining our unpublished low rates on flights with specially negotiated rates on hotels, activities and transportation.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
Jul 12, 2018, 11:21 am
#316
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
Jul 13, 2018, 5:32 pm
#317
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Oakland
Programs: AA Explat, UA former 1K + PremExec, DL
Posts: 1,151
1. Are you consistently finding better deals for BA holidays than for flights alone + hotel? I did this once (for a Premium Economy + Hotel booking) but it wasn't obvious that it was any cheaper than booking separately.
2. Are you seeing big surcharges for avios upgrades ex-USA? I am thinking PE to Club. I am not sure I got a consistent message out of the relevant threads on the Executive Club forum. There are a lot of reports of big YQ but also some that don't mention it.
Jul 13, 2018, 6:50 pm
#318
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,107
I found a good deal through BA Holidays recently. AA vacations was $2k higher for same itinerary. Got 2 J tickets and 16 nights hotel for $300 less than just the 2 tickets on their own. Since AA Vacations was higher, I booked all AA metal through BA. I’ll earn maybe 10% less than if it were AA marketed, but oh well.
Jul 20, 2018, 8:55 pm
#319
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: ORD
Programs: AA, Hilton
Posts: 159
Hello,
I have gone through most of the pages and I am still confused. Try to book PE with AA metal ORD-DFW-NRT-DFW-ORD through AAV. The outbound domestic is H* and international is P*, but the inbound is P (without *) and Y. Is the inbound going to be fare based since * is missing? If so, how can AA split the fare?
Thanks
I have gone through most of the pages and I am still confused. Try to book PE with AA metal ORD-DFW-NRT-DFW-ORD through AAV. The outbound domestic is H* and international is P*, but the inbound is P (without *) and Y. Is the inbound going to be fare based since * is missing? If so, how can AA split the fare?
Thanks
Last edited by gogomustangs; Jul 20, 2018 at 11:47 pm Reason: found part of the answer
Jul 29, 2018, 10:41 am
#320
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: DCA
Programs: AA PPro, Mariott Ambassador, B6 Mosaic, SBUX Gold, Best Buy Elite
Posts: 1,838
I am going to be booking a special fare via AAVacations for the first time, what exactly am I looking for to ensure that the air portion qualifies. I see the fare class with an * to indicate special fare, but the wiki says that their are some situations where it isn’t earned. I am not seeing anything obvious so I assume I am ok, All tickets are on BA with an AA connection.
Jul 29, 2018, 11:52 am
#321
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,474
I am going to be booking a special fare via AAVacations for the first time, what exactly am I looking for to ensure that the air portion qualifies. I see the fare class with an * to indicate special fare, but the wiki says that their are some situations where it isn’t earned. I am not seeing anything obvious so I assume I am ok, All tickets are on BA with an AA connection.
I purchased a special fare earlier this year that initially posted as a 'normal' fare. I called AAdvantage Customer Service and provided the receipt showing it was a special fare, and they reposted the flights correctly as a special fare.
Jul 29, 2018, 12:59 pm
#322
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: BOS/SFO
Programs: IHG Plat, Marriott Ti, Hyatt EXP, AS MVP
Posts: 2
Hi All - long time lurker, first time poster here! First of all, thank you to everyone for all the valuable info here and beyond - this site has fueled my passion for travel for years now!
Not sure if this is the best thread to ask this (vs. the Special Fares or Status Challenge thread), but I was targeted for that AA status challenge a few months ago, and I was going to book an AAV package to try and complete it (a quick weekend run in PE: LAX-HKG). The only thing that has me concerned is the verbiage in the challenge T&C. It states:
I was just concerned that a special fare might not count towards the promo because of the "published" language. Does anyone have any experiences either way? I flew a domestic itinerary that posted as a special fare last month - is there a way to contact AA to see if this counted towards the promo? I just don't want to spend the extra $$ just to realize that it didn't count...
Also, what is the best card to book an AAV on? Since it doesn't count for the bonus on AA cards, I was assuming the CSP or maybe Citi Prestige or AmEx Plat? TIA!
Not sure if this is the best thread to ask this (vs. the Special Fares or Status Challenge thread), but I was targeted for that AA status challenge a few months ago, and I was going to book an AAV package to try and complete it (a quick weekend run in PE: LAX-HKG). The only thing that has me concerned is the verbiage in the challenge T&C. It states:
Qualification is based on EQMs and EQDs earned on eligible, purchased, published fare tickets flown between the date you register and September 7, 2018.
Also, what is the best card to book an AAV on? Since it doesn't count for the bonus on AA cards, I was assuming the CSP or maybe Citi Prestige or AmEx Plat? TIA!
Aug 27, 2018, 7:50 pm
#323
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: OH
Programs: AA EXP; HHonors Gold; IHG Platinum
Posts: 122
Yesterday I booked a vacation that included a segment on BA. Upon purchase the status was "on request." This morning about 10:45 I got an email from AA telling me that it had been ticketed. That was a relief since several people have reported on this forum about lengthy delays in having the status update to "ticketed." I wanted to use an SWU to upgrade my return segment on AA. After I got the email, I phoned in to the EXP line, but actually got a run-of-the-mill CSR who told me that I needed to call American Airlines Vacations about the upgrade. Thanks to Flyer Talk and its wealth of information, I knew that wasn't correct. I told her that AAV doesn't handle upgrades. She had me wait while she audibly was asking someone near her about this. She came back on and told me that indeed there was nothing she could do and asked if I wanted her to transfer my call to Vacations. I declined, thanked her and hung up. I immediately called back and got an agent who began the call by thanking me for calling the EXP desk. As soon as I told her what I wanted to do, she said, "let me check availability." She confirmed that upgrades were available and began processing the SWU. Definitely a case of HUCA.
Sep 8, 2018, 8:23 am
#324
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: MIA
Posts: 498
Anyone know what Premium Economy P* fares should earn?
AA Special Fares page still calls class P first, which is obviously wrong. https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...cial-fares.jsp
AA Special Fares page still calls class P first, which is obviously wrong. https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...cial-fares.jsp
Sep 8, 2018, 8:28 am
#325
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,533
Anyone know what Premium Economy P* fares should earn?
AA Special Fares page still calls class P first, which is obviously wrong. https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...cial-fares.jsp
AA Special Fares page still calls class P first, which is obviously wrong. https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...cial-fares.jsp
Cheers.
Sep 8, 2018, 12:26 pm
#326
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: OH
Programs: AA EXP; HHonors Gold; IHG Platinum
Posts: 122
AA Vacations has updated their website recently and Premium Economy is now an an option. If you click on Travelers you will see options for booking class as well as to change number of travelers. Another option is to click on the Advanced Search link and that will display booking class options as well.
Sep 8, 2018, 7:18 pm
#327
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,533
AA Vacations has updated their website recently and Premium Economy is now an an option. If you click on Travelers you will see options for booking class as well as to change number of travelers. Another option is to click on the Advanced Search link and that will display booking class options as well.
Cheers,
Sep 8, 2018, 9:36 pm
#328
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SBA
Programs: UA & AA 1 million miler
Posts: 1,134
Interesting. I'm on the site right now and I'm not seeing this. Under Advanced Search, I still see only Economy, Business, First. I also don't see this option under Travelers. Using Firefox. Maybe things are rolled out differently by browser (unlikely, but it can happen)?
Cheers,
Cheers,
i.e. LAX-HKG shows Premium Economy, but LAX-BKK doesn't show Premium Economy.
I noticed the change recently, too.
Sep 9, 2018, 5:52 am
#329
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,474
Anyone know what Premium Economy P* fares should earn?
AA Special Fares page still calls class P first, which is obviously wrong. https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...cial-fares.jsp
AA Special Fares page still calls class P first, which is obviously wrong. https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...cial-fares.jsp
The "Modify Search" link also works to get around the AA Vacations date restrictions. The main page AA Vacations search only let's you search trips starting around a week out, but when you click modify search this restriction is removed (so you can book a package departing anytime starting tomorrow).
Oct 11, 2018, 7:58 am
#330
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 32
Has anyone had any luck calling the AA Vacations line and booking an air+hotel package for longer than 30 days? Online, it won't let you search for anything longer. We're hoping to head to Australia and New Zealand using a AA Vaca package, but want a longer trip. Any ideas/tips on how to work around this seeming limitation would be appreciated.