Jan 31, 2016, 10:58 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
FAQ: Award changes after 21 March 2016 - which incur redeposit, which not
Award prices in miles are changing effective 22 Mar 2016. Many members have been asking which changes can be made on pre-existing awards on or after 22 Mar 2016 without requiring miles redeposit and issuance of new awards at the new prices - and we finally have some answers as given by the AA spokesperson through a timely article by Gary Leff and a char set c/o Smiley90 from here
Mile changes in absolute numbers (k)
Mile changes in percentage
Mile changes in percentage
First award change chart as of 22 Mar c/o Gary Leff
NOTE: 22 March 2026, several agents are saying what Gary Leff's quoted Ms. Nedbal stated, or parts of it, are not being honored.
According to Gary Leff (View from the Wing, Boarding Area, 31 Jan 2016), Laura Nedbal, spokesperson for AA, said:
Gary: "I sought further clarification and learned:
- You can change date and time without repricing the award, while keeping airlines and routing constant.
- You can change routing without repricing the award, while keeping the airlines constant, with a few caveats. Basically you cannot break the fare. You cannot add a stopover. You’re going to have to stick with a legal routing for the primary carrier on the itinerary.
- You can not change Origin or Destination, even within the same region, without causing reissue at the current award rates.
- You cannot change award types, which means you can’t go from American only to flying partners. You can’t go from extra mileage award to saver award without a redeposit of miles and re-issue."
This will require re-issue at the new rates.
Q. What if I change routing, but use the same origin, destination and airlines?
No problem, even changing connection cities and number of segments. Laura Nedbal: "Origin/dest stays same and since all carriers are oneworld there would be no charge to change carriers. Provided again, the same inventory/award as ticketed is available for change."
Q. What if I want to change from a oneworld airline such as QR to a non-oneworld partner such as EY, but keep the same origin and destination?
You will be required to redeposit the miles and secure new awards at the new rates if after 22 March.
Q. What if I want to change the award type (AAnytime to MileSAAver, MileSAAver to reduced miles, etc.), but keep the same origin and destination?
You will be required to redeposit the miles and secure new awards at the new rates if after 22 March.
Q. What if I want to change class of service and keep everything else the same?
You will be required to redeposit the miles and secure new awards at the new rates if after 22 March.
Q. Is there a limit to the number of times I can change my pre-22 Mar award booking?
Many/most flyers have reported no issues with multiple changes for pre-22 Mar award bookings. Some AA EP agents and at least one supervisor have stated the rule is only ONE VOLUNTARY CHANGE will be allowed to keep the award at the pre-22 March level. A second or subsequent voluntary change will require conversion to the new chart and "paying" more miles.
Q. What would it cost me to redeposit an award? Two or more awards?
Redepositing an award costs $150 (plus $25 for each other award secured with miles from the same account). These redeposit fees are waived if the account is that of an Executive Platinum AAdvantage member. Link to FT thread: AA award reinstatement / miles redeposit fees, issues, questions (consolidated)
If they are separate awards on different PNRs they may require $150 each.
Q. If I purchase an award by 22 March, how far out can I change the award (within the parameters given)?
An award must be used within one year of issue.
NOTE: Region changes
- Bolivia and Manaus, Brasil: changing from South America 2 to South America 1
- Venezuela: changing from South America 1 to South America 2
- Guam: changing from Asia 2 to South Pacific
- Sri Lanka: changing from Asia 2 to Indian Subcontinent/Middle East
- Kiribati, Palau, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu: added to South Pacific region
FAQ: Award changes 22 Mar 2016 - incl. which incur new mile amt, redeposit, which not
Feb 26, 2016, 6:08 pm
#121
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
You can actually drop the first segment on an award without paying a fee as long as the country of origin does not change. Here is a link JonNYC posted in another thread.
http://travelingbetter.vbulletin.net...lexible?t=4814
http://travelingbetter.vbulletin.net...lexible?t=4814
I also have been linking to a post I made (which was actually a result of a discussion you and I were having) where I -think- I've put together a pretty good set of links and surrounding understanding thereof:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/26083132-post808.html
And then-- the big leap-- do we, in fact, have knowledge certain that:
no fee to change under current guidelines = no increase in miles required (from old chart to new) when making such a change after the change.
To which I, personally, can say-- at this point-- I'm very uncertain of (beyond date changes, of course.)
Ive been varying degrees of certainty/understanding over the last few weeks/months and that certainty/understanding level has mostly decreased over such time.
Feb 26, 2016, 6:17 pm
#122
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
And then-- the big leap-- do we, in fact, have knowledge certain that:
no fee to change under current guidelines = no increase in miles required (from old chart to new) when making such a change after the change.
To which I, personally, can say-- at this point-- I'm very uncertain of (beyond date changes, of course.)
Ive been varying degrees of certainty/understanding over the last few weeks/months and that certainty/understanding level has mostly decreased over such time.
no fee to change under current guidelines = no increase in miles required (from old chart to new) when making such a change after the change.
To which I, personally, can say-- at this point-- I'm very uncertain of (beyond date changes, of course.)
Ive been varying degrees of certainty/understanding over the last few weeks/months and that certainty/understanding level has mostly decreased over such time.
It would be nice if changes that are no-fee right now will not require more miles under the new chart, but my approach to booking awards for after 3/22 is that I would rather be pleasantly surprised than sorely disappointed.
Feb 26, 2016, 6:32 pm
#123
Join Date: Jun 2006
Programs: AA Ex Plt
Posts: 474
You can actually drop the first segment on an award without paying a fee as long as the country of origin does not change. Here is a link JonNYC posted in another thread.
http://travelingbetter.vbulletin.net...lexible?t=4814
http://travelingbetter.vbulletin.net...lexible?t=4814
Feb 26, 2016, 6:41 pm
#124
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Houston, TX/Australia
Programs: AA EXP/Exec Citi, NZ* G, Nat EE, Avis PP, HH Gold
Posts: 649
If you book KIX-NRT (JL) and then NRT-LAX (AA), and you drop the first segment while the second segment is still AA, it MIGHT change the governing carrier back to AA and be repriced as an AA award.
There's not a perfect example in this, so I'm not sure either way. https://www.flickr.com/photos/541310...in/dateposted/
The problem is, if it forces you to reprice if dropping the segment, you can't just "not fly" the first segment like you would a final segment. I believe you would have to call and get it dropped. And if repricing it as an AA award is the only option at that point, you would be a bit screwed by being forced to pony up more miles
Obviously if a JL NRT-LAX opens up, you would change the AA flight to that, and then drop the first segment. But if it doesn't open up...
Feb 26, 2016, 7:24 pm
#125
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,431
VFTW's example of LAX-HKG-MNL involves dropping the final segment (destination), not the first segment. The award price doesn't change and country of origin is unchanged. The consensus is that it works?
Feb 26, 2016, 8:35 pm
#126
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
I don't believe there is a consensus on whether dropping segments (that would be a free change now) would cause a reprice or not. I am inclined to play it safe and operate on the assumption that such a change would cause a repricing. Either way, though, you could "miss" your HKG-MNL flight as long as you don't have a return flight in the same record (although I wouldn't make a habit of doing this).
Note also that my earlier post was specifically to point out that in certain instances, you can drop the first segment without a fee, similar to how you can drop a last segment without a fee. I am not saying such a change would be allowed post-3/22 without more miles (I am not sure either way).
Feb 26, 2016, 8:47 pm
#127
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
I still want to clarify that the bolded portion above is possibly only correct if you are able to change the main leg over the water to a JL flight first.
If you book KIX-NRT (JL) and then NRT-LAX (AA), and you drop the first segment while the second segment is still AA, it MIGHT change the governing carrier back to AA and be repriced as an AA award.
There's not a perfect example in this, so I'm not sure either way. https://www.flickr.com/photos/541310...in/dateposted/
The problem is, if it forces you to reprice if dropping the segment, you can't just "not fly" the first segment like you would a final segment. I believe you would have to call and get it dropped. And if repricing it as an AA award is the only option at that point, you would be a bit screwed by being forced to pony up more miles
Obviously if a JL NRT-LAX opens up, you would change the AA flight to that, and then drop the first segment. But if it doesn't open up...
If you book KIX-NRT (JL) and then NRT-LAX (AA), and you drop the first segment while the second segment is still AA, it MIGHT change the governing carrier back to AA and be repriced as an AA award.
There's not a perfect example in this, so I'm not sure either way. https://www.flickr.com/photos/541310...in/dateposted/
The problem is, if it forces you to reprice if dropping the segment, you can't just "not fly" the first segment like you would a final segment. I believe you would have to call and get it dropped. And if repricing it as an AA award is the only option at that point, you would be a bit screwed by being forced to pony up more miles
Obviously if a JL NRT-LAX opens up, you would change the AA flight to that, and then drop the first segment. But if it doesn't open up...
Feb 26, 2016, 9:25 pm
#128
Join Date: Jun 2006
Programs: AA Ex Plt
Posts: 474
I may be misinterpreting Animgif, but I think his suggestion involves adding KIX-NRT and dropping it BEFORE 3/22, which of course would not cost more miles and should not require a change fee. The idea is that the ticket type would remain a partner award, and thus, if NRT-LAX later opened up on JL after 3/22, it would be possible to change without a repricing (although I am in your camp in that I am not sure the ticket would remain a partner award if KIX-NRT is dropped). Either way, it wouldn't hurt to try this-- and if it indeed makes it more likely that changing from AA to JL will not trigger a reprice then all the better.
Feb 26, 2016, 10:09 pm
#129
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Houston, TX/Australia
Programs: AA EXP/Exec Citi, NZ* G, Nat EE, Avis PP, HH Gold
Posts: 649
You read my suggestion exactly correct. I'm not sure it works either, but it seems like it's worth trying (and explaining to the agent what you want to do and why)...All the agent can do is say that no, it has to be repriced and reticketed. If so, HUCA and see if you get a different answer. Only cost is some time on the phone. If it ends up not working at the end of the day, so long as you drop it before 3/22 it shouldn't have any adverse effect.
If you end up doing this, please report back with the results.
Feb 29, 2016, 6:14 pm
#130
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: MEL KUL
Programs: AA
Posts: 154
I have an existing EY award ticket, put on hold on Feb 23rd, paid for Feb 28th and ticketed Feb 29th. I'm assuming that the one-year limit mentioned in the wiki is from when I originally booked it (Feb 23rd) not the actual ticketing date? The ticketing date does change if I make changes to the flight dates.
Feb 29, 2016, 6:28 pm
#131
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: vx diamond
Posts: 377
I was told by aa on the phone that today is that last day for old award chart.
Feb 29, 2016, 6:29 pm
#132
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Join Date: Mar 2001
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Posts: 27,730
Feb 29, 2016, 8:02 pm
#134
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: Marriott LT Plat; WoH Exp; AS Gold; AA Plat
Posts: 369
Mar 2, 2016, 8:47 am
#135
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 400
I am currently booked on AA J for this fall from ORD to NRT. Now the plan has changed. Instead of fall, I’ll travel next spring.
The new travel date will be more than one year from the original ticket issue date.
So my best hope to avoid the redeposit fee is, I think, is to change from AA J to AA F or JAL F at some point. As a new ticket will be issued, the ‘valid for one year’ date should reset.
I will pay the new F miles for it. But at least I avoid the redeposit fee this way.
The trade off on my mind is, either I pay $150 and 10,000 more miles to change my J booking, or 30,000 more miles to get a new date in F.
Am I thinking it right?
The new travel date will be more than one year from the original ticket issue date.
So my best hope to avoid the redeposit fee is, I think, is to change from AA J to AA F or JAL F at some point. As a new ticket will be issued, the ‘valid for one year’ date should reset.
I will pay the new F miles for it. But at least I avoid the redeposit fee this way.
The trade off on my mind is, either I pay $150 and 10,000 more miles to change my J booking, or 30,000 more miles to get a new date in F.
Am I thinking it right?