Using Miles to Upgrade from Full Coach
Feb 15, 2016, 9:29 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Clearwater, FL
Posts: 1,006
Using Miles to Upgrade from Full Coach
I'm not quite sure of the process. Do I have to pay for a full fare coach and be ticketed before calling AA CS to use miles to upgrade to Business? I don't want to use the requisite miles for an Int'l J ticket but am willing to buy a full fare coach and then use miles to upgrade. Can a AA CS rep upgrade my full fare coach ticket over the phone using my AA miles? I presume that all full fare coach tickets are fully refundable with no fees. Thanks for any input you can provide.
Feb 15, 2016, 9:32 pm
#2
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: YYZ/MGA
Programs: AA 1MM Lifetime Gold, AA Platinum, WS Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 7,607
You have to pay for an upgradeable fare (I thought B were included as well as Y but they are on the way out I hear) and there has to be seats available for upgrade which there rarely are.
A D or I ticket which is restricted business might even be less than full fare coach.
A D or I ticket which is restricted business might even be less than full fare coach.
Feb 15, 2016, 10:47 pm
#3
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Feb 15, 2016, 11:53 pm
#4
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 47
If you're looking to upgrade an international trip to business I suggest doing miles+copay.
https://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/r...rade-chart.jsp
Pretty much any paid economy fare can be upgraded, even 'O'. You can pay full 'Y' and then upgrade but, depending on your trip, that'll save you only 10k miles and $350, which will be way less than the difference between the discount and full fares. Unless you need full flexibility I don't see much advantage in paying full Y.
BTW I believe upgrades require C class availability (same as SWU's).
https://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/r...rade-chart.jsp
Pretty much any paid economy fare can be upgraded, even 'O'. You can pay full 'Y' and then upgrade but, depending on your trip, that'll save you only 10k miles and $350, which will be way less than the difference between the discount and full fares. Unless you need full flexibility I don't see much advantage in paying full Y.
BTW I believe upgrades require C class availability (same as SWU's).
Thanks all .....
Feb 16, 2016, 5:02 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Clearwater, FL
Posts: 1,006
You have to pay for an upgradeable fare (I thought B were included as well as Y but they are on the way out I hear) and there has to be seats available for upgrade which there rarely are.
A D or I ticket which is restricted business might even be less than full fare coach.
A D or I ticket which is restricted business might even be less than full fare coach.
Richard
Feb 16, 2016, 6:06 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,483
Hi ricktoronto! I am unfamiliar with a restricted business fare but will check it out. Simply, my question was intended to find out if I could just call AA CS and book everything via a telephone call instead of doing some of the work online and run the risk of not being able to get the flights I wanted. Thanks.
However, full Y or B fares are generally VERY expensive internationally, and as mentioned above many times you can find an outright discount business fare for cheaper. It seems a huge waste to spend the money on a full fare then run the risk of not even clearing the upgrade, especially if you don't have status.
Feb 16, 2016, 6:09 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,234
Using Miles to Upgrade from Full Coach
Yes, you can do the whole thing on the phone, but will be charged the phone booking fee ($40 IIRC)
You will HAVE to call in to request the upgrade (or the waitlist) no matter how you book the ticket.
This is not UA or DL.
You will HAVE to call in to request the upgrade (or the waitlist) no matter how you book the ticket.
This is not UA or DL.
Feb 17, 2016, 7:31 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Clearwater, FL
Posts: 1,006
ijgordon: Thanks for the input. It sounds like even if I pay the $40 booking fee, I can NOT get immediate ticket processing/confirmation that my tickets are now in J. Sounds like there's no way around avoiding the "call in" after I book the ticket. In the old, old days, I could just call in and talk to a human and give him/her a credit card and finish the booking/transaction all in one call. Those days are no more .......
Feb 17, 2016, 10:11 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,234
If there's availability, you should be able to do the whole transaction in one go on the phone. But "if" is the operative word. And of course, that doesn't matter whether you're doing an upgrade from full fare or a discounted fare.