Sep 8, 2017, 4:48 pm
Last edit by: thorofare
American Airlines "Special Fares" and EQD Earning
Link to aa.com Special fares: Earning Award Miles and Elite Qualifying Credits
"Special Fares" include some fares sold by other than AA, such as those sold in conjunction with a travel lodging package by AA Vacations, and those purchased with credit card points, such as Thank You Points and Membership Rewards points.
Like oneworld partner (and Alaska Airlines through 31 Dec 2017) fares, these earn Elite Qualifying Dollars based on a percentage of base miles / miles flown / flight distance and the fare class purchased.
Flights booked using Thank You Points, Membership Rewards, etc. where the cardholder is essentially buying your ticket most often are special fares as well.
NOTE: EQD credit varies for "Special Fares" (e.g. AA Vacations), and the chart for those changed on 1 Jan 2019. See here.
Link to aa.com Special fares: Earning Award Miles and Elite Qualifying Credits
"Special Fares" include some fares sold by other than AA, such as those sold in conjunction with a travel lodging package by AA Vacations, and those purchased with credit card points, such as Thank You Points and Membership Rewards points.
Like oneworld partner (and Alaska Airlines through 31 Dec 2017) fares, these earn Elite Qualifying Dollars based on a percentage of base miles / miles flown / flight distance and the fare class purchased.
Flights booked using Thank You Points, Membership Rewards, etc. where the cardholder is essentially buying your ticket most often are special fares as well.
NOTE: EQD credit varies for "Special Fares" (e.g. AA Vacations), and the chart for those changed on 1 Jan 2019. See here.
AA "Special Fare" (AA Vacations, TYP, MR, etc.) Questions, EQD, Issues (merged)
Jan 31, 2020, 7:38 pm
#511
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,533
I might call AAvacations to get their take on it since they appear to have sent it you you as Special. Just to confirm, it was P* (as opposed to *P), correct, because that's how they show. They may be able to shed some light on this.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Feb 1, 2020, 1:25 am
#512
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,466
I have an interesting case. I booked a *P AAVacations package to South America. Took the flights and they posted as fare based. Contacted AAdvantage and they refused to fix the mileage because it was never a special fare in their system. I sent them screenshots and the AAVacations confirmation with the *P next to booking code and 3x they have been like "tough luck". Any advice?
Feb 1, 2020, 7:28 am
#513
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: MSP/BUF/BNA/LFT
Programs: AA Plat, Priority Club Gold, Choice Privileges Gold
Posts: 1,225
Yes, it was a P*. My next cal is to AAVacations. Thx
Feb 1, 2020, 7:31 am
#514
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: MSP/BUF/BNA/LFT
Programs: AA Plat, Priority Club Gold, Choice Privileges Gold
Posts: 1,225
It is AAdvantage CS. I have emailed them 3x and called yesterday. The gentleman I spoke with on the phone yesterday understood what I was talking about but the group that does the reviews disagreed with him and there was nothing else he could do.
Feb 1, 2020, 2:10 pm
#515
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,466
When they respond back via email, just reply that their conclusions are incorrect based in what is posted at aa.com (include the special fare link), and ask that they correctly credit your flights based on the special fare table. Keep responding back with that until they fix it. I had to do that 3 or 4 times before they fixed it when I had the same issue happen 2 years ago.
Feb 1, 2020, 8:34 pm
#516
Join Date: Jul 2001
Programs: AA EP
Posts: 2,203
If you book (or make changes) with an agent the * does not show on confirmations.
I have a slightly odd case here and wanted to see if anyone has any advice.
Today I booked a P* round trip via AAV and received the confirmation email stating that it was indeed fare class P*. About an hour later I realized that I made an error when booking and selected the incorrect return flight (booked a BA codeshare by mistake). I called AAV and they were able to make the change to the correct AA flight at no cost. When I received the updated confirmation the fare was showing P (no star).
On the AA site there is absolutely no pricing information shown on the itinerary page. Not even the "Please check with your travel agent..." line.
I understand that this is a common occurrence with changes to AAV tickets, but I'm wondering what I should do.
Thanks!
Today I booked a P* round trip via AAV and received the confirmation email stating that it was indeed fare class P*. About an hour later I realized that I made an error when booking and selected the incorrect return flight (booked a BA codeshare by mistake). I called AAV and they were able to make the change to the correct AA flight at no cost. When I received the updated confirmation the fare was showing P (no star).
On the AA site there is absolutely no pricing information shown on the itinerary page. Not even the "Please check with your travel agent..." line.
I understand that this is a common occurrence with changes to AAV tickets, but I'm wondering what I should do.
- Is this just an issue with AA's state-of-the-art IT system dropping the special fare designation after a change and, if so, would the EXP desk or AAV be able to confirm the actual fare status?
- Is it worth trying to call to see if they can get the system to recognize it as a special fare or just deal with it after posting if there is a problem? My original confirmation shows P* and I'm concerned that won't be enough since one of the flights was changed.
Thanks!
Feb 8, 2020, 2:42 pm
#517
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: ORD
Programs: aadvantage, mileage plus, millemiglia
Posts: 100
Hoping to change an AA ticketed, BA operated Orbitz package deal.
Sorry if this is not the right place to ask this question. I purchased an Orbitz flight+hotel package, ORD-FCO in J. Flights were sold with AA numbers, but operated by BA. It wasn't exactly a great deal compared to other trips, but I payed quite a bit less than I would have for the flight alone. Due to a family emergency, I have to cut the trip short and return home two days early. I called Orbitz to see if I could move my flight up by two days. Naturally, they quoted me a ridiculous price, about three times what aa.com was showing to buy a whole new ticket. Luckily, I was able to find a Saver award home on Lufthansa (lots of *A J saver availability EU-USA this week, btw) So, now I have an extra J ticket FCO-ORD that I' m hoping won't just go to waste. I called Orbitz back and tried to move the date a month or so into the future (I wouldn't mind making a second trip). I chose a day when fares were pretty low. No deal, again they wanted an insane amount (I think the guy said $6,000). The problem is that, given that it takes about 20 minutes on hold to get a quote, I can't just keep picking new dates to try. Any ideas on trying to preserve any value in this return ticket? If it's hopeless, I understand, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask the experts. Thanks.
Jun 20, 2020, 9:51 pm
#518
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: OH
Programs: AA EXP; HHonors Gold; IHG Platinum
Posts: 122
Is AA Vacations no longer subject to special fares? I was attempting to book flights in July and the fare class showed up as I rather than I*. I've used AA Vacations several times in the past due to the higher earnings with the special fare classification. It seems that now that is no longer the case, so there's no advantage to using AA Vacations.
Jun 21, 2020, 5:20 am
#519
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: GNV
Programs: AA EP (life Gold), Global Entry, TSA Pre-Check, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 392
Is AA Vacations no longer subject to special fares? I was attempting to book flights in July and the fare class showed up as I rather than I*. I've used AA Vacations several times in the past due to the higher earnings with the special fare classification. It seems that now that is no longer the case, so there's no advantage to using AA Vacations.
Oct 31, 2020, 8:28 am
#522
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,466
Most all of the major OTA's (Travelocity, Orbitz, etc.) will tell you if the flights you selected are Special Fares. Look on the summary page after you select your flights.
Oct 31, 2020, 10:44 am
#523
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 1,297
like this? I am a bit concerned if this is indeed the "special fare" that will post as distance based or not!
Oct 31, 2020, 3:38 pm
#524
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,533
One way to confirm this is to buy the fare (you have 24 hours to cancel) and then call AAdvanatega Customer Service. They can confirm how it shows to them. I did this recently with an AAvacations package. hen I priced it, it had shown the asterisk for Special Fare. But I had to work with an agent on this one. As often happens in this case, the recoed email came without the asterisk. i called to confirm Special Fare status and she contacted AAdvantage Customer Service who not only confirmed this, but told her how much of everything I'd earn, including EQD based on distance.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Oct 31, 2020, 10:26 pm
#525
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 1,297
One way to confirm this is to buy the fare (you have 24 hours to cancel) and then call AAdvanatega Customer Service. They can confirm how it shows to them. I did this recently with an AAvacations package. hen I priced it, it had shown the asterisk for Special Fare. But I had to work with an agent on this one. As often happens in this case, the recoed email came without the asterisk. i called to confirm Special Fare status and she contacted AAdvantage Customer Service who not only confirmed this, but told her how much of everything I'd earn, including EQD based on distance.
Cheers.
Cheers.