Jan 1, 2019, 2:12 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
Welcome to the 2019 "NEWBIE LOUNGE"
Ask Your Consolidated / Combined AA Questions Here (flame free)
MODERATOR GUIDEPOST:
MODERATOR GUIDEPOST:
(This post can only be edited by moderators.)
Welcome to the Newbie Lounge!
Welcome to the Newbie Lounge!
Welcome to Flyertalk!
The Newbie Lounge is a place for newer and less experienced members to ask their questions about American Airlines and the AAdvantage program and have answered by our more experienced and knowledgeable members. Feel free to ask any question related to American Airlines and AAdvantage here.
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(Our thanks to thread founder / "plank owner" HNL.)
The Newbie Lounge is a place for newer and less experienced members to ask their questions about American Airlines and the AAdvantage program and have answered by our more experienced and knowledgeable members. Feel free to ask any question related to American Airlines and AAdvantage here.
NOTE: This is a "flame free" thread; flaming, personal criticism for "failing to search" etc. is not allowed (if posted, the post will be summarily deleted, the poster subject to sanctions).
Advanced questions posed by veteran FT users may be moved and / or merged into existing master or GUIDE threads, most of which have Wikiposts at the top of the page that contain summaries of important information.
We volunteer Moderators monitor this "lounge" thread to assist you as well. When browsing the fora, look at the page tops of the various forums. There will be a menu, and often "sticky" threads, and threads with header "wiki posts" (created and maintained by the FlyerTalk community) with important information relating to that forum / topic.
Don't hesitate to contact a moderator or another member if you have any additional questions. You can PM the Moderators by clicking on
, which pops up a message box; the message goes to all this forum's Moderators. Note that unlike some sites with paid staff moderators, FlyerTalk Moderators are volunteers, and most work, travel, go on holiday, etc. You can Private Message us using the PM system (My Flyertalk) and our handles.We're glad you've chosen to join the Flyertalk frequent flyer community!
Your American Airlines | AAdvantage Forum Moderation Team,
AZ Travels the World, aztimm, dstan, JDiver, JY1024, Microwave
(Our thanks to thread founder / "plank owner" HNL.)
Check out the following resources:
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Keep it welcoming: We're proud the members of both FFPs have kept the brickbats to a minimum; we want this forum to be welcoming, civil and information rich, so name calling (including calling a member one disagrees with "AApologist") and snark are not tolerated. Posts with such are likely to be summarily deleted in their entirety; repeated such behavior may result in suspension of one's membership privileges or being banned from this forum. Let's keep it friendly and in accordance with the FT Rules.
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NOTE: 2019 NEWBIE LOUNGE older posts are here.
The 2018 AA NEWBIE LOUNGE post thread is here
The 2017 AA NEWBIE LOUNGE post thread is here
The 2016 AA NEWBIE LOUNGE post thread is here
Thanks for reading!
ARCHIVE: NEWBIE LOUNGE 2019: Ask "Newbie" AA Questions Here (flame free)
Oct 3, 2019, 3:38 pm
#1606
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,481
I'm not an AA newbie but this is a first-time problem for me. I have a ~19,000-mile trip on Finnair in J coming up that I'm crediting to AA. I believe I'll be about $150 EQD short of ExPlat when the trip is over (definitely not short of EQM), but I can't find the exact earnings anywhere in the AY booking, and I'd like to know my exact EQD need so I can book my next (and possibly last 2019) flight. Is this info. buried somewhere at AA or AY? If not, would AA be able to tell me if I call in? Thanks.
1) Plug your exact routing into Great Circle Mapper to get the total distance
2) Pull up your AY reservation and get the exact booking code of the flights
3) Bounce these two figures against the AY Earning Chart at aa.com to see how many EQDs you should earn
This is the only way to do it, the GC Mapper distances may not be exactly what you'll see but it will be close enough for this exercise.
For example, if you are booked in an "I" fare, which earns 25% EQD, then a 19,000 mile itinerary would earn 19000 x 25% = $4750 EQD.
Oct 3, 2019, 3:40 pm
#1607
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Miami, Florida
Programs: AA ExPlat, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Spire, Hilton Gold
Posts: 4,009
Thanks. I'm a first-timer on AY and was surprised to see no earnings listed anywhere in the booking.
I did the above and came out exactly $100 EQD short.
I did the above and came out exactly $100 EQD short.
Oct 3, 2019, 4:27 pm
#1608
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 21
I'm looking at booking a flight to Dublin next year. I am considering buying Premium Economy tickets with the potential of using miles to upgrade to Business. I see on AA's website it shows from discount economy/premium economy costs 25,000 miles+ $350. Is there any benefit that Premium Economy gets you over regular economy in terms of upgrading. Do you get some sort of priority over regular economy upgrades if they both require the same miles and cash. Seems a little odd it costs the same to upgrade even though you have already paid 1.5-2x the price of a regular economy seat. Sorry if its been asked already, thanks!
Oct 3, 2019, 5:51 pm
#1609
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,481
I'm looking at booking a flight to Dublin next year. I am considering buying Premium Economy tickets with the potential of using miles to upgrade to Business. I see on AA's website it shows from discount economy/premium economy costs 25,000 miles+ $350. Is there any benefit that Premium Economy gets you over regular economy in terms of upgrading. Do you get some sort of priority over regular economy upgrades if they both require the same miles and cash. Seems a little odd it costs the same to upgrade even though you have already paid 1.5-2x the price of a regular economy seat. Sorry if its been asked already, thanks!
So, if you're hoping to upgrade, there's really no benefit, other than if the upgrade doesn't clear at least you're in PE and not regular economy.
Oct 3, 2019, 6:28 pm
#1610
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: BGI | MIA
Programs: AA Platinum Pro | Hyatt Globalist | HH Diamond | SPG Gold
Posts: 316
my fiancée hit AA Gold, but it was all from flying QR. She hasn’t earned any miles towards 500 mileage certificates. Do partner flights not count towards the 12,500 counter ?
Oct 3, 2019, 7:03 pm
#1611
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
Oct 3, 2019, 8:47 pm
#1612
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: San Diego
Programs: Plat Pro AAdvantage, but defected to BAEC
Posts: 1,222
They only start to count after you achieve status. If you had no status and earned 26,000 EQM, you would only have earned 1000 miles towards the 12,500 to earn stickers. So long as you keep some level of status, then all qualifying flights will accrue miles towards stickers (until you hit PPRO, or EXP) in the future.
Oct 3, 2019, 9:24 pm
#1613
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: LH FTL,Hyatt Platinum,BMI Silver
Posts: 50
Hello Guys, I dont have that much experience with AA and AAdvantage, but I do have the following questions and maybe somebody here can assist me a little bit or just give me a clue or an advice that might be helpful.
As a family we do have currently two AAdvantage accounts with 100k of expired miles on each account. So lets say there used to be a balance of 100k AA- miles on each account and they recently expired.
Apparently there used be a so- called individual reactivation -challenge program in the past, as an available option, to reinstate or reactivate expired AA -miles and AAdvantage members could apply for it,
just by calling the AA hotline and by paying once an initial fee. We were told, that this program has been discontinued recently.
We think, that the other option, to get our expired miles back, would be to buy them back, but this option is just too expensive for us and we definitely cannot afford it.
Is there any other way, how we could get the expired miles back at an affordable price or in form of a participation in a challenge program, maybe by personal invitation or upon request only?
Maybe a new challenge program will be reintroduced soon or maybe AA is working right now on a new promotion with similar conditions?
And does anyone know, if there is currently a promotion available even to basic members, to reach the gold- status in a so -called "fast-track" way, just e.g. by completing a certain number of flights within a certain person of time?
Thanks in advance for any helpful idea or advice.
As a family we do have currently two AAdvantage accounts with 100k of expired miles on each account. So lets say there used to be a balance of 100k AA- miles on each account and they recently expired.
Apparently there used be a so- called individual reactivation -challenge program in the past, as an available option, to reinstate or reactivate expired AA -miles and AAdvantage members could apply for it,
just by calling the AA hotline and by paying once an initial fee. We were told, that this program has been discontinued recently.
We think, that the other option, to get our expired miles back, would be to buy them back, but this option is just too expensive for us and we definitely cannot afford it.
Is there any other way, how we could get the expired miles back at an affordable price or in form of a participation in a challenge program, maybe by personal invitation or upon request only?
Maybe a new challenge program will be reintroduced soon or maybe AA is working right now on a new promotion with similar conditions?
And does anyone know, if there is currently a promotion available even to basic members, to reach the gold- status in a so -called "fast-track" way, just e.g. by completing a certain number of flights within a certain person of time?
Thanks in advance for any helpful idea or advice.
Oct 4, 2019, 12:02 am
#1614
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
@kaninchen,
I’d try calling again to ask about a reingagement challenge for your miles. It may have been discontinued, but we haven’t heard anything like that here and the occasional agent will make stuff up to get rid of you.
See AA restricts expired miles reactivation within 18 months of expiration (2019)
AA reactivation miles fees, reingagement challenge etc.
Gold and Platinum Challenges are available to any AAdvantage member (as long as it’s not to renew status of they haven’t recently flown a Challenge). There’s an extensive Challenge thread with all the details.
HELP DESK & FAQ: Gold and Platinum Status Challenge
Regardless, call again and ask about reinstating your miles.
I’d try calling again to ask about a reingagement challenge for your miles. It may have been discontinued, but we haven’t heard anything like that here and the occasional agent will make stuff up to get rid of you.
See AA restricts expired miles reactivation within 18 months of expiration (2019)
AA reactivation miles fees, reingagement challenge etc.
Gold and Platinum Challenges are available to any AAdvantage member (as long as it’s not to renew status of they haven’t recently flown a Challenge). There’s an extensive Challenge thread with all the details.
HELP DESK & FAQ: Gold and Platinum Status Challenge
Regardless, call again and ask about reinstating your miles.
Oct 4, 2019, 5:55 pm
#1615
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: CLT
Programs: AA, Amex
Posts: 420
Probably a dumb question, but I'll ask anyway, having never booked a ticket on reward points nor gone for an upgrade - ever!
I'm under the impression that if you book a flight as an award on miles, you're not going to earn EQM's off it. I can get that. But what if you purchase a full fare ticket, and then upgrade it? Like let's say I pay for a Y fare and then find one of those miles + copay upgrades up to the next cabin. Would I earn...
I'm under the impression that if you book a flight as an award on miles, you're not going to earn EQM's off it. I can get that. But what if you purchase a full fare ticket, and then upgrade it? Like let's say I pay for a Y fare and then find one of those miles + copay upgrades up to the next cabin. Would I earn...
- EQM's based off the base fare (Y) that I paid for
- No EQM's
- EQM's on the cabin I've cashed in to upgrade to?
- Some other quantity I haven't considered
Oct 4, 2019, 6:29 pm
#1616
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: San Diego
Programs: Plat Pro AAdvantage, but defected to BAEC
Posts: 1,222
Door #1 EQMs/ EQD are earned on the cabin/fare (less taxes) as initially purchased. If you upfared, rather than used an award, then you get the new cabin/fare (again less taxes)
Oct 5, 2019, 9:28 am
#1617
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,811
Probably a dumb question, but I'll ask anyway, having never booked a ticket on reward points nor gone for an upgrade - ever!
I'm under the impression that if you book a flight as an award on miles, you're not going to earn EQM's off it. I can get that. But what if you purchase a full fare ticket, and then upgrade it? Like let's say I pay for a Y fare and then find one of those miles + copay upgrades up to the next cabin. Would I earn...
I'm under the impression that if you book a flight as an award on miles, you're not going to earn EQM's off it. I can get that. But what if you purchase a full fare ticket, and then upgrade it? Like let's say I pay for a Y fare and then find one of those miles + copay upgrades up to the next cabin. Would I earn...
- EQM's based off the base fare (Y) that I paid for
- No EQM's
- EQM's on the cabin I've cashed in to upgrade to?
- Some other quantity I haven't considered
But for an AA flight it doesn't have to be full-fare Economy (Y) in order to upgrade -- discount (but not basic) Economy is sufficient -- and Y can actually cost more than discount Business (usually I).
Oct 5, 2019, 10:17 am
#1618
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: EXP 2.9MM
Posts: 145
Just made EXP for the first time in ~15 years. Do EXPs still have Guaranteed Main Cabin Availability on sold-out flights?
Oct 5, 2019, 1:14 pm
#1619
Senior Moderator and Moderator: American AAdvantage & TravelBuzz
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 10,417
Oct 5, 2019, 4:44 pm
#1620
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