Apr 30, 2019, 10:40 am
Last edit by: JDiver
American Airlines AAdvantage Award Miles are valid for as long as the AAdvantage member’s account has had any kind of activity (earning or spending, gifting, donating etc.) within 18 (eighteen) months.
American used to offer reinstatement fees or “challenges” as paths to reactivate expired miles for several years after expiry. This policy has apparently changed to allow reinstatement of expired miles only up to 18 months after the date of expiration.
NOTE: no mention of reengagement challenges, just fees.
Q. How can I keep my miles from expiring?
Just earn or redeem miles on American or with an AAdvantage partner at least once every 18 months. We’ll automatically extend your mileage expiration date 18 months from the date of your most recent activity.
Your wallet shows the number of miles you have and the earliest date they could expire.
Just earn or redeem miles on American or with an AAdvantage partner at least once every 18 months. We’ll automatically extend your mileage expiration date 18 months from the date of your most recent activity.
Your wallet shows the number of miles you have and the earliest date they could expire.
Get your expired miles back link to this policy
You can reactivate your expired miles for a fee in 1 of 2 ways*:
Online
Call AAdvantage® customer service
Reactivate miles in your account (link)
AAdvantage® customer service (link)
For mileage reactivations, you can:
You can reactivate your expired miles for a fee in 1 of 2 ways*:
Online
Call AAdvantage® customer service
Reactivate miles in your account (link)
AAdvantage® customer service (link)
For mileage reactivations, you can:
- Reactivate miles within 18 months of their expiration
- Only make 1 transaction to reactivate your miles. Any expired miles from this same expiration time frame that aren’t reactivated will be forfeited
- Reactivate a maximum of 500,000 miles
AA restricts expired miles reactivation within 18 months of expiration (2019)
Apr 30, 2019, 1:33 pm
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: EWR
Programs: Alaska, Marriott
Posts: 161
Most rewards programs, being miles, points, credits, etc. all clearly indicate the terms and conditions of such plan when you sign in. Normally, no one reads them at all. Even some rewards program have the term "frequent" attached to them. Just on name along you should get the idea that frequent is a continuous term, as opposed to in-frequent. As a member of the plan, you should be aware of the shelf life on the rewards you've acquired, and should have plenty of time to keep them going or redeeming them. It is up to you to exercise prudence on what you've earned. It is not the sponsor problem to "baby-sit" your plan. I myself have left points expire on other programs where I had some "orphan" points and no real way to capitalize on them. No one to blame but myself, I always check to see if they can make an exception, but wont make a fuss if the answer is no.
My complaint is about their sudden unannounced policy change of reactivation time limit, which had been on aa.com for years and I’m equally familiar with. Unfortunately being familiar with program information is insufficient when program can change overnight without notice.
Apr 30, 2019, 1:45 pm
#18
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
Database bloat was a thing in the old days, when storage actually cost money. Nowadays, I doubt that a few bytes per account of mileage balance data are an issue given that the accounts themselves ("records pertaining to people who do not fly the airline") remain open.
I recall when our IT people would hound me to delete old e-mails to free up space on the POP server. Perhaps the database administrator culture is left over from those days.
PS I'm not saying that the 18-month cutoff is a big deal.
I recall when our IT people would hound me to delete old e-mails to free up space on the POP server. Perhaps the database administrator culture is left over from those days.
PS I'm not saying that the 18-month cutoff is a big deal.
Jun 11, 2019, 5:09 pm
#19
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 48
Just saw this post. Lost 180K miles by few days (18 months since expiration). Was planning for re-engagement challenge for my wife this summer, waited for it too long
Most of the miles were earned using CC. Called AA and was offered $1250 for reactivation. No re-engagement challenge.
Any suggestion if I should pursue the option?.I am thinking getting 150k miles for $900 is better option.Although it has been increasingly painful to get the award redemption without paying hefty points.
Most of the miles were earned using CC. Called AA and was offered $1250 for reactivation. No re-engagement challenge.Any suggestion if I should pursue the option?.I am thinking getting 150k miles for $900 is better option.Although it has been increasingly painful to get the award redemption without paying hefty points.
Last edited by dealhunter999; Jun 12, 2019 at 6:10 am
Jun 12, 2019, 3:44 pm
#20
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 48
In case it wasn’t clear, I know their expiration policy very well since I started flying more frequently and have no problem with that.
My complaint is about their sudden unannounced policy change of reactivation time limit, which had been on aa.com for years and I’m equally familiar with. Unfortunately being familiar with program information is insufficient when program can change overnight without notice.
Jun 12, 2019, 4:24 pm
#22
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
I slept on re-engagement challenge because my wife was not travelling, we had plan to make switch in summer for upcoming travels.I was late by 5 days since miles expired 18 months ago. Worst, my credit card post some miles but they are showing up on AA side. Had it been mile expiration would have been pushed back by another 3 moths. Giving me till august before new policy permanently removes miles. They did offer me cash option $1250 but I think it is a lot to pay for 180K miles so rejected it.
2) As to buying miles back, the chart below compares the cost of doing that (minus the $30 transaction fee, iirc). Only you can determine whether you’re willing to buy back if they deny your appeal on the credit card miles, but I recently spent 220,000 miles one way for two in Business class - which AA wanted $20,000 for. And in the past I’ve secured multiple MileSAAver awards US-Australia, US-Europe.
Jun 12, 2019, 5:13 pm
#23
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: NC
Programs: AA, Marriott/SPG, AMEX
Posts: 272
Database bloat was a thing in the old days, when storage actually cost money. Nowadays, I doubt that a few bytes per account of mileage balance data are an issue given that the accounts themselves ("records pertaining to people who do not fly the airline") remain open.
I recall when our IT people would hound me to delete old e-mails to free up space on the POP server. Perhaps the database administrator culture is left over from those days.
PS I'm not saying that the 18-month cutoff is a big deal.
I recall when our IT people would hound me to delete old e-mails to free up space on the POP server. Perhaps the database administrator culture is left over from those days.
PS I'm not saying that the 18-month cutoff is a big deal.
I don't think 18 months is a big deal, either.