dave_SEA

I've had MR for years but never actually redeemed them. In retrospect, paying the $95 each year the past 10 years has been a waste considering I've only accumulated 200K....

I logged into the portal for the first time in memory and have some questions.

1. Are the MR fares Basic Economy or Economy?
2. How can I be sure which EQD/EQM I am earning> I did not see any Fare Codes listed.
3. The cash price for the flight I'm looking at is $555 on MR but $586 on AA.COM. Can it really be cheaper on the MR site?


Thanks for your patience with the above.

guv1976

I can't answer any of your questions, but what is your itinerary? If AA has "MileSAAver" award seats available on aa.com for your desired flights, you might get a better deal by transferring your MR points to an MR airline partner that permits redemptions on AA.

dave_SEA

So, the MilesAAver is 30K + $118 in taxes

Cash on AA is $586, which earns $2900 EQM & $422 EQD

My math was telling me cash price is better value than the milesAAver. I looked at Amex MR since if that is same as cash then it could be best option.

Thoughts?

VFR

There are a few ways to book AA travel using Amex Membership Rewards points. It seems that what OP is talking about is what's called "Pay with Points" on AmexTravel.com, which generally gives you about $0.01/point on airfare and $0.006/point on hotels. Amex does offer "insider fares" when you pay entirely with points which are usually slightly cheaper than a cash fare. My belief is that AmexTravel (and many other OTAs) do not show AA basic economy fares; if it is a transatlantic fare you should be able to tell from the checked bag fees.

The other way to book AA flights with Membership Rewards points, if you can find saver award availability, is by transferring them to another airline. MR points do not transfer to AA, but you can transfer them to one of their partners who can book AA flights. Be cautious: partners cannot always see the same award availability as AA does, and transfers are normally irreversible. I would read a few blog posts about this before you try it, and find out if the transfer partner offers holds on award tickets. The MR transfer partners with which you can book AA flights are: Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Etihad, Iberia, and Qantas. It is situationally dependent, but if you want to buy a non-stop flight British Airways might be your best bet.

guv1976

The price (in miles) that AA will charge is irrelevant, since you cannot transfer MR points to AA. What matters is the price that an MR partner (like BA, Iberia, or Etihad) would charge for those MileSAAver seats on AA. They might charge more, less, or the same as AA. What itinerary? One-way or round-trip? Nonstops, or connections?

redtop43

There is very frequently a tradeoff between using miles to book an award flight, and sacrificing the EQM/EQD associated with a cash ticket.

I frequently book on the Amex site, and I asked them and they told me that they don't offer basic economy fares. And I haven't had trouble getting elite credit for these flights.

They definitely have some "deals" on bookings. I think they are indeed only available on "pay with points" bookings. Most people would say that a penny per point is a bad redemption value, and even with a discount of 5-7% it's not that great. I book with points because my Platinum card gives a 35% rebate, so I'm effectively getting around 1.6 cents per point.

I think you can transfer Amex MR to British Airways, and then book on AA. You will only be able to book MileSaaver tix, but BA has a distance-based redemption structure. I think you can get a trip up to 500 miles for 4500 points (working from memory here, and it might be outdated). If you can get a transfer bonus MR to BA, you'll do even better.

VFR

BA now prices <500 mi short haul redemptions at 7,500 Avios within North America. Iberia has a different award chart, for which 5,500 Avios is the minimum. Connecting itineraries will price as the sum of two awards, and you will not earn AA RDMs / EQMs / EQDs on an award ticket booked through AA / IB / BA / EY.

For Amex Travel, you should be able to calculate approximate EQM from gcmap.com. For EQD, you can assume it will be less than what you paid, but the only way to know for sure is to book it through Amex, see what AA.com says, and cancel it within 24 hours for a refund if you don't like it.

LowValueCustomer

Note that these can be booked with cash by calling in; the price is 1cpp plus $40 phone booking fee. Business platinum card holders can get a 35% points rebate on fares booked with MR points through the Amex travel portal.

The rebate is valid on premium cabin fares for all airlines, as well as *any* cabin on one's preferred airline as selected for the airline fee reimbursement credit.

Also, these fares can be changed for free through Amex, whether booked on MR points or cash. Huge benefit.

Kacee

Paying for tickets at a value of 1 cent per point is generally not a good use for MR. (If you have the business Plat, the value proposition is much better.)

By contrast, transferring to BA for short-haul Avios redemptions on AA is often a fantastic deal. 9k for domestic F up to 650 miles, 15k for domestic F 651 - 1150 miles. I'm regularly able to redeem at nearly 3.5 cpp ($500+ ticket for 15k Avios).

Transfer to BA is instant, which means you can confirm availability, make the transfer, then book.

guv1976

That's true for BA; not true for IB. IB prices AA award travel based on the round-trip total distance, even if connections are involved. I booked a four-segment round-trip Economy Class award on AA with a total flown distance of just over 600 miles. BA wanted 30,000 Avios (7,500 per segment); IB charged just 12,000 Avios for the same trip. That's why I asked about the OP's exact itinerary.

guv1976

BAEC has changed its rates for award travel on partner carriers. Suggest you check current redemption rates. When was your last BAEC redemption on AA?

Gig103

For this one, yes it is possible, there are "insider fares" available when paying with points (at the rate of 1pt:$0.01).

Kacee

A couple days ago.

ijgordon

Are there award (don't-call-it-fuel) surcharges on Avios awards booked on AA?
If you book economy on AA via BA, do you get any elite benefits, like priority seating/boarding or free bags?

VFR

BA does not seem to add fuel charges to AA domestic flights. They may pass on fuel charges on AA TATL flights; I can't remember.

You get elite benefits, but note that people have had issues getting AA/BA to change the frequent flyer number of a ticket booked through BA -- the workaround is when booking through BA to select "I am booking this ticket for someone else" and then type in your details.