Ah... you bring up an interesting point. There's one sandwich shop I frequent which doesn't list AX as an accepted card on the AA Dining website. But they seem to take AX at the establishment (footnote: I've always used my Aviator card at this place). I wonder if it's because AX charges merchants a higher fee, and this is a way to discourage people from paying with it who want the miles (and which these businesses also have to pay for).

And my data point with this program. I've had 30+ dines so far, and only one did not post automatically.

Firehouse Subs?

Interesting. I've largely looked at this program as a "oh nice, i get some miles incidentally", vs actually following what is eligible. Will have to take a peek and see how I actually am doing.

Definitely worth an audit. Save your receipts and you might find a couple of missing dines you can submit for retroactive credit.

Like you, I don't go out of my way to eat at AAdvantage Dining restaurants but when I'm out of town someplace where I don't have a local favorite, I'm willing to take a flyer on a new place off of the AAdvantage Dining list and enjoy a few extra miles for something I have to do anyway. Found a very good Indian restaurant near the ALB airport this way. PHF is one of my most common business travel destinations and there's a restaurant there that is both good and has consistently participated in Rewards Network: Schlesinger's Steakhouse.

Bingo!!

BTW, does anyone else get the monthly offers like a one-time 500 extra miles or an additional 3 miles per dollar for dines (at highlighted restaurants) if you write a quick review within 30 days? Note: these extra miles are only RDMs, not LPs. Strangely, August didn't have any for me; and nothing so far in September.

And the way I understand this program is like this:

If you have an Aviator MC, you're automatically enrolled. You will get 1 mile per dollar spent at a participating restaurant, plus the regular 1 mile per dollar on your MC charge. When you register with the program AND opt-in for promotional emails, you will then get 3 miles per dollar spent. When you reach 11 dines in a calender year, you are at "VIP" status until the end of the following year. Then you will earn 5 miles per dollar spent. And yes, those 5 miles are both RDMs and LPs.

Some interesting data points for AAdvantage Dining Miles:

Spouse and I are both in this program, but I am a VIP (over 11 visits in one year) diner. I made EXP a few weeks ago (AAdvantage dining helped by 15K) and we are now concentrating on making my spouse at least a Platinum, hence- AA Dining for spouse.

However, when she, a non-VIP, logs in, there are many restaurants that show up on a general search, but then say "no benefits available" for any days!

You won't know this unless you click on each restaurant. Seems a pretty lousy trick to show up when they are not actually available for the program!

More interesting? Those same places are available to earn AA miles benefit to me, 7 days a week, as a VIP.

AA dining should consider listing those places as : "Earn Benefits Here Once You Reach VIP Status" or similar. I understand if they want to make MORE restaurants available to VIPS (per their website), but showing those restaurants that don't actually earn ANY benefits to non-VIPS? With no explanations? Yeah, no. It reflects badly on the restaurant in question, and the AAdvantage Dining Miles program. My spouse just assumed the places were victims of Covidicty and had actually closed. Boom: off the radar, removed from list of places to check out.

With regards to the 5x Bonus Miles that show up all the time:

Earning VIP level opens the ability to earn the 5x bonus miles that come around all the time (each restaurant choses to do this or not). You ALWAYS have to write a review to earn the bonus miles within 30 days.
MANY of the 5 bonus miles restaurants will not necessarily be sent to you via email so it pays to check on your local restaurants regularly to see if/who is offering any bonus miles.

My VIP level dropped to Basic suddenly (5 miles vs. 1 mile). I called and the agent said that my email address must match what is on my AAdvantage account. This was new to me?? Updated the email with him and my account now reflects VIP again.

I thought the base earring was 3 miles per $, while VIP was 5 miles per $.

It still is. I should add... I had a different email with eDining vs. AA and it triggered my account to downgrade to Basic at earning 1 mile. So when the agent updated my email to what I have with AA, it put it back up to VIP to earn 5. Unusual situation - thought it might come up for others.

I have always had different emails for AA and AAdvantage dining. Never had an issue like this.

OK, but isn’t basic 3 miles? Don’t recall it ever being 1 mile per $.

From https://support.aa-dining.com/hc/en-...antage-Dining-

• Basic members earn 1 American Airlines AAdvantage® mile per $1 spent if you elect to not receive email communication from AAdvantage DiningSM.
• Select members earn 3 AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent if you elect to receive email communication from AAdvantage DiningSM.
• VIP members earn 5 AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent if you elect to receive email communication from AAdvantage DiningSM AND have already completed 11 qualified transactions in the calendar year. (Members start earning at the VIP level on their 12th qualified transaction.)

After years of dining miles posting almost immediately, and getting annoying notices to reiview restaurants, suddenly, in 2023, nothing much is posting. I have a few few favorite places I pick up lunch, so it's easy to maintain VIP status. I have made 5 visits to restaurants this month and the only one that has posted is a $3 charge at Jack in the Box when I was driving by and picked up a Diet Coke (and it posted the next day). It's particularly annoying because I'm not used to having to retain receipts. I guess that's now in the past. Anyone know what's going on or having similar experiences? (And yes, the credit cards used are linked with the program.)

Our local pizza place participates in Rewards Network, as do a few other local restaurants that we frequent. This year I am not getting the emails so far but points appear to be posting.

My routine restaurants are posting as normal.

I have a couple of restaurants in my neighborhood for which my AmEx charges never post automatically and I always have to send in the receipts, but the charges using MC or Visa go right through.

So, it's likely an issue with the local POS.