Bookaahotels vs RocketMiles - useability, experiences, questions, data points
#16
Join Date: May 2019
Programs: AA
Posts: 161
ps/side bar - this thread is very clearly predicting what i believe will be a gigantic increase in low-level elites under the new scheme. Obviously, if those elites fly only a few times a year then who cares, but it is interesting to me nonetheless and who knows what the second/third/fourth order effects of that many elites are.
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 32,916
#18
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Programs: Southwest A-List
Posts: 330
The RM interface is still clunky, from room selection to filterable search results, so there are plenty of families, business folks, etc. that will simply want to use a more convenient interface such as Marriott or booking.com (even the booking.com site, which powers AA hotels, is better because you have an account where you can log in to see your bookings, more rooms are refundable, etc.). In addition, you have to account for the fact that many people actually try for status with hotels, rental cars, etc. so there is an opportunity cost to putting all of your eggs in the AA LP basket.
To me, the biggest sacrifice - other than interface - is choice. I'm in Mexico now, and there are plenty of other options in terms of Airbnb, booking.com, etc. that offer me a better selection of location and fine-tuning what I'm looking for in a particular price range. With RM and AA Hotels, I can still find stuff, but I would likely have ended up booking something different. This is entirely the point - AA (and the hotel) is buying my business my offering me LP's. I stay with their preferred vendor and they throw me some credit toward status. Isn't this what loyalty is all about? I'm completely fine with this - I'm still getting a good hotel for roughly what I would have paid for it, but you're swaying my decision to take my business to you because you're giving me something in return that's valuable to me.
All of this said, if the base miles on RM (stay and get 3,000 miles) don't actually count, and they decide to do a spend equivalent, that would be massively deceptive cause me to significantly think my loyalty. I've already got several RM and AA hotels booking given the amount of travel I have going on right now, all of which were chosen entirely because to the LP construct.
#19
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Programs: Southwest A-List
Posts: 330
Still, these could pretty easily be interpreted as bonus rather than base miles based on the offer structure, etc. I think the odds are lower that these count, although I'm still hopeful they will. Personally, I would be hesitant to put a lot of money in this strategy until March when we see how this actually plays out. I suppose my regular AA hotel bookings and RM booking could be risky as too, but less so than a scheme where I'm offered to pay more to earn more miles, which sounds like the definition of bonus miles to me. Still, that language isn't being used, and if folks are finding that those elevated points bookings are coding as base miles, that's a good sign.
#20
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Programs: Southwest A-List
Posts: 330
Okay I decided to play along and see what would happen - I had a hotel I needed to book for next week. Nowhere does it say this until the confirmation email, but the language in that email suggests the difference between "base miles" and "promotional miles" - my suspicion is that my additional 2,000 miles will not qualify as LP's.
While I'll still have the benefit of the extra 2,000 miles from an RDM perspective, I doubt I will continue to book these "promotional miles" rates unless we get confirmation they will count as LPs.
While I'll still have the benefit of the extra 2,000 miles from an RDM perspective, I doubt I will continue to book these "promotional miles" rates unless we get confirmation they will count as LPs.

#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 32,916
Okay I decided to play along and see what would happen - I had a hotel I needed to book for next week. Nowhere does it say this until the confirmation email, but the language in that email suggests the difference between "base miles" and "promotional miles" - my suspicion is that my additional 2,000 miles will not qualify as LP's.
While I'll still have the benefit of the extra 2,000 miles from an RDM perspective, I doubt I will continue to book these "promotional miles" rates unless we get confirmation they will count as LPs.
While I'll still have the benefit of the extra 2,000 miles from an RDM perspective, I doubt I will continue to book these "promotional miles" rates unless we get confirmation they will count as LPs.
[Edited to add:] It looks like it was RocketMiles. It has already been reported upthread that the promo miles have posted as bonus miles, FWIW.
It has also been reported upthread that all miles post as base miles through BookAAHotels.
#22
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Programs: Southwest A-List
Posts: 330
No. I used bookaahotels - I’m very much hoping those experiences above are accurate.
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 32,916
Interestingly, the graphic that you posted looks exactly the same as the one I got from RocketMiles.

Not sure why RM and BAAH would post differently.
Did you take the additional boost that BAAH offers, or just pay extra for the room?
Last edited by vasantn; Jan 15, 22 at 1:09 pm
#24
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Programs: Southwest A-List
Posts: 330
Cool, keep us posted. I'm quite happy to pay 2˘/LP. Not so happy to pay 2˘/RDM.
Interestingly, the graphic that you posted looks exactly the same as the one I got from RocketMiles.

Not sure why RM and BAAH would post differently.
Did you take the additional boost that BAAH offers, or just pay extra for the room?
Interestingly, the graphic that you posted looks exactly the same as the one I got from RocketMiles.

Not sure why RM and BAAH would post differently.
Did you take the additional boost that BAAH offers, or just pay extra for the room?
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 32,916
#27
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: LAX
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, DL Diamond, AS MVP Gold, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 1,264
I just booked a hotel and selected the room that was $25 more to get 1,000 more miles.
then on the checkout screen, they let me buy an additional 1,000 miles for $25.
I will report back if they all code as base or not. Seems like RocketMiles was able to figure that out....
then on the checkout screen, they let me buy an additional 1,000 miles for $25.
I will report back if they all code as base or not. Seems like RocketMiles was able to figure that out....
#28
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 32,916
Okay I decided to play along and see what would happen - I had a hotel I needed to book for next week. Nowhere does it say this until the confirmation email, but the language in that email suggests the difference between "base miles" and "promotional miles" - my suspicion is that my additional 2,000 miles will not qualify as LP's.
While I'll still have the benefit of the extra 2,000 miles from an RDM perspective, I doubt I will continue to book these "promotional miles" rates unless we get confirmation they will count as LPs.

While I'll still have the benefit of the extra 2,000 miles from an RDM perspective, I doubt I will continue to book these "promotional miles" rates unless we get confirmation they will count as LPs.

#30
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Programs: Southwest A-List
Posts: 330
Wanted to update everyone that my miles posted from bookaahotels.com - all as base miles. Again, to clarify - I selected the option of pay more earn more - as in, a higher rate on the rate/room selection page - NOT the final checkout page with the last option of buying additional points. Interestingly, there were 2 separate posts, but both are listed under "base miles." As I've otherwise posted, I'll certainly be taking screenshots of how these post. I wouldn't be surprised to see these reclassified at some point.
