Jan 13, 2024, 11:31 pm
Last edit by: notquiteaff
AAdvantage eShoppping by Cartera Commerce
Using, earning miles, problems, etc. (Consolidated thread)
American Airlines is not the contact for Cartera / AAdvantage eShopping .
AAdvantage eShopping FAQs and an e-contact form can be found via the "Contact Us" link at the bottom left corner of the home page.
If you have trouble getting purchases to track, there's also a browser extension to help.
A related article, highlighting an interview of Cartera Commerce CEO Tom Bercher, is "Secrets of Cartera Commerce Revealed: Inside the Company that Brings You Miles for Online Shopping" by Gary Leff on March 3, 2014. Link.
As described in this thread, AAdvantage Shopping now offers a downloadable button installable on your desktop (not mobile) device to facilitate e-shopping. Link.
Older posts may be read at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...or-consol.html
Notes about Giftcards.com:
02/02/2024 - 02/03/2024 3am EST: 3X
03/19/2024 - 03/20/2024 3pm-ish EDT : 3X
04/10/2024 - 4/24/2024: 1.5X
04/24/2024 - ? : 2X
(Copied from the LP thread wiki): Once you click through the AAdvantage eShopping portal to a vendor offer and make a purchase, you will eventually get the associated miles posted to your AAdvantage account as both redeemable miles and Loyalty Points. If the merchant advertises an increase in the miles per dollar spent, you'll earn the higher amount in both redeemable miles and an equal number of Loyalty Points. The same applies if a merchant advertises a higher fixed amount per purchase, rather than a per dollar amount. Examples of this would appear on the portal as, "Extra miles. Was 1 mile/$. Now earn 3 miles/$" or "Extra miles. Was up to 3700 miles. Now up to 6200 miles." However, if the website advertises a "Limited-time bonus offer" for "bonus miles" after meeting a spending threshold, that bonus will only post as redeemable miles and not Loyalty Points. If a bonus is offered for some site-wide activity such as 1000 miles for installing an extension, or 500 miles for enrolling in the portal, or 2000 miles for meeting a spending threshold across multiple merchants, the bonus will only post as redeemable miles and not Loyalty Points.
Some anti-virus software silently blocks tracking, and you may want to consider disabling it for your purchase.
------------------------------------------------
Archived posts can be found here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...s-archive.html
Using, earning miles, problems, etc. (Consolidated thread)
American Airlines is not the contact for Cartera / AAdvantage eShopping .
AAdvantage eShopping FAQs and an e-contact form can be found via the "Contact Us" link at the bottom left corner of the home page.
If you have trouble getting purchases to track, there's also a browser extension to help.
Cartera website: http://www.cartera.com
Cartera Commerce, Inc.
One Cranberry Hill
Lexington, Massachusetts 02421
Tel. (781) 541-6800 Fax: (781) 541-6801
For general inquiries, please contact [email protected] or 888.456.6255
Cartera Commerce, Inc.
One Cranberry Hill
Lexington, Massachusetts 02421
Tel. (781) 541-6800 Fax: (781) 541-6801
For general inquiries, please contact [email protected] or 888.456.6255
MODERATOR GUIDEPOST (Please do not alter contents following)
This thread is the sole thread to address issues with AAdvantage eShopping (operated by Cartera Commerce). Other queries or complaints will invariably end up merged into this thread. All posts must comply with FlyerTalk Guidelines and Rules / TOS, or may be summarily deleted or edited by moderators.
This thread is the sole thread to address issues with AAdvantage eShopping (operated by Cartera Commerce). Other queries or complaints will invariably end up merged into this thread. All posts must comply with FlyerTalk Guidelines and Rules / TOS, or may be summarily deleted or edited by moderators.
A related article, highlighting an interview of Cartera Commerce CEO Tom Bercher, is "Secrets of Cartera Commerce Revealed: Inside the Company that Brings You Miles for Online Shopping" by Gary Leff on March 3, 2014. Link.
As described in this thread, AAdvantage Shopping now offers a downloadable button installable on your desktop (not mobile) device to facilitate e-shopping. Link.
Older posts may be read at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...or-consol.html
Notes about Giftcards.com:
- A separate thread exists for discussing Giftcards.com and likely has more data points than this generic thread.
- Purchases from giftcards.com earn miles on the first $2,000 spent in the named calendar month, meaning for example between March 1st and March 31st. [Note: as of Aug 2023, the $2k limit is per order, not per purchase]
- Giftcards.com has had various limits over the years, and it was always by calendar month.
- Some data points show the $2,000 monthly limit is not always enforced. [Note: as of Aug 2023, the $2k limit is per order, not per purchase]
- In 2022, larger orders track more slowly, and you may need to wait a full month to see miles. Strong advice from the thread is to make multiple small purchases (say under $300) rather than large ones to avoid the dreaded "manual review"
02/02/2024 - 02/03/2024 3am EST: 3X
03/19/2024 - 03/20/2024 3pm-ish EDT : 3X
04/10/2024 - 4/24/2024: 1.5X
04/24/2024 - ? : 2X
(Copied from the LP thread wiki): Once you click through the AAdvantage eShopping portal to a vendor offer and make a purchase, you will eventually get the associated miles posted to your AAdvantage account as both redeemable miles and Loyalty Points. If the merchant advertises an increase in the miles per dollar spent, you'll earn the higher amount in both redeemable miles and an equal number of Loyalty Points. The same applies if a merchant advertises a higher fixed amount per purchase, rather than a per dollar amount. Examples of this would appear on the portal as, "Extra miles. Was 1 mile/$. Now earn 3 miles/$" or "Extra miles. Was up to 3700 miles. Now up to 6200 miles." However, if the website advertises a "Limited-time bonus offer" for "bonus miles" after meeting a spending threshold, that bonus will only post as redeemable miles and not Loyalty Points. If a bonus is offered for some site-wide activity such as 1000 miles for installing an extension, or 500 miles for enrolling in the portal, or 2000 miles for meeting a spending threshold across multiple merchants, the bonus will only post as redeemable miles and not Loyalty Points.
Some anti-virus software silently blocks tracking, and you may want to consider disabling it for your purchase.
------------------------------------------------
Archived posts can be found here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...s-archive.html
AAdvantage eShopping / Cartera Questions / Discussion / Vendors / Issues
Dec 7, 2023, 6:07 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Atl, GA
Programs: AA EP, HH Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 127
AAdvantage eShopping / Cartera Questions / Discussion / Vendors / Issues
I am very new to the shopping portal and have to say some of the deals are incredibly vague. ie, National Geographic wines actually redirects to Laithwaites, which has its own deal. I also can't figure what exactly is needed to earn the 2500 bonus, is it any purchase? or some type of subscription?
Dec 7, 2023, 8:07 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS 75k, AA Plat, Bonvoyed Gold, Honors Dia, Hyatt Explorer, IHG Plat, ...
Posts: 16,856
I think RaindropT’s store is giftcards.com - there entire business model is to sell giftcards, and yes, they give credit for it.
Dec 7, 2023, 8:18 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: TPA/DFW/K15
Programs: AA EXP, Mar AMB, HH LT DIA
Posts: 1,653
Has there been a solution to the gift card purchases not tracking? My last 5 gift cards have not tracked (the last one that did track was on 11/18). I need to buy more today but I'm hesitant to do so at this point. I'm using Chrome and third party cookies are allowed. I'm getting the pop-up confetti screen at the end of the purchase but no email confirmation and nothing under Notifications on the AAShopping site. I did put a support request in, but since it's been less than 15 days, I just got a canned email back telling me I have to wait. Has anyone gotten this issue resolved through Cartera/AAShopping and actually gotten their missing miles/points?
Dec 7, 2023, 8:26 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,669
Dec 7, 2023, 10:13 am
#5
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, AA ExecPlat, Amtrak Select Exec, former WN apologist
Posts: 1,428
I wonder if 3x giftcards.com is gone for good. I have finally burned through my large stash from the 3x period. I have bought a couple at 1x but am finding the effort isn't worth the payoff. The last promo that waived fees was ok I guess. But the normal route of buying a $250 gift card for $253.45 (after 1% g-money discount) effectively only nets me 250 miles for $3.45. That works out to 1.38 cents per mile which is a good price and a little below my internal strawman mile valuation (about 1.5 cents/mile). But after accounting for the effort involved I can't justify doing it to net 30 cents of value per transaction.
I know many out there are still buying at 1x, is there something I am missing? Do you just value miles at more than 1.5 cents? Or enjoy grinding more than I do?
I know many out there are still buying at 1x, is there something I am missing? Do you just value miles at more than 1.5 cents? Or enjoy grinding more than I do?
Dec 7, 2023, 10:32 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
I wonder if 3x giftcards.com is gone for good. I have finally burned through my large stash from the 3x period. I have bought a couple at 1x but am finding the effort isn't worth the payoff. The last promo that waived fees was ok I guess. But the normal route of buying a $250 gift card for $253.45 (after 1% g-money discount) effectively only nets me 250 miles for $3.45. That works out to 1.38 cents per mile which is a good price and a little below my internal strawman mile valuation (about 1.5 cents/mile). But after accounting for the effort involved I can't justify doing it to net 30 cents of value per transaction.
I know many out there are still buying at 1x, is there something I am missing? Do you just value miles at more than 1.5 cents? Or enjoy grinding more than I do?
I know many out there are still buying at 1x, is there something I am missing? Do you just value miles at more than 1.5 cents? Or enjoy grinding more than I do?
The reason I use them at 1x is because $3.50 for 250 miles and LP (plus bonus) is still a very good deal. This is about 1/2 to 1/3 of the price if the very cheapest hotel deals and many people book those and don't stay.
For spend that otherwise gets no bonus it seems better than the alternative (ie, paying directly with a CC)
Dec 7, 2023, 4:24 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,669
I strongly suspect that 3x is gone for good.
The reason I use them at 1x is because $3.50 for 250 miles and LP (plus bonus) is still a very good deal. This is about 1/2 to 1/3 of the price if the very cheapest hotel deals and many people book those and don't stay.
For spend that otherwise gets no bonus it seems better than the alternative (ie, paying directly with a CC)
The reason I use them at 1x is because $3.50 for 250 miles and LP (plus bonus) is still a very good deal. This is about 1/2 to 1/3 of the price if the very cheapest hotel deals and many people book those and don't stay.
For spend that otherwise gets no bonus it seems better than the alternative (ie, paying directly with a CC)
Dec 7, 2023, 5:38 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
It's worth adding, I would not be bothering if it wasn't for the LP unless I was very low on miles. When considering the significant bonuses earned at 175k and 250k LP, it's significantly better than $3.50 for 250 miles. And of course the status has significant value too.
I also think that 1.5c is a little bit low of a valuation for AA miles. I never actually redeem them that low. Internally I apply a value of 2c.
I also think that 1.5c is a little bit low of a valuation for AA miles. I never actually redeem them that low. Internally I apply a value of 2c.
Dec 8, 2023, 6:04 am
#11
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, AA ExecPlat, Amtrak Select Exec, former WN apologist
Posts: 1,428
It's worth adding, I would not be bothering if it wasn't for the LP unless I was very low on miles. When considering the significant bonuses earned at 175k and 250k LP, it's significantly better than $3.50 for 250 miles. And of course the status has significant value too.
I also think that 1.5c is a little bit low of a valuation for AA miles. I never actually redeem them that low. Internally I apply a value of 2c.
I also think that 1.5c is a little bit low of a valuation for AA miles. I never actually redeem them that low. Internally I apply a value of 2c.
I strongly suspect that 3x is gone for good.
The reason I use them at 1x is because $3.50 for 250 miles and LP (plus bonus) is still a very good deal. This is about 1/2 to 1/3 of the price if the very cheapest hotel deals and many people book those and don't stay.
For spend that otherwise gets no bonus it seems better than the alternative (ie, paying directly with a CC)
The reason I use them at 1x is because $3.50 for 250 miles and LP (plus bonus) is still a very good deal. This is about 1/2 to 1/3 of the price if the very cheapest hotel deals and many people book those and don't stay.
For spend that otherwise gets no bonus it seems better than the alternative (ie, paying directly with a CC)
Dec 8, 2023, 8:21 am
#12
Join Date: Nov 2022
Posts: 4
Trying to figure out where I went wrong. Last month i clicked on millionacres to sign up. When i did that, it took me to the millionacres/motley fool page for me to sign up. As i already had motley fool, it prefilled my information. I did change my email address on the form, and then continued with the transaction. I was denied points as aadvantage states that my final "click" was not with aadvantage and was with another site/coupon within the site. I am so confused. Was it because of the form being prefilled? Thanks for any advice. I am hesitant to go back and try again incase I end up with the same situation and lose yet another $99.
Dec 8, 2023, 1:54 pm
#13
formerly DreAAmliner
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 419
I strongly suspect that 3x is gone for good.
The reason I use them at 1x is because $3.50 for 250 miles and LP (plus bonus) is still a very good deal. This is about 1/2 to 1/3 of the price if the very cheapest hotel deals and many people book those and don't stay.
For spend that otherwise gets no bonus it seems better than the alternative (ie, paying directly with a CC)
The reason I use them at 1x is because $3.50 for 250 miles and LP (plus bonus) is still a very good deal. This is about 1/2 to 1/3 of the price if the very cheapest hotel deals and many people book those and don't stay.
For spend that otherwise gets no bonus it seems better than the alternative (ie, paying directly with a CC)
For non-bonused spend, it's much easier, in my opinion, to go the 5x fee-free gift card route on the Chase Ink...
At 3x, it was a much more difficult choice, and I would lean toward AA.
Dec 8, 2023, 3:48 pm
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Trying to figure out where I went wrong. Last month i clicked on millionacres to sign up. When i did that, it took me to the millionacres/motley fool page for me to sign up. As i already had motley fool, it prefilled my information. I did change my email address on the form, and then continued with the transaction. I was denied points as aadvantage states that my final "click" was not with aadvantage and was with another site/coupon within the site. I am so confused. Was it because of the form being prefilled? Thanks for any advice. I am hesitant to go back and try again incase I end up with the same situation and lose yet another $99.
Dec 9, 2023, 7:03 am
#15
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Phoenix
Programs: AA Platinum Pro
Posts: 51
Has there been a solution to the gift card purchases not tracking? My last 5 gift cards have not tracked (the last one that did track was on 11/18). I need to buy more today but I'm hesitant to do so at this point. I'm using Chrome and third party cookies are allowed. I'm getting the pop-up confetti screen at the end of the purchase but no email confirmation and nothing under Notifications on the AAShopping site. I did put a support request in, but since it's been less than 15 days, I just got a canned email back telling me I have to wait. Has anyone gotten this issue resolved through Cartera/AAShopping and actually gotten their missing miles/points?
Finally got a response from Cartera about my first giftcard purchase that didn't track. Even though I sent the congratulations email from AAshopping that I received for the purchase, the email from Cartera says, "After reviewing your account, we were unable to confirm that you accessed Giftcards.com through the eShopping web site on 11/28/2023, therefore we will not be able to add the expected reward to your account for the below order". Now what? Should I resubmit? Reply to the email they sent? I have 5 more gift cards that didn't track that I need to submit that I DON'T have the congratulations email for because I didn't receive one. What's the best way to successfully receive the miles/points for these? TIA!