Last edit by: Prospero
Preventing AAdvantage Miles and Accounts from Expiring:
What can I do? Alternatives for miles use and discussion.
To check your miles expiration date: Look for the Wallet link on the website or in the app.
AAdvantage members who are under 21 are not subject to mileage expiration if their birthday is associated with their account.
But note:
ANY account activity, earning or using miles, will extend the expiration date of all AA miles by an additional 18 months.
When days count, be aware: it's the transaction date, not the posting date, that counts to extend miles' validity. It can take some time for miles activity to fully post, including the new expiration date. But, read on. Be aware of some vendors’ delayed posting, however.
For other relevant threads and resources see:
aa.com and Others:
Using or getting rid of miles
FlyerTalk:
Here are some suggestions from members on how to prevent miles from expiring easily and/or automatically. Please post your suggestions here.
For previous posts on this topic, please see ARCHIVE: Prevent AA miles / account from expiring / alternate use of miles
Nov 12, 2020 - Formatting % font size
What can I do? Alternatives for miles use and discussion.
To check your miles expiration date: Look for the Wallet link on the website or in the app.
From AAdvantage Terms and Conditions: "AAdvantage members must have mileage earning or redeeming activity once every 18 months in order to retain their miles. If your account has no qualifying activity in any 18-month period, all miles in the account will expire. Qualifying activity extends the expiration date of all unexpired mileage credit in your account for 18 months from the date of the qualifying activity. Qualifying activity is defined as redeeming any AAdvantage award or accruing mileage credit on any eligible American, American Eagle® or AAdvantage airline participant as well as accruing mileage credit with participating hotels, car rental companies, credit cards, telecommunication providers and other service providers offering AAdvantage mileage credit." Gufting or donating miles, doing anything that will cause an increase or decrease in the number of award miles in an AAdvantage account resets the expiration clock by 18 months.
But note:
Pausing AAdvantage® mile expiration through June 2021
You’ve worked hard to earn your AAdvantage® miles, and we recognize you may need more time than usual to keep them active. We’ve paused the expiration of miles through June 30, 2021. If your miles are scheduled to expire on or before June 30, 2021, they will now expire in July 2021, if there’s no additional activity in your account before then. You can find the expiration date of your miles in the Wallet section of your AAdvantage® account.
You’ve worked hard to earn your AAdvantage® miles, and we recognize you may need more time than usual to keep them active. We’ve paused the expiration of miles through June 30, 2021. If your miles are scheduled to expire on or before June 30, 2021, they will now expire in July 2021, if there’s no additional activity in your account before then. You can find the expiration date of your miles in the Wallet section of your AAdvantage® account.
When days count, be aware: it's the transaction date, not the posting date, that counts to extend miles' validity. It can take some time for miles activity to fully post, including the new expiration date. But, read on. Be aware of some vendors’ delayed posting, however.
"Activity date" is how the airline sees it, but beware that the date as reported by the shopping portal vendor can be a "gotcha." From my own experiences of various online vendors, the "activity date" reported can be the date you placed the order, OR the date your order was "received", OR the date your order was "processed", OR the date a transaction "hold" was placed on your credit card, OR the date your credit card company actually approved the transaction, OR the date your order was shipped, OR the date it was picked up (if in-store, for example), OR...etc., etc. And, don't forget time zone differences, too, if your cutoff date is very close (is it the time zone/date of where you ordered, or the vendor's website server, or the vendor's physical store, or...?) In other words, each online vendor may define and report the activity date to the airline in ways you didn't expect. I have seen an instance, for example, where the reported activity date was almost 2 weeks past the actual date I placed the order, simply because a part was on back-order, thus the full order was not "completed" and therefore the credit card not billed until later. Another example is flower delivery, especially if the flowers aren't scheduled for delivery until much later. Buyer beware -- the airline will refer you to the vendor for clarification.
aa.com and Others:
- Link to AA restricts expired miles reactivation within 18 months of expiration (2019) thread
- Link to How to Reactivate / Restore Expired Miles – Reengagement Challenge thread
- Link to Miles for Opinions surveys - not many miles, but it resets the clock.
- Link to Car Rental partners
- Link- Business and Financial: Earn AAdvantage miles when you buy, sell, or move your home with American HomeMiles by SIRVA, BankDirect, Fidelity, Lifelock, Network Solutions, PreFlight parking, Regus, etc.
- Link Buying, Gifting, Sharing AA Miles (Points.com)
- Link- Charities: Contributing Money (Earning Miles): Susan G. Komen, National Cancer Research Foundation, USO
- Link- Financial and Business: Earn AAdvantage miles when you buy, sell, or move your home with American HomeMiles by SIRVA, BankDirect, Fidelity, Lifelock, Network Solutions, PreFlight parking, Regus, etc.
- Link - Home and Health: DIRECTV, Energy Plus, Everything Energy, because Energy, Reliant, Spafinder Wellness 365
- Link to ALL Hotel partners
- Links to Hotel Bookings via pointshound.com, rocketmiles.com and Kaligo.com
- Link - Retail And Dining: AAdvantage eShopping Mall, AAdvantage Dining Program, FTD, Teleflora, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Vinesse Wine
- Linkaa.com - Reactivating expired miles (for fee)
Using or getting rid of miles
- Redeem Miles:- Link
Includes Hotel rooms and auto rentals, Newspapers, Gift Cards, Lifelock.
Includes link to Link to Use AA Miles: (redeem for car rentals and lodging) - Link - Charities: Donating Miles Miles for All Who Serve, Miles for Kids in Need, Miles of Hope.
Here are some suggestions from members on how to prevent miles from expiring easily and/or automatically. Please post your suggestions here.
- Sign up and register a credit card with AAdvantage Dining, go dine at an enrolled restaurant. (Sign up with your email address for notifications for 3 miles per dollar spent instead of one mile; dine 11 times in one year and earn 5 miles per dollar.)
- Make any purchase through https://www.aadvantageeshopping.comthat earns AA miles.
- Another easy/cheap route is ordering photos from Walgreens.com. It specifically says in the terms "photo orders picked up in-store are eligible." Prints are as cheap as US$0.29, but I'd purchase at least $1 worth to make sure you get your miles (2miles/$1).
For previous posts on this topic, please see ARCHIVE: Prevent AA miles / account from expiring / alternate use of miles
Nov 12, 2020 - Formatting % font size
Prevent AA miles / account from expiring / expiration & spend for other than flying
#451
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: CUR
Posts: 2,170
I purchased a certificate at restaurant.com. Nowadays seems to be the cheapest option to avoid miles expiration. I created the account and logged in through the Aadvantadge eshopping portal. However I don't see any link between the account at restaurant.com and my Aadvantadge number. Are they linked automatically as long as you login from the portal? The certificate doesn't mention Aadvantadge at all either
Thanks
Thanks
#452
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 782
My parents have 180K AA miles.
Their miles expire in May. I've been able to keep their account active in the past, but before I spend money to do so again, I'm wondering if AA has made any announcements yet about waiving the expiration of miles due to Corona Virus.
Has anyone heard anything about this?
Their miles expire in May. I've been able to keep their account active in the past, but before I spend money to do so again, I'm wondering if AA has made any announcements yet about waiving the expiration of miles due to Corona Virus.
Has anyone heard anything about this?
#453
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,024
My parents have 180K AA miles.
Their miles expire in May. I've been able to keep their account active in the past, but before I spend money to do so again, I'm wondering if AA has made any announcements yet about waiving the expiration of miles due to Corona Virus.
Has anyone heard anything about this?
Their miles expire in May. I've been able to keep their account active in the past, but before I spend money to do so again, I'm wondering if AA has made any announcements yet about waiving the expiration of miles due to Corona Virus.
Has anyone heard anything about this?
FT thread ---> https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...flying-11.html
#454
Formerly known as billinaz
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Goodyear,AZ for now then FL Spacecoast
Programs: US Airways Dividend Miles, American AAdvantage, Avis Preferred, Budget Rapid Rez, Hilton Honors
Posts: 1,145
Where can you redeem the miles for a magazine subscription?
#455
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: South Park, Metropolis
Programs: AA LT PLT 3MM, Hilton/Marriott/SPG/Club Carlson GLD, IHG PLT
Posts: 4,608
#456
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 265
#457
Formerly known as billinaz
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Goodyear,AZ for now then FL Spacecoast
Programs: US Airways Dividend Miles, American AAdvantage, Avis Preferred, Budget Rapid Rez, Hilton Honors
Posts: 1,145
So you post a snarky comment without checking it first to see that you are completely wrong?
#458
Formerly known as billinaz
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Goodyear,AZ for now then FL Spacecoast
Programs: US Airways Dividend Miles, American AAdvantage, Avis Preferred, Budget Rapid Rez, Hilton Honors
Posts: 1,145
#459
Join Date: Apr 2016
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, AA Gold, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 695
Miles expiration extension by booking award flight
I'm not sure if I'm overthinking this but with the current flexible award ticketing rules. Can you book an award ticket far in to the future, then have it reinstated/redeposited later and both of those events are counted separately on their respective dates for the purpose of "activity"? Wasn't sure since United backdates redeposits although their miles don't expire so the point is moot but wanted to make sure.
#460
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'm not sure if I'm overthinking this but with the current flexible award ticketing rules. Can you book an award ticket far in to the future, then have it reinstated/redeposited later and both of those events are counted separately on their respective dates for the purpose of "activity"? Wasn't sure since United backdates redeposits although their miles don't expire so the point is moot but wanted to make sure.
If you’re in the US, there are so many ways to extend your miles you can probably find easier ways than taking out a distant award you’ll want to redeposit - and possible pay a fee to do so.
See Prevent AA miles / account from expiring / expiration & spend for other than flying, where we will merge this.
Moderator
#461
Join Date: Jul 2001
Programs: AA EP
Posts: 2,203
Yes. Just boo a simple one way flight far in advance. And then Cxl. Your cash complement will be tied up for 7 working days. But any activity will re set the clock
I'm not sure if I'm overthinking this but with the current flexible award ticketing rules. Can you book an award ticket far in to the future, then have it reinstated/redeposited later and both of those events are counted separately on their respective dates for the purpose of "activity"? Wasn't sure since United backdates redeposits although their miles don't expire so the point is moot but wanted to make sure.
#463
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
We’ll merge this into the main thread soon. /Moderator
#464
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: U.K.
Programs: QR P; HH D; IHG SpAmb
Posts: 774
I have 30k AA miles which expire in November and i won't be able to use them before then. Do i understand it correctly that with the changes for award fees announced some time ago, i will be able to
1) book an award in November say for August 2021 which will extend the (remaining) miles to February 2023
2) in June 2021 (more than 60 days before the first flight) cancel the ticket which will extend the (complete 30k) miles to December 2023
3) get all miles and fees redeposited/refunded
?
Also, do i indeed need to make sure that i book the ticket on the US site only for this to work?
thanks
1) book an award in November say for August 2021 which will extend the (remaining) miles to February 2023
2) in June 2021 (more than 60 days before the first flight) cancel the ticket which will extend the (complete 30k) miles to December 2023
3) get all miles and fees redeposited/refunded
?
Also, do i indeed need to make sure that i book the ticket on the US site only for this to work?
thanks