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
#541
Join Date: Apr 2022
Posts: 2
Expiring miles
Hi, I’ve got almost 100k about to expire in a week. I’ve been reading the threads and still can’t figure out the easiest cheapest way to buy something. The FTD thread was particularly scary. I was going to use iTunes via AAdvantage mall per the FT thread suggestion but it looks like that may not be available any more. Bearing in mind posting dates, vendor reliability (like ftd apparently) etc is there any cheap and easy suggestion somebody can make?
#542
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,904
Although you mentioned other threads, be sure you didn't miss this one: Prevent AA miles / account from expiring / expiration & spend for other than flying . Also, buying miles is a fast option.
#545
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Hi, I’ve got almost 100k about to expire in a week. I’ve been reading the threads and still can’t figure out the easiest cheapest way to buy something. The FTD thread was particularly scary. I was going to use iTunes via AAdvantage mall per the FT thread suggestion but it looks like that may not be available any more. Bearing in mind posting dates, vendor reliability (like ftd apparently) etc is there any cheap and easy suggestion somebody can make?
#546
Join Date: Apr 2022
Posts: 2
Thanks. That was quite helpful and also a bit entertaining.
I did as you suggested. I made sure to login through the aadvantage eshopping portal and also had the web brower extension activated.
But the process is a bit opaque. The Aadvantage number is not referenced on the restaurant.com site / purchase. How long until / do I know it posts to Aadvantage eshopper portal? Thanks
I did as you suggested. I made sure to login through the aadvantage eshopping portal and also had the web brower extension activated.
But the process is a bit opaque. The Aadvantage number is not referenced on the restaurant.com site / purchase. How long until / do I know it posts to Aadvantage eshopper portal? Thanks
#549
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Thanks. That was quite helpful and also a bit entertaining.
I did as you suggested. I made sure to login through the aadvantage eshopping portal and also had the web brower extension activated.
But the process is a bit opaque. The Aadvantage number is not referenced on the restaurant.com site / purchase. How long until / do I know it posts to Aadvantage eshopper portal? Thanks
I did as you suggested. I made sure to login through the aadvantage eshopping portal and also had the web brower extension activated.
But the process is a bit opaque. The Aadvantage number is not referenced on the restaurant.com site / purchase. How long until / do I know it posts to Aadvantage eshopper portal? Thanks
The merchant does not know anything about your AA account; there is a tracking cookie written by Cartera (the portal) that allows the merchant to attribute the purchase to Cartera (and pay them), and then Cartera pays you.
#551
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,904
It’s a one day pass for 5900 miles. I’m not saying it’s a great deal, just that your miles are worth something. I’ve also seen short haul for under 7500, and even lax-bos. Plus I bet there’s a non zero chance AA ends their expiration policy some day since the competition has. https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...membership.jsp
#553
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Saipan, MP 96950 USA (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands = the CNMI)
Programs: UA Silver, Hilton Silver. Life: UA .57 MM, United & Admirals Clubs (spousal), Marriott Platinum
Posts: 15,058
#554
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 265
My account says my miles don't expire because I have their AA card. The terms also now say the required activity period is 24 months
https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...conditions.jsp
https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...conditions.jsp
Effective March 1, 2022, AAdvantage® members must have mileage earning or redeeming activity once every 24 months, or be the primary holder of an open AAdvantage® credit card account associated to their AAdvantage® account, in order to retain their miles.
...
Primary AAdvantage® credit cardmembers will not be subject to the 24-month qualifying activity period. However, upon closure of the AAdvantage® credit card account, AAdvantage® members will be subject to the 24-month activity requirement and must have mileage earning or redeeming activity within 4 months of closure or within 24 months of the last qualifying activity date, whichever is later, in order to retain their miles and their expiration date will be determined by the later date of the two.
...
Primary AAdvantage® credit cardmembers will not be subject to the 24-month qualifying activity period. However, upon closure of the AAdvantage® credit card account, AAdvantage® members will be subject to the 24-month activity requirement and must have mileage earning or redeeming activity within 4 months of closure or within 24 months of the last qualifying activity date, whichever is later, in order to retain their miles and their expiration date will be determined by the later date of the two.
#555
Join Date: Apr 2012
Programs: AA, UA, DL
Posts: 138
The restaurant component card is a really nice suggestion, what I was going to do was also to buy a $1 item from one of the stores or print a couple of pictures. You don't even need to pick it up from the store I think.