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Prevent AA miles / account from expiring / expiration & spend for other than flying

Old Dec 31, 2013, 10:45 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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.

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.
AAdvantage members who are under 21 are not subject to mileage expiration if their birthday is associated with their account.

But note:
Pausing AAdvantage mile expiration through June 2021

Youve worked hard to earn your AAdvantage miles, and we recognize you may need more time than usual to keep them active. Weve 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 theres 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.
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.

Originally Posted by Cygnet
"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.
For other relevant threads and resources see:

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
FlyerTalk:
  • Link - FAQ:: How do I keep my miles from expiring?
  • Link -: Preventing mileage expiration for Canadian AAdvantage members
  • Link - Preventing mileage expiration for UK and other non-US AAdvantage members
  • Link - Charity Donation / Contribution: Miles, Award, Upgrade; Earning Miles

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


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Prevent AA miles / account from expiring / expiration & spend for other than flying

Old Oct 4, 2017, 12:17 pm
  #301  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,363
It's relatively easy -- and cheap -- to extend the life of AA miles: virtually any earning or redemption will extend the life of the miles by an additional 18 months. If you go to aa.com, click on the AAdvantage tab; then click on the "Earning Miles" and "Redeeming Miles" (or similar language) tabs to see the various options.
guv1976 is offline  
Old Oct 4, 2017, 1:19 pm
  #302  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Feeder Band Land (South FL)
Programs: seeking best cc sign-up & spend bonus offers
Posts: 863
Thanks. Will keep in mind.
Changed title of thread to emphasize
needing help wrt (2) MIA-EZE-MIA busn strategy.
TravelPhotographer is offline  
Old Oct 4, 2017, 1:20 pm
  #303  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Matre-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Originally Posted by TravelPhotographer
I have 100K AA mi to expire 12/2/17;
Wife has 500K AA mi;
MIA-EZE-MIA busn Saver 4x57500 available;
AA phone rep suggests buy 1 segment my miles,
3 segments wife's miles...
Do those reading this agree?
When time comes & I see rt availability,
I should do this in rapid fashion?
Always a chance of buying 1 segment & being
locked out of immediately aftwards buying
remaining 3 segments? Any advice appreciated.
57500 is best possible MIA-EZE one-way busn rate?
If not, please suggest!! Thanks. ^ ^
You have plenty of time to extend your miles' usability by 18 months, without having to panic and try to book something. Please read the Wikipost at the top of this page thoroughly.

You could sign up for AAdvantage dining today, dine tonight (or later) and though the miles might take a week or two to post, it is the mileage activity date that actually counts.

As for booking MileSAAver awards, please read the Wikipost atbthe top of the page of the HELP DESK: MileSAAver / SAAver award questions, assistance thread.
JDiver is offline  
Old Oct 4, 2017, 1:54 pm
  #304  
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Join Date: Dec 2003
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Originally Posted by TravelPhotographer
Thanks. Will keep in mind.
Changed title of thread to emphasize
needing help wrt (2) MIA-EZE-MIA busn strategy.
In response to your specific award-booking concerns:

1. Unless there has been a recent change, AA permits you to put award reservations on a free, five-day hold before requiring purchase. So you should never find yourself in the position of having purchased one award seat, only to find that a second one is no longer available.

2. You can get one-way Business Class award travel from MIA to EZE for 55,000 miles by combining a North America-South America 1 Business Class award (30,000 miles) with a South America 1-South America 2 Business Class award (25,000 miles). Because this would be two separate awards, you could have a lengthy stopover in SA 1 (Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela) if desired, or merely connect there, whichever you prefer.

3. Holders of qualifying Citi or Barclays AA credit cards earn a 10% rebate on miles redemptions subject to a limit of 10,000 rebated miles per calendar year per AAdvantage member.

Last edited by guv1976; Oct 4, 2017 at 2:04 pm
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Old Oct 5, 2017, 11:47 am
  #305  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Feeder Band Land (South FL)
Programs: seeking best cc sign-up & spend bonus offers
Posts: 863
"one-way Business Class award travel from MIA to EZE for 55,000 miles by combining..."

Thanks! Will keep in mind for future independent travel
to maximize airport photo opps + destination variety.
I could also put up with shortened main cabin segments, too.
When with wife, have to limit transfer complexities...
regards.
TravelPhotographer is offline  
Old Oct 29, 2017, 5:12 am
  #306  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 5,984
I have a ticket with a significant schedule change that I will be redepositing.

The wrinkle I have is that the mileage would have expired under 18-month inactivity rule but for the activity caused by issuing this ticket.

It is not clear to me whether refunding the ticket cause a problem for expiration or is fine and I get the miles back because I had an activity in issuing the ticket?

Thanks in advance.
everywhere is offline  
Old Oct 29, 2017, 12:43 pm
  #307  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Matre-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Originally Posted by everywhere
I have a ticket with a significant schedule change that I will be redepositing.

The wrinkle I have is that the mileage would have expired under 18-month inactivity rule but for the activity caused by issuing this ticket.

It is not clear to me whether refunding the ticket cause a problem for expiration or is fine and I get the miles back because I had an activity in issuing the ticket?

Thanks in advance.
If you are redepositing to an active account (which meant you had activity issuing those miles), there shouldn't be any problem I can see. Redeposit may extend your account's miles longevity another 18 months, to boot.
JDiver is offline  
Old Dec 4, 2017, 2:56 pm
  #308  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: DEN
Programs: UA 1P-1MM, Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 3,927
Does iTunes still work for this? From the eShopping portal, there is an Apple option, but this takes me to the main Apple website and I am not clear how I would make a music purchase from there. I'm working on a Mac with iTunes installed.
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Old Dec 4, 2017, 5:48 pm
  #309  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,815
AA is running that special promotion of 25 miles per $ donations to Stand Up 4 Cancer. $25 minimum.
If you use your MC then MC will match the donation.
Extends your expiration date and good cause.
YoungBubbie is offline  
Old Dec 12, 2017, 12:10 pm
  #310  
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 9
Originally Posted by YoungBubbie
AA is running that special promotion of 25 miles per $ donations to Stand Up 4 Cancer. $25 minimum.
If you use your MC then MC will match the donation.
Extends your expiration date and good cause.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but it's just not clear to me. AA says on the promotion site that bonus miles do not extend elite status, so do I understand correctly that status and miles are actually two separate things, that I could end up keeping my miles but having no elite status?
clatrell is offline  
Old Dec 13, 2017, 3:18 pm
  #311  
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Originally Posted by clatrell
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but it's just not clear to me. AA says on the promotion site that bonus miles do not extend elite status, so do I understand correctly that status and miles are actually two separate things, that I could end up keeping my miles but having no elite status?
Redeemable ff miles and status are 2 different things, but related.
Earning status is not the same as earning ff miles

With frequent flyer programs there
- redeemable miles/points used for awards flights, upgrades and the like
- status earning for the various tiers/level (example ruby, sapphire, emerald, Plat, EXP)

USA based frequent flyer programs unfortunately often use the word “miles” as one measure of status earning. Non USA based frequent flyer programs usually use a different word/phrase like tier points or status credits. That lessens the confusion between status and redeemable frequent flyer miles.
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Old Jan 6, 2018, 7:36 pm
  #312  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 182
Is there any reason to be concerned that last-minute AA eShopping or eDining activity won't count towards keeping miles from expiring, based on transaction date? Yup, read the Wiki, hundreds of posts, etc. Just checking for any possible recent rule changes, exceptions, experiences? (And being the weekend, no one to talk to at AA.)

Have a huge amount of miles expiring today. (Yeah, I know, last-minute; in my defense, the trips that were planned last year that would have taken care of this got cancelled, and with the holidays, etc., extending completely slipped my mind.) Did several AA eShopping purchases last 4 days (in-store pickups, online delivery orders, and so forth), and an AA eDine, too. Dining hasn't shown up on the aa.rewardsnetwork.com affiliate site yet, and the eShopping purchases are showing as "pending" on aadvantageeshopping.com, with various transaction and post dates before today. And of course, nothing showing as posted on aa.com itself, yet.

What I'm trying to decide if I that's enough, or should I go ahead and do something that would for-sure post as an immediate extendable activity (i.e. buy/share miles, etc.)? And if so, what? Hate to do something more desperate (buying miles, transferring, etc.) that costs $ or wastes miles, but will if it's a choice of that or pay thou$ands to reinstate.

Also should mention, discovered a very old (16+ mo.) rental car bonus miles transaction that didn't get credited. Car rental company is working on it, but it'll be the usual 30-90 days, etc., before seeing results. Rental activity date is within the 18 mo. expiration limit.

Yes, I understand it may take awhile for things to finally credit on aa.com, and the miles may expire meanwhile, and have to be reinstated by aa. Just looking for reassurance I've done enough...or should I go into full panic mode and do something stupid...?

Thanks!
Cygnet is offline  
Old Jan 6, 2018, 8:15 pm
  #313  
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: South Park, Metropolis
Programs: AA LT PLT 3MM, Hilton/Marriott/SPG/Club Carlson GLD, IHG PLT
Posts: 4,606
Originally Posted by Cygnet
Is there any reason to be concerned that last-minute AA eShopping or eDining activity won't count towards keeping miles from expiring, based on transaction date? Yup, read the Wiki, hundreds of posts, etc. Just checking for any possible recent rule changes, exceptions, experiences? (And being the weekend, no one to talk to at AA.)

Have a huge amount of miles expiring today. (Yeah, I know, last-minute; in my defense, the trips that were planned last year that would have taken care of this got cancelled, and with the holidays, etc., extending completely slipped my mind.) Did several AA eShopping purchases last 4 days (in-store pickups, online delivery orders, and so forth), and an AA eDine, too. Dining hasn't shown up on the aa.rewardsnetwork.com affiliate site yet, and the eShopping purchases are showing as "pending" on aadvantageeshopping.com, with various transaction and post dates before today. And of course, nothing showing as posted on aa.com itself, yet.

What I'm trying to decide if I that's enough, or should I go ahead and do something that would for-sure post as an immediate extendable activity (i.e. buy/share miles, etc.)? And if so, what? Hate to do something more desperate (buying miles, transferring, etc.) that costs $ or wastes miles, but will if it's a choice of that or pay thou$ands to reinstate.

Also should mention, discovered a very old (16+ mo.) rental car bonus miles transaction that didn't get credited. Car rental company is working on it, but it'll be the usual 30-90 days, etc., before seeing results. Rental activity date is within the 18 mo. expiration limit.

Yes, I understand it may take awhile for things to finally credit on aa.com, and the miles may expire meanwhile, and have to be reinstated by aa. Just looking for reassurance I've done enough...or should I go into full panic mode and do something stupid...?

Thanks!
Currently nothing has changed, transaction date is what counts. Do some AAeshopping purchase, anything. As for your 16+ month rental bonus mile, that may take some time, and there is no guarantee it will post. Besides, even it post, with a transaction date of 16+ months past, you will still be facing miles expiration. Best to do a couple of separate AAeshopping transactions asap.
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Old Jan 8, 2018, 6:14 am
  #314  
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Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Potomac Falls, VA
Programs: AA Plat 2MM, MR Gold, Avis Pref
Posts: 41,109
Gifting question regarding extending 18 month expiration

Originally Posted by kasmersensei
Thanks, that was the part that wasn't clear (about transfers) in AA's rules section as they seemed to only mention bookings, purchases through other partners, and buying miles.
Question on Gifting miles

If FF plan number 1 gifts to FF plan number 2
Are both accounts extended by 18 months?

The way I read this gifting thing is that the gifter will get this account counted as "activity" thereby extending the 18 month window for $27.50 [for the 1000 mile minimum gift]

I'm not certain that the receiver of the gift gets the same activity?

If so, then am I correct in assuming that I can extend two accounts for the one $27.50 fee?

thanks
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Old Jan 9, 2018, 5:40 am
  #315  
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Join Date: Dec 2000
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Originally Posted by Exleftseat
Don't shoot me. Quick question. Read the WIKI but I am in between traveling. My niece freaks out because the miles in her account expire in March. So I went to the AA Mall and purchased something.Today she got a message that "you earned your first miles through the .... ). WIKI says purchases will extend the expiration date. She says that miles have been credited but the expiration day has not changed. Is that normal, does it require time until change? Does she worry needlessly?
So the poster [FF1] in this case bought something for another FF [FF2] account? I did not know that FF1 could buy for FF2 [assumption is to pay for FF2 with FF1's credit card].

I presume that FF2 has an Advantage account registered with the advantage e shopping mall and was logged into FF2's eshopping account at the time of purchase.

So this system works?
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