Nov 21, 12, 10:53 am
Last edit by: PHL
American Airlines Business Extra® Program (master thread)
Historical Notes
- October 5th, 2021: New award types introduced: BXL1 for Platinum status and BXP0 to convert Business Extra points to AA miles at a 1:6 rate. New requirement introduced to redeem: Starting January 1, 2023, current members will be required to have three unique travelers and maintain $5,000 in qualifying Business Extra flight activity during the previous 12-month period to redeem points.This policy will go into effect immediately for new members who join the program on October 4, 2021 or later.
- Feb 2018 - BXP1, BXP2, BXP3 Upgrade Certificates can be redeemed electronically, without the need to redeem or submit paper certificates. [[URL="https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29470237-post1150.html"]POST]
- Dec 2015 - Unannounced more-restrictive changes to BXP upgrade certificates implemented. [[URL="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-airlines-aadvantage/898180-business-extra-program-master-thread-consolidated.html#post25942133"]POST]
- Nov 2015 - Europe AA Business Extra closed and migrated to AA-BA-IB On Business [[URL="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-airlines-aadvantage-combined-airline-program/1715008-aa-ba-ib-europe-business-programme-nov-30-2015-ex-business-extra-europe.html"]POST]
- Oct 2014 - Business Extra Awards may be redeemed for flights on US Airways
- Sep 2013 - Business ExtrAA brand changed to simply Business Extra
- Sep 2012 - Upgrade Awards are no longer restricted to use within 30 days of travel [[url=http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/19345217-post394.html]POST]
Key Information
- Promotion Codes - For a current list of Business ExtrAA promotions, see: Business ExtrAA Bonus Offers (consolidated)
- Point Expiration - Business Extra points expire on a rolling basis, two years after the year in which they are earned, on December 31 at midnight U.S. Central Time. Their validity can not be extended.
- Award Redemption - All awards must be redeemed via the Business Extra website. Flight Awards are delivered electronically via email with an Electronic Authorization Number. Upgrade Awards and Admirals Club Day Passes are delivered in paper certificate form via regular mail. Redemption sweeps occur twice per week and expedited delivery is available if you provide your FedEx/UPS account number via email. Gold Status and Admirals Club Membership awards are processed and active in the member's account after approximately one week, with other membership materials delivered in the mail within 4 weeks.
Note: BE awards must be booked on nonstop flights if they are available between your origin and destination.
- Award Inventory Codes - Per Meeting Services, Business Extra Awards book into the following inventory (although there are conflicting reports from mvoight and InsipidMonkey on whether or not this information is accurate for PlanAAhead Awards, for which availability may be significantly less than MileSAAver Award and/or T inventory availability):Award Type Books Into
PlanAAhead - Economy T
PlanAAhead - Business* U
PlanAAhead - First† Z
AAnytime - Economy Y
AAnytime - Business* J
AAnytime - First† F
Upgrade to Business* C
Upgrade to First† A
* = First class cabin on 2-class flights
† = First class cabin on 3-class flights
- Flight Award Reservations - Award Tickets must be booked through AA Meeting Services at 1-800-433-1790 (U.S. and Canada; others contact your local reservations office), and you will need to provide the Reservations Agent with the Electronic Authorization Number from your award certificate. As of Oct 2012, flight awards can be booked without a telephone booking service charge.
- Flight Award Expiration - As published on the Business Extra website, Award Tickets must be booked within one year of redeeming the certificate, and are then valid for one year from booking:
Award ticket must be issued by midnight one year from the original award redemption date. Tickets issued against Business Extra flight awards are then valid for one year from the ticket issue date. - Upgrade Award Reservations - Upgrade Awards may be applied once a reservation is Ticketed by calling AA Meeting Services or using the Business Extra website. Once requested online you will receive an email with a confirmation number and serial numbers for each upgrade certificate requested.
Upgrade Awards carry fare restrictions (excludes B, N, O, Q or S fares). Take careful note of your fare when making a reservation. It is possible to "Upfare" a reservation from the lowest available fare to an BXP-upgrade-eligible fare by placing it on Hold at AA.com, calling AA to request the desired higher fare basis code, then completing the purchase online.
You can specify ITA searches that exclude the ineligible fares as follows:jfk:: aa /f ~bc = b & ~bc = n & ~bc = o & ~bc = q & ~bc = s
(Or you can place everything after the slash directly in the second advanced control box.)
These filters can also be concatenated with other commands, such as maximum duration, separated with a semicolon:jfk:: aa /maxdur 800 ; f ~bc = b & ~bc = n & ~bc = o & ~bc = q & ~bc = s
- Upgrade Award Expiration - Electronic BXP Upgrade Awards are valid for 1 year from redemption. Previously, paper Upgrade Awards were valid thru Jun 30 or Dec 31 of the following year, with the exact date depending on the batch of certificates available at the time of redemption.
- Returning Unused Awards - Points redeemed for awards but not yet applied to a ticket can be returned for no charge by using the 'returns' option in your account options. Points will be reinstated with an expiration date 2 calendar years from reinstatement (i.e., expiring on December 31 two calendar years from reinstatement). For awards already applied to a ticket, you must call Business ExtrAA customer services at 800-457-7072, or email [email protected] Customers outside the US should use the email.
- Business Extra Account Credit - A Business Extra number can be added to an existing reservation (for example, booked by a third-party travel agent) by calling AA Meeting Services.
A Business Extra number can be added to an existing BA reservation as follows:- Go to www.britishairways.com
- Select 'Manage My Booking' tab
- Follow the instructions to pull up your reservation
- Select the link towards bottom listed under 'Quick Links' 'Add On Business or Business Extra number'
- Add your Business Extra number and check the box to give your consent.
Retroactive credit for completed travel can be requested via the Business Extra website.
- Contact Business Extra
Web home page: https://www.businessextra.com
Booking and Ticketing (Meeting Services desk)
www.aa.com
1-800-433-1790 5:00 a.m. - 12:00 midnight (CT) 7 days a week
Business Extra Customer Service
1-800-457-7072 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (CT) Monday - Friday
Fax: 1-817-931-9029
E-mail: [email protected]
Link to aa.com BE contact web form
http://www.aa.com/contactAA/viewEmai...businessExtrAA
Link to BE web contact form
Note: older posts have been archived to ARCHIVE: Business Extra Program master thread (consolidated)
Business Extra ("ExtrAA") Program (master thread)
Apr 7, 22, 12:18 pm
#1591
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 10,608
Apr 8, 22, 10:45 am
#1592
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: LAX
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, Alitalia Freccia Alata
Posts: 202
I have booked two one-way domestic tickets for which I used the BXP1 upgrades. The flights are not until mid-July, but the upgrades already cleared (they cleared back in Feb). The FAQ section of the businessextra website is very vague about this, so I just want to triple-check my query with the hive mind before I proceed: I have had a change of plans and now need to cancel both tickets. I know I'll get a flight credit for use on AA.com for the coach fare that I paid, but will the BXP1 certificates return to my account, given they were already redeemed against a ticket yet the travel has not commenced? Does this happen automatically once I cancel the ticket on aa.com, or do I have to call meeting services after cancelling the upgraded tickets? Is there a fee (I know there would not be one had they not been applied, but the website is vague about BXP1s that have already been applied).
UPDATE: finally got through to meeting services and they were able to remove the BXP1s from the reservations (no cost) and re-active them so I can now cancel the reservations online.
UPDATE: finally got through to meeting services and they were able to remove the BXP1s from the reservations (no cost) and re-active them so I can now cancel the reservations online.
Last edited by OneWorldSapphire; Apr 8, 22 at 11:34 am
Apr 22, 22, 12:36 pm
#1594
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 10,608
Apr 30, 22, 9:00 am
#1595
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: WAS
Programs: AA EXP (LT PLT), HH DMD, MAR PLT
Posts: 1,566
3 people traveling on one PNR for a domestic flight. I called to apply 3 BXP1 upgrades and meeting services tells me they can apply the upgrades but they need to separate each passenger into his/her own record. MS insists multiple people can’t be upgraded in a single res. I have never heard of that (I understand that is true if pax are ticketed in different cabins). Is this true? I could have sworn I have used BXP1 certs to upgrade multiple passengers in a single res before.
Apr 30, 22, 9:17 am
#1596
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 455
3 people traveling on one PNR for a domestic flight. I called to apply 3 BXP1 upgrades and meeting services tells me they can apply the upgrades but they need to separate each passenger into his/her own record. MS insists multiple people can’t be upgraded in a single res. I have never heard of that (I understand that is true if pax are ticketed in different cabins). Is this true? I could have sworn I have used BXP1 certs to upgrade multiple passengers in a single res before.
May 5, 22, 11:21 am
#1598
Used to be 'g_leyser'
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Brandon Johnson International Airport (expect delays)
Programs: AA PlatPro, HH Gold, Bonvoy Gold, IHG Plat, Reno Air MEGA Platinum
Posts: 9,907
Is there any advantage to waitlisting a BXP1 upgrade for someone who has status, assuming that C space will NOT open up before the regular upgrade windows?
May 16, 22, 8:34 am
#1599
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 193
Are BXP-1 upgrades next to useless? I had one waitlisted last week as no upgrades available when I made my booking a few months ago. There were quite a few FC seats available when I made the request. 2 days before departure there were still 2 FC seats showing as open.
My understanding of the BXP-1 is that they come before all of the complementary upgrades. And that it should have cleared way before complementary upgrades were opened up.
At the gate, I was 6th in line for an upgrade. I expect that was based on where I would have been as a Platinum for a complementary upgrade. The gate agent didn't seem to have a clue about the BXP-1. She said they were totally based on status, which I don't believe is true (meaning that an EXP getting a complementary upgrade would trump my BXP-1 as a Platinum)
If I ever try to use that BXP-1 that I still have, should I call before 100 hours out if there are still FC seats left and ask why I have not cleared? If so, would I want to call reservations or the Business Extra line? Or not even bother if it cannot be confirmed when I make my reservation?
My understanding of the BXP-1 is that they come before all of the complementary upgrades. And that it should have cleared way before complementary upgrades were opened up.
At the gate, I was 6th in line for an upgrade. I expect that was based on where I would have been as a Platinum for a complementary upgrade. The gate agent didn't seem to have a clue about the BXP-1. She said they were totally based on status, which I don't believe is true (meaning that an EXP getting a complementary upgrade would trump my BXP-1 as a Platinum)
If I ever try to use that BXP-1 that I still have, should I call before 100 hours out if there are still FC seats left and ask why I have not cleared? If so, would I want to call reservations or the Business Extra line? Or not even bother if it cannot be confirmed when I make my reservation?
May 16, 22, 9:04 am
#1600
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 10,608
My understanding of the BXP-1 is that they come before all of the complementary upgrades. And that it should have cleared way before complementary upgrades were opened up.
At the gate, I was 6th in line for an upgrade. I expect that was based on where I would have been as a Platinum for a complementary upgrade. The gate agent didn't seem to have a clue about the BXP-1. She said they were totally based on status, which I don't believe is true (meaning that an EXP getting a complementary upgrade would trump my BXP-1 as a Platinum)
At the gate, I was 6th in line for an upgrade. I expect that was based on where I would have been as a Platinum for a complementary upgrade. The gate agent didn't seem to have a clue about the BXP-1. She said they were totally based on status, which I don't believe is true (meaning that an EXP getting a complementary upgrade would trump my BXP-1 as a Platinum)
But it sounds like based on your position on the waitlist at the gate that the BXP1 wasn't waitlisted correctly (see above re: wonkyness).
If I ever try to use that BXP-1 that I still have, should I call before 100 hours out if there are still FC seats left and ask why I have not cleared? If so, would I want to call reservations or the Business Extra line? Or not even bother if it cannot be confirmed when I make my reservation?
BE upgrades are another area where ExpertFlyer really pays off, only apply the upgrades when space is available at booking, or set up alerts on a flight you're waitlisted on so that if C space opens up you can call Meeting Services and apply the BXP1 right away.
May 16, 22, 9:15 am
#1601
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEN
Programs: AA EXP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,257
Not really the point of your post: but there's plenty of reasons why SWUs might be used on a short domestic flight: domestic segments connecting to/from a longhaul.
May 16, 22, 1:23 pm
#1602
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 455
For future reference, Business Extra points when converted to miles DO NOT credit as loyalty points. Instead they credit as bonus miles.
May 16, 22, 9:00 pm
#1603
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: AA Executive Platinum, Delta Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Clear
Posts: 88
If I booked a economy plus seat (777) and there are tons of FC seats open, but no SWU or Business Extra seats available and I waitlist BXP1 upgrade (already burned the points into a BXP1), and I am Exec Plat with 250k LP already, is this equal to waitlisting a SWU or does the SWU have more power to get upgrade than BXP1?
May 16, 22, 10:26 pm
#1604
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: DCA
Programs: AA EXP 1MM, WOH Globalist
Posts: 1,121
If I booked a economy plus seat (777) and there are tons of FC seats open, but no SWU or Business Extra seats available and I waitlist BXP1 upgrade (already burned the points into a BXP1), and I am Exec Plat with 250k LP already, is this equal to waitlisting a SWU or does the SWU have more power to get upgrade than BXP1?
May 17, 22, 8:01 am
#1605
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: AA Executive Platinum, Delta Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Clear
Posts: 88
What I meant about "burning points" was my 2021 AA Business Extra points were about to expire so I converted them (ie burned) them into BPX1 upgrades
