Nov 21, 2012, 10:53 am
Last edit by: Prospero
American Airlines Business Extra Program (master thread)
Historical Notes
Key Information
Note: older posts have been archived to ARCHIVE: Business Extra Program master thread (consolidated)
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"[/url]
- 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"[/url]
- 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"[/url]
- 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[/url]
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)
May 17, 2022 | 8:26 am
#1606
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: KHOU/KIAH
Programs: AA EXP | Marriott LT Plat | Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 13,278
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, 2022 | 9:51 am
#1607
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: AA Executive Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, CSR
Posts: 109
So what is the pecking order (I am Exec Plat) of the upgrades
Are we to assume BXP1 = SWU in terms of priority and also equal to Miles + Copay??
I thought there was a more specific upgrade order based upon what method was chosen
Are we to assume BXP1 = SWU in terms of priority and also equal to Miles + Copay??
I thought there was a more specific upgrade order based upon what method was chosen
May 17, 2022 | 10:39 am
#1608
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: KHOU/KIAH
Programs: AA EXP | Marriott LT Plat | Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 13,278
- Status level
- Upgrade type
- 12-month Rolling Loyalty Points
Within that Upgrade Type it is
- C inventory (SWU, Miles+Copay, BXP)
- Complimentary Upgrades
- Complimentary Upgrades on Awards (if applicable i.e CK and EXP)
I do not believe that AA distinguises between the types of C upgrade. If you are next in line based on status, you should get upgraded.
May 17, 2022 | 1:07 pm
#1609
Join Date: May 2015
Programs: AA EXP, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 112
Based on my time here, not that anyone has ever conclusively determined. The waitlist order is
Within that Upgrade Type it is
I do not believe that AA distinguises between the types of C upgrade. If you are next in line based on status, you should get upgraded.
- Status level
- Upgrade type
- 12-month Rolling Loyalty Points
Within that Upgrade Type it is
- C inventory (SWU, Miles+Copay, BXP)
- Complimentary Upgrades
- Complimentary Upgrades on Awards (if applicable i.e CK and EXP)
I do not believe that AA distinguises between the types of C upgrade. If you are next in line based on status, you should get upgraded.
May 17, 2022 | 4:47 pm
#1610
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: BOS
Programs: B6 M1, DL GM, UA PS
Posts: 2,164
Check out the PALL list thread -- the wiki has a good overview of the order used. It does not currently show MLG# as an upgrade priority. I'll fix the wiki.
For some reason, I was under the impression that BXP upgrades can't go to the gate, or otherwise are lower priority than complimentary upgrades.
For some reason, I was under the impression that BXP upgrades can't go to the gate, or otherwise are lower priority than complimentary upgrades.
May 18, 2022 | 8:59 am
#1611
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,583
Check out the PALL list thread -- the wiki has a good overview of the order used.
For automated processing before the day of departure, AFAIK the three C-bucket upgrades still have equal priority. I don’t think we have any data points that anything has changed.
May 25, 2022 | 8:41 am
#1612
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: TX
Programs: AA: EXP MR: Ti
Posts: 504
Has anyone had luck (or even tried) to get AA to ticket a BE award and have a regular mileage award in the same PNR? Looking to fly to a destination where AA doesn't fly, there is availability from AAA - BBB via BE, then I can book a partner award using AA miles from BBB-CCC, and I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to get these in the same PNR.
May 27, 2022 | 6:53 pm
#1613
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE, AA EXP MM, BA Silver, UA Gold MM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Titanium, HH Dia, IHG Plat
Posts: 4,953
A couple of questions:
- Can BE credit be claimed for 001 tickets issued by a travel agency? Is that done after you fly?
- Where on the website do you add travelers to your BE account? Can you add pretty much anyone you claim to be an employee, and can you do it after they fly?
May 27, 2022 | 7:20 pm
#1614
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: DCA
Programs: AA PP 1MM, WOH Globalist
Posts: 1,351
A couple of questions:
- Can BE credit be claimed for 001 tickets issued by a travel agency? Is that done after you fly?
- Where on the website do you add travelers to your BE account? Can you add pretty much anyone you claim to be an employee, and can you do it after they fly?
May 27, 2022 | 9:07 pm
#1615
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE, AA EXP MM, BA Silver, UA Gold MM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Titanium, HH Dia, IHG Plat
Posts: 4,953
And if you fail to include the BE number at booking, can you claim credit after they fly?
A final question....is the dollar expenditure assigned to the day of booking, or the day of flight?
Thanks....
May 30, 2022 | 9:01 am
#1616
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,583
OK...but I thought you had to designate at least three travelers under the new BE program. Rather than designating them, do you just buy tickets for them? If you do designate at the website, where do you do this?
And if you fail to include the BE number at booking, can you claim credit after they fly?
A final question....is the dollar expenditure assigned to the day of booking, or the day of flight?
Thanks....
And if you fail to include the BE number at booking, can you claim credit after they fly?
A final question....is the dollar expenditure assigned to the day of booking, or the day of flight?
Thanks....
You can claim credit retroactively by filling out the Flight Credit Request form.
Revenue is credited to BE shortly after the flight just like AAdvantage miles are.
Jun 11, 2022 | 2:59 pm
#1618
Moderator: Hyatt Gold Passport & Star Alliance
Join Date: May 1998
Location: London, UK
Programs: UA-1K 3MM/HY- LT Globalist/BA-GGLfL
Posts: 12,761
If you have a FoundersCard and are (or wish to be) a BusinessExtra member, there is a promo going on at the moment.
The double points promo for existing BusinessExtra member backdates automatically to 11 April 22.
New members of BusinessExtra using the promo code get 650 bonus points which equals a one-cabin, domestic upgrade.
Read below carefully to ensure you quote correct codes.
The double points promo for existing BusinessExtra member backdates automatically to 11 April 22.
New members of BusinessExtra using the promo code get 650 bonus points which equals a one-cabin, domestic upgrade.
Read below carefully to ensure you quote correct codes.
Jun 11, 2022 | 4:01 pm
#1619
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: BDL, BOS
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, AA EXP, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 670
Jun 12, 2022 | 6:29 am
#1620
Moderator: Hyatt Gold Passport & Star Alliance
Join Date: May 1998
Location: London, UK
Programs: UA-1K 3MM/HY- LT Globalist/BA-GGLfL
Posts: 12,761