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Note: older posts have been archived to ARCHIVE: Business Extra Program master thread (consolidated)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)
Jun 28, 2017, 1:33 pm
#151
Join Date: Oct 2006
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,635
They do have an expiration date. I have four that expire at the end of this month. When I got the certificates, they were easy to use, then AA changed the policy where they are now extremely difficult. I waitlisted the certificates, and I haven't had one clear. So I wasted quite a few points on BXP1's.
Jun 28, 2017, 2:58 pm
#152
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: SAN
Programs: DL MM, Marriott LT Titanium, AA EXP, Avis Chairmans
Posts: 1,399
About three weeks ago my company gave me a year Admiral club membership via BE. However, I don't see that status listed anywhere on my account or in the iOS app. I called AA and they confirmed it's on my account. Shouldn't I see Admiral's club status somewhere?
Jun 28, 2017, 4:55 pm
#153
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: PHX
Programs: AA Ex Platinum & 1MM, DL PLT, Marriott Gold, HH Diamond
Posts: 2,490
No, but an AAgent in the Club should be able to verify your current membership status by checking your AA#.
Jun 28, 2017, 10:11 pm
#154
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Vail, CO
Programs: AA EXP/1mm, Marriott Titanium/LT Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 626
They do have an expiration date. I have four that expire at the end of this month. When I got the certificates, they were easy to use, then AA changed the policy where they are now extremely difficult. I waitlisted the certificates, and I haven't had one clear. So I wasted quite a few points on BXP1's.
Jun 29, 2017, 12:08 am
#155
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: SFO/OAK
Programs: AA EXP 3.4MM, BAEC, UAMP, Skyteam (<10k) HH Gold, IHG Plat, Hertz Gold, GE/TSA TT
Posts: 2,723
BXP1s are usually good for around 12-18 months depending on when you get them. You can pay a fee to reinstate the points, and then get new ones that are good for another 12-18.
Jun 29, 2017, 7:24 pm
#156
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Programs: HHonors Diamond, Marriott LT Plat, AA LT Plat, DL Silver
Posts: 501
I recently used a BXP1 to upgrade a reservation. The meetings line upgraded my reservation and as instructed went to the ticket counter to check in on day of departure. The agent at the counter asked if I had made a change to my reservation and as I went to take the certificate out of my pocket, she says, I don't need anything, I adjusted the ticket.
I still have the certificate in my possession. Since I never called in the certificate number, and I still have it in my possession, do I still have a valid certificate for future use?
I still have the certificate in my possession. Since I never called in the certificate number, and I still have it in my possession, do I still have a valid certificate for future use?
Jun 29, 2017, 7:29 pm
#157
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: DTW / SJC
Programs: AA EXP, DL DM, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 764
There's no way for them to know that the cert was "redeemed," so it should still be valid.
Jun 30, 2017, 11:45 am
#158
Join Date: May 2007
Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 5,456
+1. When applying a BXP1 with Meeting Services over the phone, they book you in the higher cabin (typically the C bucket) but don't actually reissue the ticket as is par for the course with a SWU or miles+copay. The ticket reissue happens at the airport check-in desk, supposedly in conjunction with the agent collecting the physical BXP1 cert for you. I suppose in this case the agent saw you had an unticketed upgrade and just went through with the reissue without reading Meeting Services' remarks on your PNR, which should have clearly instructed him/her to collect the cert.
Jun 30, 2017, 2:13 pm
#159
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: SFO/OAK
Programs: AA EXP 3.4MM, BAEC, UAMP, Skyteam (<10k) HH Gold, IHG Plat, Hertz Gold, GE/TSA TT
Posts: 2,723
BTW - I think you can also call 1-800-433-1790 where the hours are 6am to midnight CT.
Jun 30, 2017, 3:11 pm
#160
Join Date: May 2007
Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 5,456
That is the number for Meeting Services that I was referring to--in the past I've never had success in getting the PLT desk to apply a BXP1 for me when Meeting Services was closed.
Jun 30, 2017, 8:15 pm
#161
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,313
I've read here about redpositing a BXP1 for a fee and they reinstate the points. I claimed just before 600 pts were to expire hoping to use it for a transcon but it didn't clear. I'd rather save it for a future transcon that will be after the BXP1 expires...Will they look back and say you can't redeposit because they were old about-to-expire points? I've read the wiki that says you can't redposit to extend the life of points, but just curious here.
If i can't do it, i'm not that bummed, as I got a 600 point promo bonus to my account I wasn't actually qualified for, but they gave it to me anyway.
If i can't do it, i'm not that bummed, as I got a 600 point promo bonus to my account I wasn't actually qualified for, but they gave it to me anyway.
Jul 1, 2017, 6:42 am
#162
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA GGL, A3 Gold, M&M SEN, FlyingBlue Gold, AS MVP Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire Amb
Posts: 902
Can someone advise if BXP1 can be used on 125-stock ticket, please? All AA prime numbers, just ticketed on BA. I know SWUs work on 125-stock tickets, but has anybody had experience with BXP1 certs?
Jul 1, 2017, 10:44 am
#163
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: SFO/OAK
Programs: AA EXP 3.4MM, BAEC, UAMP, Skyteam (<10k) HH Gold, IHG Plat, Hertz Gold, GE/TSA TT
Posts: 2,723
I've read here about redpositing a BXP1 for a fee and they reinstate the points. I claimed just before 600 pts were to expire hoping to use it for a transcon but it didn't clear. I'd rather save it for a future transcon that will be after the BXP1 expires...Will they look back and say you can't redeposit because they were old about-to-expire points? I've read the wiki that says you can't redposit to extend the life of points, but just curious here.
If i can't do it, i'm not that bummed, as I got a 600 point promo bonus to my account I wasn't actually qualified for, but they gave it to me anyway.
If i can't do it, i'm not that bummed, as I got a 600 point promo bonus to my account I wasn't actually qualified for, but they gave it to me anyway.
So far as I know, you can always redeposit any cert as long as it is not past its expiration date.
Jul 3, 2017, 11:21 am
#164
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: DEN - MAD
Programs: AS 100K/F9 100K/*A-Gold/AA 1.6mm/HyattGlobal/IHG SPIRE/Hilt-Caes-Wynd DIAM/Rad & Crown&Anch GOLD
Posts: 466
Can you substantiate this claim? I've understood for years that SWUs are valid only on AA metal, and only on AA-marketed flights. Or have I been wrong all these years?
Jul 3, 2017, 2:33 pm
#165
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA GGL, A3 Gold, M&M SEN, FlyingBlue Gold, AS MVP Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire Amb
Posts: 902
From my experience AA are happy to take over the 125-stock ticket, apply SWU and reissue on 001-stock. Flights have to be on AA numbers and not codeshares though. Also it requires a clued up agent, so your best bet is EXP line.