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Note: older posts have been archived to ARCHIVE: Business Extra Program master thread (consolidated)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)
Dec 14, 2023 | 1:22 pm
#2012
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: IWI; Work: DCA/Everywhere; Play: LAS/SJU/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, LEYE Gold
Posts: 7,458
When does the gifted status expire? I'm considering using my remaining points to extend someone's status but Customer Service said it will expire 3/31/2024.
And does the expiration date depend on how the status was gifted? Last year I gifted status as my Loyalty Points reward.
And does the expiration date depend on how the status was gifted? Last year I gifted status as my Loyalty Points reward.
AAdvantage Platinum appointments issued January 1st through August 30th of each year are valid through March 31st of the following year (i.e. Mar. 31, 2024).
AAdvantage Platinum appointments issued September 1st through December 31st of each year are valid through March 31st of the next calendar year (i.e. Mar. 31, 2025).
AAdvantage Platinum appointments issued September 1st through December 31st of each year are valid through March 31st of the next calendar year (i.e. Mar. 31, 2025).
Dec 14, 2023 | 3:47 pm
#2013
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP >3 Million miles,HH Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 3,437
Surprisingly was able to redeem a bxp3 from lhr to ord for next May today. Although it took an hour through chat, the agent was able to update the original reservation on hold to a fare class that I could apply the bxp3..with only a 60 fare change ticket and then apply the upgrade properly. The only thing they could not do was apply the luxury tax for leaving lhr and indicated I would need to pay at the airport. First experience with chat and was pleasantly surprised at the experience.
Dec 14, 2023 | 4:05 pm
#2014
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: IWI; Work: DCA/Everywhere; Play: LAS/SJU/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, LEYE Gold
Posts: 7,458
Surprisingly was able to redeem a bxp3 from lhr to ord for next May today. Although it took an hour through chat, the agent was able to update the original reservation on hold to a fare class that I could apply the bxp3..with only a 60 fare change ticket and then apply the upgrade properly. The only thing they could not do was apply the luxury tax for leaving lhr and indicated I would need to pay at the airport. First experience with chat and was pleasantly surprised at the experience.
Dec 14, 2023 | 7:45 pm
#2016
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 15,178
Yea, I would make triple sure that the upgrade is actually processed and ticket reissued. Even EXP reps have never been able to deal with Business Extra upgrades or awards so the fact that a chat rep was able to confirm it is surprising to say the least.
Dec 14, 2023 | 9:08 pm
#2017
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: IWI; Work: DCA/Everywhere; Play: LAS/SJU/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, LEYE Gold
Posts: 7,458
And be very careful because if it isn't properly processed and then IRROPS messes with your flight later, you could very well have the BXP kicked out into the void.
I recently had a situation where I bought J on BOS-LAX, used a BXP1 to upgrade to F. That was on a Saturday, and overnight that night there was a schedule change. So the next day I had been rebooked in regular first class on something like BOS-ORD-LAX (because AA torpedoed BOS-LAX frequencies). No problem, I thought, I'd just call and switch to BOS-JFK-LAX -- but they refused because the BXP1 upgrade hadn't actually been reticketed. Even though I had an email showing "confirmed" neither the EXP desk nor the Business Extra/Meeting Services people would budge. The BXP1 was automatically reinstated as unused in my account (before I even called), as though it had never been redeemed. Super frustrating, eventually availability popped up for a mileage upgrade so I just did that instead.
Used to be my view that these tickets didn't actually get reticketed, but after that experience, there is at least some measure of reticketing that has to happen before the upgrade is truly confirmed. I'd like to think that with LHR it will be like a SWU, there will be a proper email reticketing confirmation. Better get that ASAP.
Dec 17, 2023 | 12:01 pm
#2018
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: LAX
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum
Posts: 254
+1 to this.
And be very careful because if it isn't properly processed and then IRROPS messes with your flight later, you could very well have the BXP kicked out into the void.
I recently had a situation where I bought J on BOS-LAX, used a BXP1 to upgrade to F. That was on a Saturday, and overnight that night there was a schedule change. So the next day I had been rebooked in regular first class on something like BOS-ORD-LAX (because AA torpedoed BOS-LAX frequencies). No problem, I thought, I'd just call and switch to BOS-JFK-LAX -- but they refused because the BXP1 upgrade hadn't actually been reticketed. Even though I had an email showing "confirmed" neither the EXP desk nor the Business Extra/Meeting Services people would budge. The BXP1 was automatically reinstated as unused in my account (before I even called), as though it had never been redeemed. Super frustrating, eventually availability popped up for a mileage upgrade so I just did that instead.
Used to be my view that these tickets didn't actually get reticketed, but after that experience, there is at least some measure of reticketing that has to happen before the upgrade is truly confirmed. I'd like to think that with LHR it will be like a SWU, there will be a proper email reticketing confirmation. Better get that ASAP.
And be very careful because if it isn't properly processed and then IRROPS messes with your flight later, you could very well have the BXP kicked out into the void.
I recently had a situation where I bought J on BOS-LAX, used a BXP1 to upgrade to F. That was on a Saturday, and overnight that night there was a schedule change. So the next day I had been rebooked in regular first class on something like BOS-ORD-LAX (because AA torpedoed BOS-LAX frequencies). No problem, I thought, I'd just call and switch to BOS-JFK-LAX -- but they refused because the BXP1 upgrade hadn't actually been reticketed. Even though I had an email showing "confirmed" neither the EXP desk nor the Business Extra/Meeting Services people would budge. The BXP1 was automatically reinstated as unused in my account (before I even called), as though it had never been redeemed. Super frustrating, eventually availability popped up for a mileage upgrade so I just did that instead.
Used to be my view that these tickets didn't actually get reticketed, but after that experience, there is at least some measure of reticketing that has to happen before the upgrade is truly confirmed. I'd like to think that with LHR it will be like a SWU, there will be a proper email reticketing confirmation. Better get that ASAP.
to these points, if the upgrade is done through the business.aa website does the reticket happen automatically and immediately? I applied some through the website, received upgrade confirmation email receipts, but the upgrade certificates themselves look as if theyre still unused and available.
Dec 17, 2023 | 12:53 pm
#2019
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Santa Barbara, CA, Park City, UT
Programs: AA EXP, Delta Silver, Marriott Plat,Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Plat, AF plat
Posts: 998
So for the new program eligibility has anyone been able to become eligible having already had the Citi Business card? I know the facts state applying for and getting but that would seem ridiculous, leaving current card holders out. I also received not long after the announcement an email which seems to indicate that current card holders would be eligible under that card. Tried to get some info via email and chat feature, chat didnt even work properly
Dec 17, 2023 | 2:38 pm
#2020
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 92
to these points, if the upgrade is done through the business.aa website does the reticket happen automatically and immediately? I applied some through the website, received upgrade confirmation email receipts, but the upgrade certificates themselves look as if theyre still unused and available.
Dec 17, 2023 | 2:52 pm
#2021
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP >3 Million miles,HH Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 3,437
i believe thats our experience as well. There is no new ticket number after the bxp3 was applied but I see a business class upgrade ..and seat on the ticket. I printed the receipt as well which shows a ticket number. I appreciate all the skepticism since there seems to be a lot of processing errors with upgrade tickets.
Dec 17, 2023 | 2:53 pm
#2022
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP >3 Million miles,HH Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 3,437
i believe thats our experience as well. There is no new ticket number after the bxp3 was applied but I see a business class upgrade ..and seat on the ticket. I printed the receipt as well which shows a ticket number. I appreciate all the skepticism since there seems to be a lot of processing errors with upgrade tickets.
Dec 24, 2023 | 8:34 pm
#2024
Join Date: Apr 2023
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 6
Similar question to fotoflyer's, but I put in for BXP8 admiral's club annual membership. Requested and confirmed on 12/14, but it still shows as "pending." FAQ says it should be processed 2-3 days. I was at the club a week after the request and it had not been processed yet. Anyone have any experience with how long this award typically takes to work through their system?
Dec 24, 2023 | 8:52 pm
#2025
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: KHOU/KIAH
Programs: AA EXP | Marriott LT Plat | Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 13,278
Had a Q on missing points. Flew a mixed AA/BA itinerary, returning a few days before Dec 15th. Only 1 of the 5 segments posted. The flight credit option seems to have been disabled - is there a way to get missing points?