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)
Sep 17, 19, 6:37 am
#991
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,229
Sep 19, 19, 8:46 am
#992
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 268
The agent said they cannot hold tickets if you book over the phone, it's an instant purchase.
Sep 19, 19, 10:21 am
#993
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: The FT AA forum, until it no longer wants me.
Programs: CK or bust
Posts: 1,801
1). Put on hold yourself via aa.com
2). THEN call in to Meeting Services with the PNR to complete the purchase and apply the upgrade (thereby ensuring that the you can truly confirm the space before purchasing the ticket)
Sep 19, 19, 12:57 pm
#994
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 268
They actually can put tickets on hold under specific circumstances (i.e. one weekend this year the system to actually issue BX awards was offline for maintenance) but that's not what was being suggested; these are two separate actions:
1). Put on hold yourself via aa.com
2). THEN call in to Meeting Services with the PNR to complete the purchase and apply the upgrade (thereby ensuring that the you can truly confirm the space before purchasing the ticket)
1). Put on hold yourself via aa.com
2). THEN call in to Meeting Services with the PNR to complete the purchase and apply the upgrade (thereby ensuring that the you can truly confirm the space before purchasing the ticket)
I can only book the lowest (excluded fare) online.
Sep 19, 19, 1:13 pm
#995
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: DCA
Programs: DL DM, AA EXP, various hotel
Posts: 2,203
They actually can put tickets on hold under specific circumstances (i.e. one weekend this year the system to actually issue BX awards was offline for maintenance) but that's not what was being suggested; these are two separate actions:
1). Put on hold yourself via aa.com
2). THEN call in to Meeting Services with the PNR to complete the purchase and apply the upgrade (thereby ensuring that the you can truly confirm the space before purchasing the ticket)
1). Put on hold yourself via aa.com
2). THEN call in to Meeting Services with the PNR to complete the purchase and apply the upgrade (thereby ensuring that the you can truly confirm the space before purchasing the ticket)
Sep 19, 19, 2:20 pm
#996
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 268
not sure if you can buy the excluded fare online and have meeting services then re-price/re-ticket for you before applying the cert, though.
Sep 19, 19, 2:40 pm
#997
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SBA
Programs: UA & AA 1 million miler
Posts: 1,124
The upgrade certs are fare restricted. most of the fares on aa.com are the "low" ones and are excluded from eligibility by the cert.
not sure if you can buy the excluded fare online and have meeting services then re-price/re-ticket for you before applying the cert, though.
not sure if you can buy the excluded fare online and have meeting services then re-price/re-ticket for you before applying the cert, though.
Sep 19, 19, 2:47 pm
#998
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: The FT AA forum, until it no longer wants me.
Programs: CK or bust
Posts: 1,801
Even with the 24 hour cancellation, there is still a refund process that would have to happen if you purchase it so for folks who don't want to deal with that or to temporarily see their credit line decrease with the authorization, holding and ticketing when the upgrade is sure to be confirmed seems to have fewer moving parts.
Sep 19, 19, 9:50 pm
#999
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,329
Sometimes the G fare shows on the website, but most often it does not. However, putting the reservation on hold and calling Meeting Services is, I've found, a good idea. If it's on hold, you can give them the record locator, and they can, if it is a G fare on hold, ticket it immediately with the upgrade certificate. If it is lower than a G fare, they can upfare the reservation and ticket it for you with the upgrade certificate applied. In both cases, IME, they actually do something in the computer to hold/claim the C inventory.
If you send the reservation to ticketing before calling Meeting Services, they may not be able to do anything with it until the normal ticketing process runs its course. In other words, if it's in Ticket Pending status, they often won't be able to touch it until the ticket is issued.
If you send the reservation to ticketing before calling Meeting Services, they may not be able to do anything with it until the normal ticketing process runs its course. In other words, if it's in Ticket Pending status, they often won't be able to touch it until the ticket is issued.
Sep 20, 19, 8:23 am
#1000
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 268
Sometimes the G fare shows on the website, but most often it does not. However, putting the reservation on hold and calling Meeting Services is, I've found, a good idea. If it's on hold, you can give them the record locator, and they can, if it is a G fare on hold, ticket it immediately with the upgrade certificate. If it is lower than a G fare, they can upfare the reservation and ticket it for you with the upgrade certificate applied. In both cases, IME, they actually do something in the computer to hold/claim the C inventory.
If you send the reservation to ticketing before calling Meeting Services, they may not be able to do anything with it until the normal ticketing process runs its course. In other words, if it's in Ticket Pending status, they often won't be able to touch it until the ticket is issued.
If you send the reservation to ticketing before calling Meeting Services, they may not be able to do anything with it until the normal ticketing process runs its course. In other words, if it's in Ticket Pending status, they often won't be able to touch it until the ticket is issued.
And yes, your last bit is totally true. Have to wait for the ticket to be issued before you can do anything.
Sep 20, 19, 8:34 am
#1001
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: The FT AA forum, until it no longer wants me.
Programs: CK or bust
Posts: 1,801
Just to re-iterate, it is possible under the right circumstances. You would still have to call in again to have it ticketed but the agent is right in that holds aren't necessarily given out the same way that they are available on the normal revenue/award ticket side.
Sep 23, 19, 11:51 pm
#1003
was ShootinPutin11
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: AA-Plat, Hyatt-Globalist, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium, UA-Silver, DL-Silver
Posts: 112
Hi, I'm looking for advice on BXP1 upgrades and general upgrade priority.
I'm flying JFK-SFO in exactly a week with a companion. Currently Expert Flyer shows J7 and the seatmap shows 15 open seats. I'm Platinum with AA.
I called Business Extra to apply two BXP1 certificates, and they said I would have to split the record locator in order to do so. However, if I do that, I can't waitlist my companion along with myself for VIP upgrades (using 500-mile stickers).
Does anyone have advice on what would clear first? I'm assuming AA will end up upgrading some people, given the amount of available seats (somewhere between 7-15). If that's the case, am I more likely to be upgraded with BXP1 or through my Platinum status? I don't want to split the record locator, have the BXP1 not clear, and then only get upgraded myself without my companion. That said, I recognize Platinum status is close to nothing, so I don't think it's smart to rely on it. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
I'm flying JFK-SFO in exactly a week with a companion. Currently Expert Flyer shows J7 and the seatmap shows 15 open seats. I'm Platinum with AA.
I called Business Extra to apply two BXP1 certificates, and they said I would have to split the record locator in order to do so. However, if I do that, I can't waitlist my companion along with myself for VIP upgrades (using 500-mile stickers).
Does anyone have advice on what would clear first? I'm assuming AA will end up upgrading some people, given the amount of available seats (somewhere between 7-15). If that's the case, am I more likely to be upgraded with BXP1 or through my Platinum status? I don't want to split the record locator, have the BXP1 not clear, and then only get upgraded myself without my companion. That said, I recognize Platinum status is close to nothing, so I don't think it's smart to rely on it. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
Sep 24, 19, 7:21 am
#1004
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 10,608
Hi, I'm looking for advice on BXP1 upgrades and general upgrade priority.
I'm flying JFK-SFO in exactly a week with a companion. Currently Expert Flyer shows J7 and the seatmap shows 15 open seats. I'm Platinum with AA.
I called Business Extra to apply two BXP1 certificates, and they said I would have to split the record locator in order to do so. However, if I do that, I can't waitlist my companion along with myself for VIP upgrades (using 500-mile stickers).
Does anyone have advice on what would clear first? I'm assuming AA will end up upgrading some people, given the amount of available seats (somewhere between 7-15). If that's the case, am I more likely to be upgraded with BXP1 or through my Platinum status? I don't want to split the record locator, have the BXP1 not clear, and then only get upgraded myself without my companion. That said, I recognize Platinum status is close to nothing, so I don't think it's smart to rely on it. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
I'm flying JFK-SFO in exactly a week with a companion. Currently Expert Flyer shows J7 and the seatmap shows 15 open seats. I'm Platinum with AA.
I called Business Extra to apply two BXP1 certificates, and they said I would have to split the record locator in order to do so. However, if I do that, I can't waitlist my companion along with myself for VIP upgrades (using 500-mile stickers).
Does anyone have advice on what would clear first? I'm assuming AA will end up upgrading some people, given the amount of available seats (somewhere between 7-15). If that's the case, am I more likely to be upgraded with BXP1 or through my Platinum status? I don't want to split the record locator, have the BXP1 not clear, and then only get upgraded myself without my companion. That said, I recognize Platinum status is close to nothing, so I don't think it's smart to rely on it. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
Generally speaking, AA will release C space (SWU, miles/co-pay, BXP1) before R space (500-mi upgrades).
Sep 24, 19, 9:25 am
#1005
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: DCA
Programs: DL DM, AA EXP, various hotel
Posts: 2,203
I don't personally see the value of purchasing a ticket if I only want to ensure that an upgrade can be applied to it first -
Even with the 24 hour cancellation, there is still a refund process that would have to happen if you purchase it so for folks who don't want to deal with that or to temporarily see their credit line decrease with the authorization, holding and ticketing when the upgrade is sure to be confirmed seems to have fewer moving parts.
Even with the 24 hour cancellation, there is still a refund process that would have to happen if you purchase it so for folks who don't want to deal with that or to temporarily see their credit line decrease with the authorization, holding and ticketing when the upgrade is sure to be confirmed seems to have fewer moving parts.
