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Note: older posts have been archived to ARCHIVE: Business Extra Program master thread (consolidated)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)
Sep 24, 2019, 11:28 am
#1006
was ShootinPutin11
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: AA-Plat, Hyatt-Globalist, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium, UA-Silver, DL-Silver
Posts: 131
Thanks for the quick response! It's great to hear I can still upgrade a companion with stickers even on a different record locator. Would they also be alongside me in the upgrade list priority (1 number below me), or would they have to rely on their own status for prioritization?
Sep 24, 2019, 11:38 am
#1007
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,483
Thanks for the quick response! It's great to hear I can still upgrade a companion with stickers even on a different record locator. Would they also be alongside me in the upgrade list priority (1 number below me), or would they have to rely on their own status for prioritization?
Sep 24, 2019, 3:58 pm
#1008
was ShootinPutin11
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: AA-Plat, Hyatt-Globalist, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium, UA-Silver, DL-Silver
Posts: 131
Sep 25, 2019, 5:28 am
#1009
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 254
DH and I recently flew BA on a BA Holidays booking, with our Business Extra account listed on the ticket. We didn't receive credit for it, so I submitted a flight credit request but we received 0 points with the cryptic message "segment exchanged." Can someone explain what that means?
Sep 25, 2019, 10:29 am
#1010
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,372
DH and I recently flew BA on a BA Holidays booking, with our Business Extra account listed on the ticket. We didn't receive credit for it, so I submitted a flight credit request but we received 0 points with the cryptic message "segment exchanged." Can someone explain what that means?
Sep 25, 2019, 10:31 am
#1011
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 254
Were there any changes made to the itinerary after booking? IRROPS or any reason that you might have switched flights? Sometimes this happens when the ticket/coupon is exchanged to rebook on another flight, so different segments might not show up/show up as cancelled/exchanged on a particular ticket. If not that, then I'm not sure. I'd definitely call BusinessExtra Customer Service.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:32 am
#1013
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: VA
Programs: AA EXP, DL Gold, Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Wyndham Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 293
Got a quick question. I booked my daughter a flight with some BE points in July, for a flight in early November.
When AA did their flight reshuffle blitz in August, her flights were changed, but the original ones we booked are on are still available. (I lucked out, as my wife & I are now in 787 lie-flat's from DFW-PHX
)
Typically I'd call the EXP line if I were using my AA miles and have them change my daughter's flights, but given this was done with BE points, do I need to call meeting services, or will the EXP folks be able to help?
When AA did their flight reshuffle blitz in August, her flights were changed, but the original ones we booked are on are still available. (I lucked out, as my wife & I are now in 787 lie-flat's from DFW-PHX
)Typically I'd call the EXP line if I were using my AA miles and have them change my daughter's flights, but given this was done with BE points, do I need to call meeting services, or will the EXP folks be able to help?
Sep 26, 2019, 3:31 pm
#1015
was ShootinPutin11
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: AA-Plat, Hyatt-Globalist, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium, UA-Silver, DL-Silver
Posts: 131
She also said that "EVIP upgrades" get released first, then miles & co-pay, and finally BXP1. This seems wrong to me since mi+copay/SWU/BXP1 all come out of the C bucket, but she was very insistent on it.
Should I remove myself from one of the two lists, or can I stay on both at the same time?
Sep 27, 2019, 9:37 am
#1016
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond
Posts: 21,422
Got a quick question. I booked my daughter a flight with some BE points in July, for a flight in early November.
When AA did their flight reshuffle blitz in August, her flights were changed, but the original ones we booked are on are still available. (I lucked out, as my wife & I are now in 787 lie-flat's from DFW-PHX )
Typically I'd call the EXP line if I were using my AA miles and have them change my daughter's flights, but given this was done with BE points, do I need to call meeting services, or will the EXP folks be able to help?
When AA did their flight reshuffle blitz in August, her flights were changed, but the original ones we booked are on are still available. (I lucked out, as my wife & I are now in 787 lie-flat's from DFW-PHX
)Typically I'd call the EXP line if I were using my AA miles and have them change my daughter's flights, but given this was done with BE points, do I need to call meeting services, or will the EXP folks be able to help?
Sep 27, 2019, 10:04 am
#1017
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: PHX
Programs: AA PLT, Ent PLT
Posts: 57
Got a quick question. I booked my daughter a flight with some BE points in July, for a flight in early November.
When AA did their flight reshuffle blitz in August, her flights were changed, but the original ones we booked are on are still available. (I lucked out, as my wife & I are now in 787 lie-flat's from DFW-PHX )
Typically I'd call the EXP line if I were using my AA miles and have them change my daughter's flights, but given this was done with BE points, do I need to call meeting services, or will the EXP folks be able to help?
When AA did their flight reshuffle blitz in August, her flights were changed, but the original ones we booked are on are still available. (I lucked out, as my wife & I are now in 787 lie-flat's from DFW-PHX
)Typically I'd call the EXP line if I were using my AA miles and have them change my daughter's flights, but given this was done with BE points, do I need to call meeting services, or will the EXP folks be able to help?
Sep 27, 2019, 11:43 am
#1018
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: MIA
Programs: AA EXP 3.8MM AC; UA Silver; Hyatt Globalist; Honors Diamond; Bonvoy LT TTM
Posts: 336
Does anyone have data points on if someone waitlisted for a BXP1 cert upgrade would trump others with their same elite status, similar to how a miles/copay trumps others within your status, even if they have higher rolling spend? For example, if I'm #3 among EXPs on an upgrade list and waitlist with a BXP1, would that move me to the top of the list, assuming there are no EXPs waitlisted to upgrade with miles/copay or system wides?
Sep 27, 2019, 9:12 pm
#1019
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: Alaska Gold 75K, AA EXP, United 1K
Posts: 472
Sep 27, 2019, 9:16 pm
#1020
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: Alaska Gold 75K, AA EXP, United 1K
Posts: 472
I called in to get on the waitlist, and only after the process was done, the agent told me that I can't be on the waitlist for both BXP1 and for 500-mi sticker upgrades. She said it's only one or the other, because otherwise "the system gets confused and doesn't know which one to pick" (whatever that means). Is this true?
She also said that "EVIP upgrades" get released first, then miles & co-pay, and finally BXP1. This seems wrong to me since mi+copay/SWU/BXP1 all come out of the C bucket, but she was very insistent on it.
Should I remove myself from one of the two lists, or can I stay on both at the same time?
She also said that "EVIP upgrades" get released first, then miles & co-pay, and finally BXP1. This seems wrong to me since mi+copay/SWU/BXP1 all come out of the C bucket, but she was very insistent on it.
Should I remove myself from one of the two lists, or can I stay on both at the same time?