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Note: older posts have been archived to ARCHIVE: Business Extra Program master thread (consolidated)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)
Apr 16, 2017, 5:10 pm
#92
Join Date: Jan 2016
Programs: AA, Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton
Posts: 501
Bought a ticket (using a gift card and paying the rest on my card), and bought another through the Citi Thank You travel portal both business class seats, and sending in missing flight requests gives me a "Ticket Number entered is not valid for Business Extra Credit" notification. Did I do something wrong? I had a flight early march that I tried to set up (using Visa Infinite air) as well which didn't work.
Apr 17, 2017, 7:51 am
#94
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: San Diego, Ca
Programs: AA 2MM LT PLT; AS MVP Gold75k; HHonors Diamond; IHG PLT
Posts: 3,502
Bought a ticket (using a gift card and paying the rest on my card), and bought another through the Citi Thank You travel portal both business class seats, and sending in missing flight requests gives me a "Ticket Number entered is not valid for Business Extra Credit" notification. Did I do something wrong? I had a flight early march that I tried to set up (using Visa Infinite air) as well which didn't work.
Check the fare bucket for the flight in question; some have reported in the FT TY forum that the travel portal can book you in ineligible classes - has not yet occurred to me.
Apr 17, 2017, 12:07 pm
#96
Moderator: Hyatt Gold Passport & Star Alliance
Join Date: May 1998
Location: London, UK
Programs: UA-1K 3MM/HY- LT Globalist/BA-GGL/GfL
Posts: 12,077
You may all know, but I found out today that the BXP3 - 3100 point - upgrade cert covers up to three segments. For me this covered LAX-MIA-LHR on the 77W on New Year's Eve. Good value I thought.
Apr 17, 2017, 12:34 pm
#97
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: LGA/EWR/JFK
Programs: AA EXP, Amex Plat, A3 Gold
Posts: 311
Very good to know. I was under the impression that it was only good for one segment. Thanks!
Apr 17, 2017, 4:20 pm
#98
Join Date: Oct 2006
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,635
I have 2 upcoming MIA-BOS itineraries in June and all flights have qualifying fares for BXP1 upgrades. I called today and no dice on any of the flights. Agent said I could waitlist but "they never clear."
Since my certificates expire on June 30, guess I am out of luck. Sad considering the certificates used to be useful.
Since my certificates expire on June 30, guess I am out of luck. Sad considering the certificates used to be useful.
Apr 17, 2017, 6:48 pm
#99
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: W29
Programs: It's Complicated...
Posts: 6,808
I have 2 upcoming MIA-BOS itineraries in June and all flights have qualifying fares for BXP1 upgrades. I called today and no dice on any of the flights. Agent said I could waitlist but "they never clear."
Since my certificates expire on June 30, guess I am out of luck. Sad considering the certificates used to be useful.
Since my certificates expire on June 30, guess I am out of luck. Sad considering the certificates used to be useful.
Apr 17, 2017, 9:54 pm
#103
Join Date: Oct 2006
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,635
Yes, it was. I was surprised by her frankness and thanked her for her honesty.
I am actually surprised that posters on this thread seem to disagree with her advice. What she said was pretty consistent with the general gutting of benefits at AA. It just seemed weird having an AA employee saying it.
I used to be able to use these upgrade instruments quite easily.
Now I am thinking I should call back tomorrow and wait list my certificates. Better than having them expire worthless (which they probably will anyhow).
I am actually surprised that posters on this thread seem to disagree with her advice. What she said was pretty consistent with the general gutting of benefits at AA. It just seemed weird having an AA employee saying it.
I used to be able to use these upgrade instruments quite easily.
Now I am thinking I should call back tomorrow and wait list my certificates. Better than having them expire worthless (which they probably will anyhow).
Apr 18, 2017, 7:55 am
#105
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: PHX
Programs: AA Ex Platinum & 1MM, DL PLT, Marriott Gold, HH Diamond
Posts: 2,490
Yes, it was. I was surprised by her frankness and thanked her for her honesty.
I am actually surprised that posters on this thread seem to disagree with her advice. What she said was pretty consistent with the general gutting of benefits at AA. It just seemed weird having an AA employee saying it.
I used to be able to use these upgrade instruments quite easily.
Now I am thinking I should call back tomorrow and wait list my certificates. Better than having them expire worthless (which they probably will anyhow).
I am actually surprised that posters on this thread seem to disagree with her advice. What she said was pretty consistent with the general gutting of benefits at AA. It just seemed weird having an AA employee saying it.
I used to be able to use these upgrade instruments quite easily.
Now I am thinking I should call back tomorrow and wait list my certificates. Better than having them expire worthless (which they probably will anyhow).
Think about it, these upgrades pull from the same inventory the complimentary upgrades pull from (as a BE agent told me on Friday when I called to inquire about using some; no surprise, no inventory) & how frequently are those clearing now? Even for EXP? Not very. How long are the upgrade lists for most flights now? My flight on Thursday was 28 deep. My next 2 flights coming up, Friday & next Thursday, have no seats available & haven't for quite some time. In all fairness, I did waitlist one of my staff for a BXP upgrade in February & she did actually clear, on day of departure, but it was for the very last DFW-PHX flight of the night.
I suspect I am not the only BE customer who has asked that BE agent what the point of BE is, given that these upgrades are as worthless as every other upgrade or award AA allegedly offers now, & has just decided not to pretend w/customers any more.
Good for her, but obviously Discount Dougie won't be happy if he gets wind of it.
