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Note: older posts have been archived to ARCHIVE: Business Extra Program master thread (consolidated)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)
Oct 21, 2019 | 2:05 am
#1052
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 139
Apologies if this is upthread (scrolled the last few pages and didnt see anything). This feels like a dumb question, but tickets booked with BE points - a BXTD award to be specific - dont accrue EQDs/EQMs or count towards million miler status correct?
Oct 21, 2019 | 2:35 am
#1053
Join Date: May 2013
Location: LHR
Programs: AA EXP, DL DM, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,056
Nope, these are pretty much the same as regular award tickets in that sense.
Oct 21, 2019 | 5:54 am
#1054
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New York, NY
Programs: BAEC Gold, Delta Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, AMEX Platinum (US)
Posts: 18,541
Thanks! ^ Easily sorted in a few minutes by phone.
Last edited by Fraser; Oct 21, 2019 at 6:17 am
Oct 21, 2019 | 9:51 am
#1055
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: WAS
Posts: 1,707
Three HUCA and the agents all stick to the company line that they don't reissue the BXP1 upgraded tickets. In my case it shows I'm in a seat in Business, but still have the offer to upgrade to "First" for cash. Maybe I'm paranoid from reading all the Flyertalk threads where a ticking snafu leads to a passenger downgraded, but I just don't want to show up at O'Hare and have to fight to get my seat.
Oct 21, 2019 | 5:20 pm
#1056
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NC
Programs: AAConciergeKey/2MM, DL DM/2MM, UA Gold,Hilton Diamond,IHG Diamond, Hyatt Globalist,Marriott Titanium
Posts: 13,223
Has anyone had a heck of a time trying to find Plan Ahead space to anywhere in Asia? I have two to use and have checked almost every date in November, December and January and can't find a single seat using their calendar. Surely, there is at least one biz class seat for Plan Ahead available on at least one flight? What's the catch...is there a problem when searching from gateway to AA Asian destination where the calendar does not share all availability?
Oct 21, 2019 | 11:37 pm
#1057
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: OH
Programs: AA EXP; HHonors Gold; IHG Platinum
Posts: 122
Community - I am an AA EXP. I also have a lot of these biz extra upgrade certs. my question is what ranks higher when AA does upgrades - my exec plat status or a biz extra upgrade? I don't want to use/waste the biz extra upgrade coupons if my exp status always trumps the biz extra. appreciate your guidance. thanks.
Upgrade priority for those inheriting EXP status: SWU > BXP > $ + Miles > 500-mile stickers
Confirmed this today with Meeting Services and EXP Desk.
Oct 21, 2019 | 11:45 pm
#1058
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: OH
Programs: AA EXP; HHonors Gold; IHG Platinum
Posts: 122
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.
Oct 22, 2019 | 6:56 pm
#1059
Join Date: May 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, LT Gold
Posts: 3,158
Only for domestic upgrades. INTL hierarchy is different... whereas SWU = BXP3 = miles + $
Oct 23, 2019 | 3:35 am
#1060
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: Alaska Gold 75K, AA EXP, United 1K
Posts: 484
Can anyone confirm this is accurate? Has not been this way in the past. Used to be that SWU, BXP, Miles were lumped all together and comp/sticker upgrades came behind. Then it changed to SWU=Miles, then comp/sticker, then BXP. This would be yet another new change if accurate. Btw, I have found agents generally dont know what theyre talking about and have heard a wide range of claims as to how the ordering works.
Oct 23, 2019 | 4:16 am
#1061
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 15,172
Oct 23, 2019 | 1:31 pm
#1062
Join Date: May 2010
Programs: AA-EXP; IC - Amb
Posts: 43
Can anyone here explain the difference between "BusinessExtraa" (businessextra.com) and "AA for Business" (business.aa.com)? I just had a (scheduled) gotomeeting call (for an "administrative demo", which I thought was to introduce me to a new and better program) - but came away befuddled. Has anyone successfully used their tool? Are they ("ITS") hired by AA, or vouched for by AA, or are they third-party enablers/profiteers of some sort? Is there any value to what they provide? Any downsides to using the site?
I've looked in the forum but find no answers there...
I've looked in the forum but find no answers there...
Oct 23, 2019 | 6:14 pm
#1063
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: OH
Programs: AA EXP; HHonors Gold; IHG Platinum
Posts: 122
Can anyone here explain the difference between "BusinessExtraa" (businessextra.com) and "AA for Business" (business.aa.com)? I just had a (scheduled) gotomeeting call (for an "administrative demo", which I thought was to introduce me to a new and better program) - but came away befuddled. Has anyone successfully used their tool? Are they ("ITS") hired by AA, or vouched for by AA, or are they third-party enablers/profiteers of some sort? Is there any value to what they provide? Any downsides to using the site?
I've looked in the forum but find no answers there...
I've looked in the forum but find no answers there...
Oct 24, 2019 | 6:17 pm
#1064
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Programs: OWEmerald; STARGold; BonvoyPlat; IHGPlat/Amb; HiltonGold; A|ClubPat; AirMilesPlat
Posts: 38,190
Didn't realize redeemed certificates can be returned. I have 1800 BE points expiring at the end of December. If I redeem for an award (say a coach return North America) and then return it, will the points no longer expire? (I doubt they would, but just asking.)
Oct 24, 2019 | 10:16 pm
#1065
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: American PLT; British Airways Gold
Posts: 1,944
The points will be reinstated with the original expiration date. You'll pay $150 minimum for the pleasure of returning the award.