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Note: older posts have been archived to ARCHIVE: Business Extra Program master thread (consolidated)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)
Nov 14, 2019, 8:58 pm
#1082
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Vail, CO
Programs: AA EXP/1mm, Marriott Titanium/LT Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 626
Can you not use BXP1's on flights booked under a corporate rate? My company was bought and now I book through a larger system that gets nice rates (and does not accrue me BE points). Can I not upgrade those flights even if they are booked into an eligible fare bucket??
Nov 15, 2019, 4:55 am
#1083
Join Date: Jul 2001
Programs: AA EP
Posts: 2,203
U can upgrade as long as the booking class is eligible
Nov 15, 2019, 4:59 am
#1084
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,483
Yea, as mentioned above it's no problem as long as you're booked under an eligible booking code. Where did this come from, did someone at AA or elsewhere tell you you couldn't??
Nov 15, 2019, 1:13 pm
#1085
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: UA 1K, BA GGL/CCR, TK Elite Plus, Marriott Gold4Lyfe, HH Diamond, Avis PC, Hertz PC, Tesco Blue
Posts: 270
I'm totally sorry for going on a rant here, but I need to vent! Please bear with me.
I'm BA Gold Guest List so OneWhirled Emerald, and was waitlisted from Premium Economy (fare basis and booking code P) to business with a Business Extra certificate, LAX-HKG. Turns out that put me dead last on the waitlist/upgrade list at the airport. Number 28.
Was this because of the type of upgrade - Business Extra certs have lower waitlist priority than everyone else? Or because I'm oneworld and not AAdvantage, so literally everyone else has priority? It was fun to watch as more and more people checked in, I remained last on the list as the number above me grew.
Also, doesn't make a difference if upgrading from Premium Econ to Business, versus regular economy to business? All 27 pax above me couldn't have been from PE to Business.
Anyway, sorry for the rant, but if anyone can shed any light on this it might help me. And what now to do with the upgrade that expires Dec 31, given that I'm just a measly oneworld emerald?
I'm BA Gold Guest List so OneWhirled Emerald, and was waitlisted from Premium Economy (fare basis and booking code P) to business with a Business Extra certificate, LAX-HKG. Turns out that put me dead last on the waitlist/upgrade list at the airport. Number 28.
Was this because of the type of upgrade - Business Extra certs have lower waitlist priority than everyone else? Or because I'm oneworld and not AAdvantage, so literally everyone else has priority? It was fun to watch as more and more people checked in, I remained last on the list as the number above me grew.
Also, doesn't make a difference if upgrading from Premium Econ to Business, versus regular economy to business? All 27 pax above me couldn't have been from PE to Business.
Anyway, sorry for the rant, but if anyone can shed any light on this it might help me. And what now to do with the upgrade that expires Dec 31, given that I'm just a measly oneworld emerald?
Nov 15, 2019, 2:01 pm
#1086
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,483
I'm totally sorry for going on a rant here, but I need to vent! Please bear with me.
I'm BA Gold Guest List so OneWhirled Emerald, and was waitlisted from Premium Economy (fare basis and booking code P) to business with a Business Extra certificate, LAX-HKG. Turns out that put me dead last on the waitlist/upgrade list at the airport. Number 28.
Was this because of the type of upgrade - Business Extra certs have lower waitlist priority than everyone else? Or because I'm oneworld and not AAdvantage, so literally everyone else has priority? It was fun to watch as more and more people checked in, I remained last on the list as the number above me grew.
Also, doesn't make a difference if upgrading from Premium Econ to Business, versus regular economy to business? All 27 pax above me couldn't have been from PE to Business.
Anyway, sorry for the rant, but if anyone can shed any light on this it might help me. And what now to do with the upgrade that expires Dec 31, given that I'm just a measly oneworld emerald?
I'm BA Gold Guest List so OneWhirled Emerald, and was waitlisted from Premium Economy (fare basis and booking code P) to business with a Business Extra certificate, LAX-HKG. Turns out that put me dead last on the waitlist/upgrade list at the airport. Number 28.
Was this because of the type of upgrade - Business Extra certs have lower waitlist priority than everyone else? Or because I'm oneworld and not AAdvantage, so literally everyone else has priority? It was fun to watch as more and more people checked in, I remained last on the list as the number above me grew.
Also, doesn't make a difference if upgrading from Premium Econ to Business, versus regular economy to business? All 27 pax above me couldn't have been from PE to Business.
Anyway, sorry for the rant, but if anyone can shed any light on this it might help me. And what now to do with the upgrade that expires Dec 31, given that I'm just a measly oneworld emerald?
Additionally, assuming you credit all your flights to BA, that would give you $0 EQD on AA, which is how AA sorts the list within each status group. So not only were you at the back of the list, you were at the very back of the list with no rolling EQD.
And to answer your questions, upgrading from PE-Business is the same waitlist as Economy-Business. PE carries no weight as it is now.
As to the upgrade cert that's expiring, you can always pay the fee to have the points reinstated. Or, if you have any more travel before Dec. 31, make sure to book a flight with confirm-able upgrade space at booking (easier said than done).
Nov 15, 2019, 6:10 pm
#1087
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Vail, CO
Programs: AA EXP/1mm, Marriott Titanium/LT Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 626
The new site is spitting it back saying not eligible. I was going to call but figured I would ask here first. Thanks for the feedback regardless!
Nov 18, 2019, 10:00 am
#1088
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: UA 1K, BA GGL/CCR, TK Elite Plus, Marriott Gold4Lyfe, HH Diamond, Avis PC, Hertz PC, Tesco Blue
Posts: 270
I am cancelling my return and buying business on a Star Alliance carrier. Any chance you, or anyone, knows whether I have to call to reinstate the certificate/get the upgrade back, after cancelling the revenue space through my travel agent? I know our Business Extra company account manager will have to call and redeposit the award/pay the fee if he wants the points back, but I don't want to screw it up by not getting the upgrade back first.
Thanks again for the advice - it is most appreciated!
Nov 20, 2019, 11:57 am
#1090
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,483
BXP1's can be used by anyone you just need the authorization number. If it doesn't clear then the upgrade is still unused and anyone can request another upgrade using that certificate. If you just want to return the points then you need to call if it has been outside of 5 days since the award was claimed.
Nov 20, 2019, 12:07 pm
#1092
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,483
Dec 10, 2019, 2:00 pm
#1095
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE, AA EXP MM, UA Gold MM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Titanium, HH Dia, IHG Plat
Posts: 4,777
Add Business Extra Number to Iberia Booking?
I've done it with British Airways - how about Iberia? Is it possible online?
Thanks....
Thanks....