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Note: older posts have been archived to ARCHIVE: Business Extra Program master thread (consolidated)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 22, 2021 | 6:47 am
#1351
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: EYW
Programs: AA Exe Platinum, AA & Delta Million Miler, Hilton LT Diamond, Marriott LT Titanium, United Silver
Posts: 540
We gave up on Business Extra logging all our travellers' flights correctly. It's super prone to error. I don't understand why. But it just became too much of a hassle to contact them constantly to correct things. So now we get what we get and it's a nice bonus but we don't worry about the ones which slip through the cracks.
Sep 22, 2021 | 10:10 am
#1352
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: TPA/DFW/K15
Programs: AA EXP, Mar AMB, HH LT DIA
Posts: 1,683
I called. No extension. I was told to redeem in December so I would have 12 months to use. If I couldn't use before expiry, they would redeposit the award. Seems silly to go through that when a simple extension would accomplish the same thing. Come to think of it, eventually the redeem and redeposit is better than an extension in terms of expiration date.
Oct 5, 2021 | 9:11 am
#1356
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: UA 1K (former PP), AA PPro (3MM, former CK), Marriott Ambassador and LTT, Hilton Gold, Uber One
Posts: 1,429
I currently cannot login to the site (I get a proxy gateway timeout error) to see how bad the points to miles conversion rate is...I'm going to need to cash out a LOT of points, sadly 
Oct 5, 2021 | 9:12 am
#1357
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,690
I mean just like MOST negative changes to FF programs over the years, they probably should have made these their policies from the beginning, but didn't realize what monsters they were creating at the time.
Anyone sign up for any "company" no matter how much you spend? Sure! Great idea!
Give out miles for distance flown instead of fare paid? Right on!
Seems like its the inevitable clamping down on Biz Extraa but it was a nice ride while it lasted. My small co doesn't spend $5000 a year in air fare, so I'll redeem in late 2022 and be done with it.
Anyone sign up for any "company" no matter how much you spend? Sure! Great idea!
Give out miles for distance flown instead of fare paid? Right on!
Seems like its the inevitable clamping down on Biz Extraa but it was a nice ride while it lasted. My small co doesn't spend $5000 a year in air fare, so I'll redeem in late 2022 and be done with it.
Oct 5, 2021 | 9:15 am
#1358
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: MSY; 2-time FT Fantasy Football Champ, now in recovery.
Programs: AA lifetime GLD; UA Silver; Marriott LTTE; IHG Plat,
Posts: 14,813
Oct 5, 2021 | 9:23 am
#1359
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: UA 1K (former PP), AA PPro (3MM, former CK), Marriott Ambassador and LTT, Hilton Gold, Uber One
Posts: 1,429
Thanks. If I'm remembering the award table correctly, this is a really bad conversion rate. IIRC, an Anytime coach roundtrip award was 5000 points. That would get you 30000 miles, which is nowhere near enough for an Anytime roundtrip coach ticket in my experience.
Oct 5, 2021 | 9:27 am
#1362
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EP/4MM, DL GM/1MM, HH ♦, Bonvoy LT PLT, Hyatt Globalist, AMEX Bus Plt
Posts: 624
I really see the changes as more positive than negative. The additional ability to redeem for Platinum status as well as the conversion to AAdvantage miles. I know that ratio isn't the best however it gives another option for expiring points.
Oct 5, 2021 | 9:30 am
#1363
Moderator: The British Airways Club
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: TPA/ABZ
Programs: British Airways Gold Guest List for Life
Posts: 14,248
What happens for companies in the USA which mainly purchase flights on airlines other than AA (e.g. BA) and credits company points to Business Extra? This is the recommended practice by BA for companies based in the USA. It will end up with lots of points without the required qualifying expenditure to redeem them 
. Or have it misunderstood the change?
. Or have it misunderstood the change?
Oct 5, 2021 | 9:33 am
#1364
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: UA 1K (former PP), AA PPro (3MM, former CK), Marriott Ambassador and LTT, Hilton Gold, Uber One
Posts: 1,429
If your company meets the redemption criteria, I agree. But there are companies that earned the points with 3+ employees and 150K+ annual spend, but are no longer in that situation. It's clearly not great for those folks.
Oct 5, 2021 | 9:58 am
#1365
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: JFK, BUR, YVR
Programs: AC, AS (PLT), BA, DL, HH (G), MR (TIT/LTP), UA (*S), UScAAre (1,94MM), WN
Posts: 5,332
Okay, so we wont convert. However, this conversion is handy for those who never make enough points for an award. It makes this programme more flexible and flexibility is good in the long run. This is one change I actually like even if I never use it.