No problem for me.
 

Ticket booked and priced with AA RTW desk. Paid by cc with Mindpearl. Not a problem, could not have been easier.

If you would be so kind. Approximately how long did it take to:

1. Price once you were done talking to the AA RTW Desk.
2. Get the ticket issued (with ticket #) once paid via Mindpearl.

In my experience (1) took under 24 hours and (2) IIRC a further day but I think it depends a little on how soon you fly.

1. 24 hours
2. 6 hours

Can anyone advise on the latest situation with fuel surcharges on AA issued (ex-South Africa) tickets?

I am plannign to buy a DONE5 through the GSA in South Africa, and will set up before with the RTW desk in DFW. Looking at the tool though, the fuel surcharges being added seem to be much more than when I last did one about 3 years ago. It seems they are adding for much more than just AA flights - will this be the same when ticketed direct with AA?

Booked and paid for a DONE5 last week and was very easy both to book and pay but the tax component was higher than last year so I asked them to recheck and when revised was still the same as the original quote....it was about $500 USD more expensive than booking with the RTW tool but booked with AA because I was able to book flights with an AA flight number which was unavailable with the RTW tool ( i needed to maximise my points !!) and I was able to select flights that were not shown on the RTW tool.

Ticketed an AONE4 with Mindpearl yesterday. Took about two minutes on hold after I provided my AMEX card number.

Well, I was not so lucky: I have a record locator for a DONE4 originating in JNB from AA RTW desk in the US, it has been priced. I have since called Mindpearl twice to ticket it and have been denied twice, arguing that they no longer book tickets for foreigners... Is this really a new policy?

I certainly hope that's not the case.

Two more phone calls later, I still get the same answer... And I also called back AA in the US which pretty much said the same thing.

:confused:

I should add that it does not seem to be a very large office, so that you quickly end up talking to the same person.

So I guess I will rework my itinerary and see if I get more love from BA.

Things are getting worse with Mindpearl: after making a few changes to my itinerary, I decided to call the AA US RTW desk to get it repriced. As soon as I gave my record locator, I was told by the AA agent that Mindpearl had put a note in my file stating "do not ticket". After reading this, the AA agent lectured me to explain that there was no way I could pay the price in rands if I do not have a SA CC and that any change I make would result in my itinerary repriced in CAD (and of course with the Canadian RTW prices). The only thing she disagreed on with Mindpearl was that according to her, it was not a new rule but rather than it had always been like that... :(

I am definitely giving up on AA and see if I can make something happen at a reasonable price with BA.

Or, if you're feeling adventurous, you could go to CPT and walk into the office. Then you're not exactly a foreigner, -- you're a tourist who needed some AA assistance and walked into the nearest AA office. That said, I admit that I'm not that adventurous. I would have to position from BKK and have no interest in a trip in vain.

I actually did consider this option as I already have a one way already booked, but I read about someone trying to get into their building and being denied entry by arguing that they do not provide services to individuals, so this is not the kind of risk I am willing to take.

Don't visit Mindpearl
 

Don't do it. I was staying in CPT and went to their office. I couldn't get past the security desk. He phoned AA and they refused to deal with me - corporates only.