chil

A couple of weeks ago I flew from SCL to MIA and requested a system-wide upgrade. It couldn't clear up-to 27 hours before departure, when I noticed several available J seats on a map and when I attempted to do "booking" for a 1-way itinerary it was offering SWU on that leg (SCL-MIA). I called the EXP service line immediately and mentioned to an agent that I saw the SWU availability on aa.com and asked her to clear it manually. She said "no problems". 5 minutes later I received a notification in the app that I was upgraded. Another 5 minutes later I received an e-mail saying that my mileage award passed through. And they charged me 15,000 miles (W->J). Given how difficult it is to use SWUs I was pretty upset about it -- I didn't ask them to switch the upgrade type. I don't know whether they can retroactively change the type into SWU and reinstate miles to my account but I guess there will be a lot of resistance from AA. I don't even know where to complain about it -- AAdvantage, general customer service or somewhere else.

WiscAZ

chil

Simply because I have more important things to do when I'm in Chile rather then calling EXP line from Skype and waiting on the line.

metallo

mvoight

10 minutes after speaking to the agent you knew they used a mileage award
A day later you flew the segment knowing it was upgraded with miles.
2 weeks pass and you decide to tell them they made a mistake.
It would have been a lot easier to use the few minutes on the phone as soon as you noticed the problem.
To them, it seem as though you were ok with the change then, but want a redo now.
It's an AAdvantage issue, so that is where you would complain........if you really think it is worth it

beachfan

I think you'll have a good chance. Should be easy for them to process if they know how and are willing.

I just had a complimentary upgrade clear, and then a 15,000 mile/copay request clear two days later. Lost my J seat assignment, meal request, $15 k and $75. They process my upgrade by removing me from business class and then putting me back without a seat.

Got them all back :>).

Seat wasn't the same but good enough (J window on a 77W), FA kindly made sure I got my request even though it didn't show, and more suprisingly, it wasn't hard to get the 15k and $75 back.

I called AA Customer Service right away. Was told they couldn't process it until after the flight, but they were willing to document my record. After the flight I called in, the agent saw the notes and processed the refund. I say stay chill and give it a try. It's not like you are angling for anything other than what should have been in the first place if I understand correctly.

JJeffrey

I would forget about the timing, in the end that shouldn't matter. Not everyone out there vigilantly checks their account at aa.com multiple times a day like many around here do .

Just play a little dumb now, call AAdvantage Customer Service (not the normal EXP line). Tell the agent that you upgraded a flight last month with a SWU, however you logged into your account this morning and it appears that miles were pulled instead. It might take a little back and forth however they should be able to reverse it, definitely worth a shot.

That said...the agent was really doing you a blind favor by pulling 15k miles since you were on a full W fare, much better value than using a SWU. However if you don't have other uses for you SWUs then I understand the frustration.

MikeFly

I had a similar issue. ORD-FCO was waitlisted for SWU use for two people. One cleared at T-24. One was a battlefield upgrade at the gate very last minute. These were a gift to the in-laws. I get a text saying he was charged $350 for the upgrade. I called reservations and asked if the reservation was setup incorrectly to use miles and she said no it had properly setup to use a SWU, in fact the phase template was already in place for the SWU - she had no idea how the gate agent even processed the copay. She also mentioned that processing a SWU upgrade is far less work than a mileage upgrade. I asked if it is too late to reverse and she said no it is too early! She said that it gets sent somewhere for processing and not until that processing is complete could she reverse the charge and deduct my SWU. She remarked the record - so it will be easier when I call in today.

bse118

This. Given how easy miles are to earn and how difficult they are to redeem in effective ways, (and seeing how my only problem with SWUs is not having enough of them) I would consider a 15K mileage upgrade a much better value than burning an SWU.

Totally get OP's frustration with the agent doing something different than what they told them to do.

shoodawg

Agreed. Would let it go. 15K points to upgrade that sector is a great value. Use the SWU another day.

LINDEGR

OP you do what is best for you. You have every right to have this rectified. It's been a couple of weeks people - not a couple of years later! The propensity to blame the victim here is neither necessary nor helpful!

WiscAZ

LINDEGR

Fair enough but I think the request is still reasonable. I personally would keep the extra SWU but that's me!

beachfan

Two weeks would be considered reasonably prompt outside of FT.

Whether an SWU is more valuable than miles and copay depends on individual travel patterns. If one isn’t doing international travel, or Hawaii, then the expiration date of the SWU might be the deciding factor in value.

chil

Indeed I wasn't on a full W fare. Moreover, this was an over-the-phone paid upgrade from the cheapest Y ticket (N or Q or whatever) to P for $150 R/T (DFW-SCL SCL-MIA).

I don't really care about the miles they took because I rarely use them and they accumulate. I care more about the SWU which are very hard to use. In my case the situation is complicated by the fact that I normally travel on gov fares which cannot be upgraded (in fact they can if the agent on the other end is unaware of the rule and nobody else catches it before departure). In January just a few days before the day when SWUs turn into a pumpkin I had to give away my last SWU to a person from an allied institution (no one from our place had any scheduled long-haul flights). And it worked only with the second attempt -- the first guy couldn't make it up the upgrade list.