Everyone loves a free upgrade. However, elites have historically been able to able to request a pro-ration of mile upgrades when reaching Platinum Pro status for the first time, as progress toward the next batch of upgrades is lost. Related: What is American Airlines elite status worth in ? Instead, you could consider a January mileage run if the upgrades are valuable enough to you. Except for basic economy fares, all AA economy fares earn 1 EQM per mile flown, premium economy earns 1.
What does this really mean for you? So, you want to stick to booking AA flight numbers if possible. If you need more upgrades for an upcoming flight, American Airlines gives you two ways of buying more. As American Airlines processes the payment itself, make sure to use a credit card that earns you bonus miles for travel or airfare purchases return based on TPG valuations :. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Almost all FlyerTalk reports have been successful in getting purchases of mile upgrades reimbursed. This is a pretty bad deal for most AAdvantage members. TPG values AAdvantage miles at 1. You can use mile upgrades on flights to Hawaii and between the U. The type of upgrade requested. Elite qualifying dollars earned in the last 12 months. Fare class of ticket purchased. Paying for an upgrade with your AA miles. How elite members can get domestic upgrades.
What if you booked a seat in basic economy? This includes:. Upgrade privileges. Systemwide upgrades for elite members. Nerdy tip: Long-haul international flights are the best use of systemwide upgrades because you can go from economy class except basic economy to business class, with its comfortable seats and elevated service, on a longer flight. Finding upgrade availability. Business Extra: Additional ways to earn upgrades. If you want to improve your chances for upgrades on American Airlines Frequently asked questions How do I use mile upgrades?
Can you use mile upgrades without status? Do mile upgrades expire? How much does a mile upgrade cost? Do mile upgrades count toward EQDs? Can I pay for an upgrade on American Airlines? Can I upgrade from basic economy American Airlines? How to maximize your rewards. On a similar note Dive even deeper in Travel.
Both of these tiers get unlimited, auto-requested upgrades on paid flights under miles. However, Gold and Platinum elites need to redeem mile upgrade certificates to upgrade longer, paid flights. Instead, the mile upgrade balance is frozen at the balance you have when you reach Platinum Pro. You can still use these banked upgrades to upgrade a companion. All AAdvantage elites can use mile certificates to upgrade one companion traveling with them on the same flight.
You must be a current AAdvantage elite member to use the mile upgrades you earned as an elite. Upgrades will be confirmed as early as:. While mile upgrades are limited to flights to domestic and short-haul international flights, systemwide upgrades can be applied to any AA flight.
When you apply a systemwide upgrade, American upgrades your flight to the next class of service. If you booked a business class fare, you can apply a systemwide upgrade to upgrade from business class to first class. Upon earning Platinum Pro elite status, AAdvantage elites now get a choice of benefits. Platinum Pro elites can opt to earn 1 systemwide upgrade. Then, if you reach Executive Platinum elite status, you get to choose two items from a different list of choice rewards—including 2 systemwide upgrades.
So, in total, Executive Platinum elite members can opt to get a total of 5 systemwide upgrades each year. AAdvantage members that continue to earn after reaching Executive Platinum elite status can earn even more systemwide upgrades through threshold rewards.
To apply a systemwide upgrade, you need to find upgrade availability more about that below and you must be flying an eligible fare. Even basic economy fares can be upgraded. The only restrictions are on award tickets, government or military fares and codeshare flights. Systemwide upgrades are valid for one year from the date deposited into your account.
However, the upgrade can be used for travel beyond the expiration date as long as the upgrade clears by the expiration date. Both of these policies are new as of January 1, So, make sure to pay special attention to your systemwide upgrade dates. But, note that American Airlines will void your upgrades if you sell them or even advertise them for sale. American Airlines needs to open a specific type of upgrade availability for you to be able to apply a systemwide upgrade. In the past, elite members would need to call American Airlines—or use a paid service like ExpertFlyer—to check upgrade availability.
To be eligible, you need to be logged into your AAdvantage account and have unexpired systemwide upgrades available for this availability to show. If you use ExpertFlyer to search for upgrade availability, make sure to search one leg at a time. You may not care about the upgrade from Tulsa to Dallas, but you want the upgrade from Dallas to London.
Thankfully, if you find availability on the flight from Dallas to London, you can upgrade that leg without needing to find upgrade space from Tulsa to Dallas. We also include editorial content to educate consumers about financial products and services.
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With the right airline credit card strategy, you can earn an endless amount of airline miles for very little effort. You can request an upgrade for whatever domestic flight you want, but you must have enough mile upgrades to cover the entire distance. These certificates only concern Gold and Platinum AA members, because any higher elite status tier gets unlimited upgrades on all domestic flights, anyway. Here are some scenarios:.
Earning mile upgrade certificates is very straightforward — Gold and Platinum AA flyers earn four upgrades for every 12, Elite Qualifying Miles earned with American Airlines, between Feb.
These upgrade certificates are only valid when flying American Airlines or American Eagle. Also, you can use them in the following regions:. If you get a thrill from sitting closer to the front of the plane, perhaps you thirst for the premium cabin on smaller domestic airplanes.
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