Celia

I've always used my AA miles to buy a flight. I've never used them for upgrades, and am not sure how that works. If I buy a coach ticket with money, can I upgrade it with FF miles, and is the upgrade guaranteed, or is it dependent on availability at the time of flying?

Thanks,
Celia

jacketwatch

Well if it is anything like UAL its complicated. It is dependent on availability at the time of booking and for UAL only certain fare classes of tickets are upgradeable. If you by a low cost ticket from say Expedia I don't think you can upgrade that one. Then besides the actual miles there are monetary fees too and for UAL each leg of the journey figures into the cost and the miles needed.

If you can navigate AA's website you can find the information you need or just call AA and give them specifics and see how it will pan out.

Good luck.

Gardyloo

With AA (unlike many other carriers) most economy tickets can be upgraded using miles. (The exceptions are some fare buckets used by consolidators and their ilk.)

Upgrading is done on an as-available basis. If an upgrade is available at the time of booking, it's guaranteed; otherwise you'll have to cross fingers and hope seats open. Once you're booked into a seat in the pointy end, they won't take it away, if that's your concern.

However, in addition to the miles required, AA also charges co-pays. For example, upgrading from economy to business class on trips between North America and Europe requires 25,000 miles and a $350 co-pay in each direction. So on a round trip that adds 50,000 miles and $700 on top of the base economy fare.

Most of us who play the miles and points game assign an arbitrary value to the miles we use, as a means of deciding when and how to use them effectively. In my case I value my miles around 1.5 to 2c each (other people will value them higher or lower, personal choice) which means that in the above case 50,000 miles = $750 to $1000 in value.

If the base economy fare (for example for the above RT to Europe) is, say, $1200, then the cost of an upgraded trip would be $1200 + $700 (co-pays) + $1000 (miles) = $2900.

A straight redemption for a business class ticket is 100,000 miles round trip, so using the same metric, I'd be looking at $1500 - $2000 in the value of the miles.

Actually <i>purchasing</i> a ticket in business class will cost at least twice the coach price, but there are plenty of instances where a business class round trip to Europe can be cheaper than the $2900 above, and you don't have to play roulette on award space opening up. Plus you'll <i>earn</i> miles (at an accelerated rate) for the paid tickets.

For example, right now United is selling round trips from Chicago to London in business class for under $2200 round trip, for many dates through the end of the year. From the east coast, many airlines are offering business class round trips to Madrid for under $2100, again, good throughout the summer and fall. (Sales in business class are common in the northern summer as actual "business" use falls off.)

So to me at least it's all in the numbers. Think of your miles as a type of currency that you use, and approach it from that standpoint.

MmePerdu

Here's a chart that's easier for me to decipher:

https://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/r...rade-chart.jsp

Celia

Thank you all! This information is really helpful.

Celia