Back in January I wrote about some of my American Airlines Business Extra points that had expired.
I had forgotten to redeem some points which were expiring and decided to send an e-mail to AA to try to get them back. It turned out well with my points being reinstated- it didn’t hurt to ask!
With the new year fast approaching, I find myself in a similar position as last year. On December 31, 2015, 1,100 of my AA Business Extra points will expire.
So, what should I do?For those of you not so familiar with the program, points are a bit more valuable than miles, kind of…
For example: 2,000 Business Extra points can get you a Domestic roundtrip award while 25,000 AAdvantage miles are typically needed for this. (Mile redemptions for some destinations should be going down soon.)
I currently have 4,738 AA Business Extra points. With this amount of points I do have some good redemption options. Sadly, I fall 62 points shy of what would probably be my best option- two tickets to the Caribbean.
Here are my final choices:
- Option 1: Two Flights within North America (US, Canada & Mexico)- 2,000 points each + Two Admirals Club Day Passes- 300 points each.
- Option 2: One Flight from North America to Japan, China or South Korea OR to the South Pacific- 4,400 points
If I didn’t need three tickets for a trip, my choice would be a no-brainer. I’d be booking the North America & Japan, China or South Korea option. The problem is even if I do find availability what are the odds I find two more seats using miles and more importantly within 12 months! We already have our winter and spring trip flights booked so that would only leave us with end of June or end of Summer to use this kind of award.
I’m pretty sure that I’ll be going with Option 1. While we’re not so interested in two tickets around the US right now, a trip to Mexico would be a very solid option. Lucas hasn’t been there before and Kim & I would like to see more of the country. If we could find award availability, we’d only need one more ticket to make the trip work. I’d also use the remaining points for a couple of Admirals Club passes.
What would you do in this situation? Pick option 1 or 2 or maybe go with another choice?
Check out all of the AA Business Extra Awards here.
Eduardo Morales- I’d like to hear what you plan to do!
DavidNJ- Thanks for sharing & really good to know!
JJ- Not sure if the upgrade is necessarily a bad deal but I’d rather use these points for flights. What do you think?
Wendy- Very interesting suggestion and thanks for the ideas!
Ang- My original plan was to get a ticket to South Korea but the need for two additional tickets does make it a major hassle. For dates I’d consider going I only see AAnytime Awards available. That would make me think I woudn’t get the Biz Extra ticket or the other 2! You’ve got to love the new AA. Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
I know you don’t want to, but I’d choose Japan, Seoul or somewhere in China (Hong Kong). You still have a year to find tickets for your wife and son. You can go to Mexico anytime. Don’t just go to Mexico because you need to use your points. Use your points for a true adventure. I’m sure you can make it work.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
I have no desire to go to Mexico. So my choice would probably be to someplace in Canada. I’ve always wanted to do the Alaskan marine highway in the middle of winter. Also Banff and lake Louise. But all of these places are beautiful in summer too.
How about fly into Calgary or Edmonton. Rent a car go to Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper National parks. Return the car in Jasper. Take the train to either Vancouver or Prince Rupert . If you go to Prince Rupert take the Alaskan Marine highway up to Haines and Skagway. Then take the same ferry back down to Juneau. Fly home from Juneau.
I’d just get one ticket, or some combination of smaller awards since you only have some of the points expiring. Do you think 650 for a segment upgrade is a bad deal?
I had the same problem w/ 4K points. I booked two R/T to Florida from PHL for my in-laws. They ended up not being able to go. I called AA and was able to cancel and the clock starts ticking to use again within one year. It was a way to extend the points.
i am just in the same position, i have little over 10k points, with almost 2k about to expire.