Changing an AA pre-devaluation business class award

We may receive a commission when you use our links. Monkey Miles has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Monkey Miles and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Monkey Miles is also a Senior Advisor to Bilt Rewards Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. We appreciate you using our links!!!

---

Changing an AA pre-devaluation business class award

In case you’d missed what happened earlier this year, American devalued their chart for travel booked on/after March 22, 2016. At the time you could book a ticket to Europe for 50k miles and $5.60 on American metal. It worked perfectly for me as I had a trip planned to London in the fall and needed a ride there. I’d booked a 777-300ER mini cabin business class flight on American metal. I’d actually never flown that product. But then I did.

And it was SICK!

Then my plans changed

Kinda. I still needed to get to London in the fall, but I also needed to get to London at the end of the month for a wedding. What I found was that I could buy a r/t from Dublin to Dublin in business for about the same price as coach from lax-lhr-lax. That’s cray cray. So that would fly me back from the wedding and then back to Europe in the fall. So at this point, I had two tickets to Europe in the fall and a flight back from the wedding but not a flight to the wedding. I ended up finding avail on Air Berlin. Here’s the problem

The complexion of my ticket changed

I was solely on American metal on my original itinerary in the fall. Now, I actually needed to route to SFO on American and then through Dusseldorf on Air Berlin and then to London on BA. I called just to see what the damage would be.  The original thought was that the complexion/routing had to stay the same for the pre-devaluation rates to be honored:

1. All American metal
2. Mix of American and Partner
3. Only Partner

I’m Platinum so I can’t redeposit fee-free like Executive Platinums can so I wanted to see what the phone rep would say when I gave him the new itinerary I wanted to change my ticket to.

The agent told me the price would go up by 7500 AA

Wait…that’s not so bad. The agent said that I don’t have to pay a ticket change fee because I’m actually paying a higher amount of miles. I knew that this policy was applied to revenue fares: i.e. upgrading coach to first on the same itinerary. But, I was changing the complexion completely which SHOULD incur a redeposit fee.

Originally, if the underlying complexion changed I thought the rules meant I’d have to pay the prevailing redemption rate and a redeposit fee, but the agent is saying the only additional fees I’d owe are the taxes. In fact, if I’d stopped at Dusseldorf I would be off the phone for 57,500 +$5.60. It was the BA leg that added on another $80. All in all I’m very happy with the swap.

I thought I’d have to push this award ticket out to next year and then once I achieved Executive Platinum redeposit it fee free. But this way, I can get a ride to Europe on a new product and book a great r/t revenue fare where I’ll be able to fly 2 more new products: AA 777-200 Biz and BA Club World.

Here’s the 3 products I’ll now be able review for you guys:

AA 777-200

Air Berlin A330 Business

British Airways Club World

Wrap up

1. You may be able to change a ticket regardless of complexion without incurring a change fee