Latest AA Bonus Miles Offer (ends Dec31)

[JohnK]

Do note it's a "delayed" credit situation - you get 60k + 30% bonus now... later in January you'll get an option to opt for the remaining 20%. But to enable this you need to buy the full 60k.

No email received. So I take it the 30% + 20% bonus offer is applicable to eveyryone who has not alread bought miles and will buy before 31 December 2013?

 

[Bofter]

It doesn't appear to be targeted and is advertised on their main buy points page. The annual purchase limit still applies but appears to be the only restriction. The extra bonus more than beats the slightly better exchange rate for people who went early in the offer period on this one.

 

[anat0l]

No email received. So I take it the 30% + 20% bonus offer is applicable to eveyryone who has not alread bought miles and will buy before 31 December 2013?

I didn't get an email either. I found out via AFF. Works with me (but lucky I checked).

30% bonus is for everyone.

To qualify for the 20% bonus offer (as well as 3 other offers, which aren't necessarily as useful), you need to purchase 60k in a single transaction.

I guess this means that if you have already purchased miles in this calendar year, you will be limited by the number of miles you can purchase, which means you'll be unlikely to buy 60k in a single hit, which means you won't qualify for the extra 20% offer.

 

[JohnK]

Thanks Bofter and Anat0l!

I have not purchased any AA miles this year so I need to decide if I need another 90,000 AA miles to add to the pile.

 

[casanovawa]

Do note it's a "delayed" credit situation - you get 60k + 30% bonus now... later in January you'll get an option to opt for the remaining 20%. But to enable this you need to buy the full 60k.

What sort of bollocks is that??? If you have bought sufficient miles and qualified for 50% bonus, why would you opt out of 20% of them later on (unless they hope you will forget your entitled to them??)??? Or do you have to pay more to get the extra miles in January???

What a convoluted way to make an offer?!?!?!?

 

[anat0l]

What sort of bollocks is that??? If you have bought sufficient miles and qualified for 50% bonus, why would you opt out of 20% of them later on (unless they hope you will forget your entitled to them??)??? Or do you have to pay more to get the extra miles in January???

What a convoluted way to make an offer?!?!?!?

The actual terms of the current mileage purchase offer are: if you purchase the full 60k in one transaction, not only will you be entitled to 30% bonus points, but in January you will receive an email where you will be able to opt into one of the following entitled four offers:

1. 20% additional bonus miles
2. 10% off flights on aa.com (book by February 6, 2014, for travel starting February 18, 2014 through May 18, 2014)
3. 5,000-mile discount on award (5000 mile discount for up to three passengers, book between January 24, 2014 and February 21, 2014, for travel between February 18, 2014 through May 18, 2014, flights originating in contiguous US or Canada)
4. Three 500-mile upgrades (must be AAdvantage elite member)

Most here, naturally, will take the option of 20% extra miles, particularly as there aren't many AAdvantage elites here.

So no it's not exactly AA messing you around with a ******** promo, it's just that the promo they put out had a few options, but almost all of us are only taking one option.

I'm just mentioning carefully that whilst the net result is 90k points bought, represented by 60k points bought + 50% bonus, unlike the straight-out promo last year this one works differently and you will not receive the full 90k in a single hit. (It also relies on you to opt in for the correct option once you get the relevant email in January).

 

[Aussie_flyer]

What sort of bollocks is that??? If you have bought sufficient miles and qualified for 50% bonus, why would you opt out of 20% of them later on (unless they hope you will forget your entitled to them??)??? Or do you have to pay more to get the extra miles in January???

What a convoluted way to make an offer?!?!?!?

Its rather easy I think???? To go to the website and see that was just one of the options?!?!?!

 

[lakun]

Please remember AA miles expire in 18 months, so dont stockpile them expecting you can use them in 2+ years time.. you have to have a rough plan to go somewhere with the points in next 18 months. I just bought some and they showed up on my AA account within a day (with bonus points) but my accuont summary shows them all expiring in june 2015.

 

[anat0l]

Please remember AA miles expire in 18 months, so dont stockpile them expecting you can use them in 2+ years time.. you have to have a rough plan to go somewhere with the points in next 18 months. I just bought some and they showed up on my AA account within a day (with bonus points) but my accuont summary shows them all expiring in june 2015.

Which is correct - 18 months after the last activity.

As soon as you have any more account activity (either more or less miles), the 18 months count "resets".

Of course, the main thing to take away is that make sure you either earn (or buy) or burn some miles at least once in a while - don't let them expire by letting them sit there for 18 months!

 

[cove]

I enrolled my two sons on December 19th and it appears there is a 14 day hold on buying points according to the rules so they will miss this offer by a couple of days.

 

[lakun]

Which is correct - 18 months after the last activity.

As soon as you have any more account activity (either more or less miles), the 18 months count "resets".

Of course, the main thing to take away is that make sure you either earn (or buy) or burn some miles at least once in a while - don't let them expire by letting them sit there for 18 months!

good tip, thanks

 

[medhead]

The last 90k offer ran, I think, through Dec 2012.

There was a 90k offer in Jan 2013

 

[JohnK]

Please remember AA miles expire in 18 months, so dont stockpile them expecting you can use them in 2+ years time.. you have to have a rough plan to go somewhere with the points in next 18 months. I just bought some and they showed up on my AA account within a day (with bonus points) but my accuont summary shows them all expiring in june 2015.

Just keep adding miles to the stockpile and expiry increases another 18 months.

 

[Hvr]

There was a 90k offer in Jan 2013

I thought it was FEB 13 when I purchased my last lot.

 

[medhead]

I thought it was FEB 13 when I purchased my last lot.

You're probably right.

 

[Beta4Me]

If you're gifted miles by someone and you buy miles too do you get 2x the bonus or is limited to only 1x?

 

[anat0l]

If you're gifted miles by someone and you buy miles too do you get 2x the bonus or is limited to only 1x?

Miles received via Gift or Buy Miles are all entitled to the same bonus.

Do note though that to get the full 50% bonus points, you need to be gifted or buy yourself 60k points in one transaction. If you get gifted 30k and buy another 30k yourself, you'll receive 30% bonus on each of those transactions, but you will not be able to access the other 20% bonus points in January.

Also note that both Gift and Buy Miles count towards the same annual points limit (i.e. 60k annually). If you are gifted 60k points (plus 30% initial bonus; and 20% bonus in January), you cannot buy any more points (or be gifted any more points) in the same calendar year.

 

[cove]

Yes many of us are already maxed out from January 2013.

 

[Beta4Me]

Also note that both Gift and Buy Miles count towards the same annual points limit (i.e. 60k annually). If you are gifted 60k points (plus 30% initial bonus; and 20% bonus in January), you cannot buy any more points (or be gifted any more points) in the same calendar year.

Thanks for that. That's the crux of what I was asking. To clarify: points go towards the annual limit of the recipient not the gifter? Hence, if you are gifted 60K + 50% bonus you can't buy any points for yourself?

 

[anat0l]

Thanks for that. That's the crux of what I was asking. To clarify: points go towards the annual limit of the recipient not the gifter? Hence, if you are gifted 60K + 50% bonus you can't buy any points for yourself?

Correct, the count of points for the purposes of annual limit are based on receiving points.