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Update 5/29/2024: After blowback from travelers and travel agents, American Airlines scrapped its ‘preferred partner' booking requirements. See the article below for what it had planned to do.
Starting on July 11, 2024, American Airlines will eliminate rewards on flights not booked directly through the airline's official booking platforms. Alongside increased baggage fees announced this morning, the world's largest air carrier plans to eliminate AAdvantage mileage and Loyalty Point earnings on trips booked through most online travel agencies (OTAs).
Here's what we know about the impending changes to how you'll earn AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points on American Airlines flights going forward.
American Airlines New Mileage Earning Restrictions
American Airlines wants your business, and it wants you to book directly. To encourage you to pull up AA.com to reserve your travel, it's planning on axing rewards earned on most online travel agency bookings made starting July 11, 2024. That was originally set for May 1, but American pushed it back.
Simply, if you want to be sure you earn AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points on AA and partner-operated flights, you'll soon have to book directly with American Airlines or “eligible partner airlines.”
In addition, American Airlines will reward AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points on bookings made through “preferred travel agencies” — but not on basic economy fares. In late April 2024, American Airlines plans to share a list of these “preferred” agencies. However, it's not worth assuming that your favorite OTA will be on this list. Instead, you may want to act now.
Why this change matters for travelers
This change is bad news for travelers as booking through a third-party travel portal is an easy way to reward yourself twice. Many credit cards now reward cardholders with bonus points for booking through their travel portal. Plus, you currently can bank AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points on the flight itself. But, this opportunity to double dip on American Airlines flights is now on the clock.
Until July 11, 2024, it's business as usual. If you regularly book AA flights through Amex Travel, Chase Travel, or the Capital One Travel Portal, it's not a bad idea to get out in front of reserving travel for the rest of the year. This way, if your fan-favorite travel portals don't make the “preferred” agency cut, you'll have already banked the bonus rewards before the changes take effect.
American Airlines' press release this morning was light on details. The soon-to-be changed mileage and Loyalty Points detail was hidden halfway down the page after a bunch of disingenuous corporate jargon about AA offering the “best possible travel experience” and the “endless ways to use miles.” Hopefully, the Fort Worth-based airline will share more details before the calendar flips to May.
Final Thoughts
On July 11, 2024, changes are coming to which flights earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points. Soon, bookings made directly with American (and “preferred” online travel agencies) will be the only ones that earn miles and Loyalty Points. As for bookings made through non-preferred OTAs, well, they'll soon be a little less rewarding.
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