Can I Use 500 Mile Upgrades On Award Travel?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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You cannot upgrade award tickets in most cases

, and most discount fare classes are not eligible for upgrading with miles either. If you're after an AA upgrade to first class, you're usually better off earning more AAdvantage miles and booking the award fare you want.

Can I use my 500 mile upgrades for someone else?


All AAdvantage elite members can upgrade a companion traveling with them using 500-mile upgrades

. The companion can either be booked in the same reservation as the elite member or can be in a separate record that is linked by an American reservations agent.

Can I use AA systemwide upgrade on an award ticket?

Government or military fares. Basic Economy fares – only AAdvantage

®

status members can upgrade from Basic Economy fares. Fares

ineligible for credit

(like award tickets)

What does 500 mile upgrade mean?

All elites receive complimentary upgrades on flights less than 500 miles. Golds and Platinums, though, must use 500 mile upgrade certificates for

upgrades on longer flights that they request to have processed during their upgrade window

.

How do I get American EQDs?

Fortunately, you can earn more EQDs by

meeting qualifying spending requirements on select co-branded AA credit cards

. You can EQDs for spending on the following AA credit cards. AAdvantage

®

Aviator

®

Silver Mastercard

®

— Earn 3,000 EQDs after spending $50,000 in a calendar year.

Do 500-mile upgrades expire American Airlines?

You must be a current AAdvantage elite member to use the 500-mile upgrades you earned as an elite. If you lose AAdvantage elite status, you won't lose your 500-mile upgrades. But,

you won't be able to use them until you regain elite status

.

How many miles do you need to upgrade on American Airlines?

Upgrades on American. When booking your flight on aa.com, you'll see your upgrade is complimentary and requested. If you're traveling with a companion, you'll see the required number of

500-mile

upgrades to upgrade your companion and have the option to request it.

How many miles do you need to upgrade to business class?

If you want to use points, going from most economy fares booked into in M, H or W booking classes to premium will require 47,000 points each way. If you want to go all the way to business, figure upon

90,000 miles

for a one-way upgrade between the USA and Asia.

Can I use SWU on award tickets?

Which fare classes are eligible for an SWU? A huge advantage of SWUs is that all published fare classes are eligible.

A few exceptions include award tickets

, military and government fares, charters, companion tickets, infant tickets, employee fares and now basic economy tickets.

How can I get a free upgrade to first class?

  1. Dress the part. …
  2. Ask for an upgrade. …
  3. Be early. …
  4. Travel solo. …
  5. Travel during peak times. …
  6. Sit next to the baby or take the middle seat. …
  7. Give up your spot. …
  8. Check your seat.

Do American Airlines Systemwide Upgrades expire?


Systemwide upgrades on American Airlines do expire, traditionally 1 year after the date they're issued

. However, you are able to use an upgrade for a flight after this date, so long as you can confirm the upgrade before the certificate expires.

How do you become Executive Platinum?

To earn American Airlines Executive Platinum status, you need to

earn 200,000 Loyalty Points

. These Loyalty Points do not include taxes and fees — only base fares.

Can you pay to upgrade to first class on American Airlines?

There is no single price option for upgrading to first class on an American Airlines flight as the price in cash or miles is based on the route you are flying and the fare class of the ticket you wish to upgrade. Upgrades are also subject to availability.

What is Concierge key?

Concierge Key is

the status that American Airlines gives to its top spending customers and top corporate travel influencers

. It became legendary when George Clooney was portrayed as a Concierge Key member on a quest to earn 10 million miles in Up In The Air.

Can you buy EQM on American?

In early June 2021, American Airlines launched three promotions for elites to earn 2021 elite status faster: an EQM accelerator, bonus EQD and

an opportunity to buy EQM

. AAdvantage members with elite status as of May 25 can register to earn bonus EQM on up to 10 American Airlines flights through Aug. 31.

Do AA miles expire?

Per the AAdvantage program terms and conditions,

American Airlines miles expire after 24 months of no activity

. For the occasional flyer, that might not seem like a lot of time. But there are plenty of ways to keep your miles active beyond simply hopping on an American Airlines flight.

How do I call American Airlines from Mexico?

Country Phone Hours (local) Mexico* Mexico City: 55-5209-1400 Toll free: 800-904-6000 24 hours Nicaragua* 7877-7920 24 hours

What are elite qualifying credits?

Elite qualifying miles, or EQMs, are

the actual miles you fly every year aboard American and its Oneworld partners

. They're calculated by taking the mileage of the flight and multiplying it by the fare class: Full-fare first or business class: EQM = miles flown x 3.

Do you get EQMs for award travel?


No. Award tickets earn no miles, EQDs, or EQMs

.

What are elite qualifying dollars?

An Elite Qualifying Dollar is

a dollar amount spent with American Airlines or one of its partners

. For American flights, this is simply the ticket price (fare and carrier charges but not government taxes and fees).

Can I use United miles to upgrade seats?

MileagePlus Upgrade Awards

On most paid tickets for flights operated by United and United Express,

you can use your miles to upgrade your seat

. Request an upgrade as you purchase your ticket or after.

Can you upgrade to first class with miles?

No matter how long your flight is,

it will cost exactly 15,000 miles to upgrade to first class

, worth $270 based on TPG's valuations. You can only upgrade cash tickets booked into one of the five most expensive economy fare classes Y, S, B, M or H, and you need “U” inventory for your upgrade to clear.

How do you get upgraded to first class?

  1. Earn Airline Elite Status. Major airlines value loyalty. …
  2. Redeem Miles and Points. …
  3. Volunteer to be bumped on overbooked flights. …
  4. Use an airline-branded credit card. …
  5. Buy a last-minute upgrade. …
  6. Follow The Crowds. …
  7. Fly With a Generous Elite Friend. …
  8. Travel Alone.
David Evans
Author
David Evans
David is a seasoned automotive enthusiast. He is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering and has a passion for all things related to cars and vehicles. With his extensive knowledge of cars and other vehicles, David is an authority in the industry.