I was really disappointed yesterday when I came to the realization that I had let my dad down, causing a significant amount of AAdvantage miles to expire. I couldn’t quite accept that error; however, during this process, I stumbled upon a positive revelation that might be beneficial for others…
Grrrr, my dad’s American AAdvantage miles lapsed!
I know I’m not the only person in the OMAAT community responsible for monitoring the miles & points for my family. With my dad’s upcoming trip on American, I signed into his AAdvantage account to review the details and ensure there were no changes to the schedule, and my heart dropped when I noticed the message below, indicating that he had 141,977 miles expire.
I clicked the “Reactivate miles” button, and there it was — the chance to restore those miles for $1,000.
Wow, that was so frustrating:
– I felt anger toward myself for allowing the miles to lapse; ever since American AAdvantage ceased permitting account tracking via AwardWallet, I guess I simply didn’t keep up with his account
– My dad is actually an AAdvantage million miler, and he has traveled on American numerous times in the past year, though consistently utilizing Atmos Rewards points that I redeemed on his behalf
– So I suppose since he was flying American, it never really crossed my mind that his miles were nearing expiration
– If it came down to it, I would definitely pay $1,000 for nearly 142,000 AAdvantage miles, since that would be like acquiring them for 0.7 cents each, roughly half of how I value them; but it also feels terrible to just toss $1,000 away when this situation shouldn’t have occurred at all
As a reminder, AAdvantage miles expire after 24 months of inactivity, which isn’t really an unreasonable rule. Any earning or redemption activity resets the expiration, and the simplest method to extend that expiration is to donate 1,000 miles to charity.
This situation understandably frustrated me to a great extent, but I want to clarify that I don’t actually mind AAdvantage’s expiration policy, at least conceptually. Delta SkyMiles and United MileagePlus miles never lapse, and while that’s fantastic, ultimately I see that as coming with some drawbacks.
After all, there’s a cost associated with not expiring miles, and I assume it detracts from the programs being rewarding in different ways. I fully support investing in those who are genuinely engaged in the program. But of course, that doesn’t mean I’m pleased when miles do expire. 😉
The secret method to reinstate expired AAdvantage miles
My dad and I contacted AAdvantage customer service to inquire if there are any methods available to restore AAdvantage miles, and I was happily surprised to discover that there is. Essentially, American provides a challenge for reinstating AAdvantage miles, with two options:
– You can sign up for a Citi AAdvantage credit card (specifically, the personal Platinum one) and then earn 1,000 Loyalty Points within three months
– You can accumulate 2,000 Loyalty Points through any means within three months
You need to choose which option you wish to opt for, as miles will then be automatically reinstated upon completing the qualifying activity. Regarding the first option, I was informed that even if he were denied for the card, he’d still have his miles reinstated if he earned 1,000 Loyalty Points.
Let me stress that this is what was conveyed to us, and there’s no guarantee that this will be available indefinitely, plus I imagine there might be a time restriction on how long this offer lasts (my dad’s miles lapsed around three months ago, for context).
Clearly, these are significantly better alternatives than simply paying $1,000:
– If you choose the credit card route, you can take advantage of a fantastic welcome bonus, and then get all those miles reinstated as a bonus
– Accumulating 2,000 Loyalty Points isn’t particularly difficult, especially with options like the AAdvantage eShopping portal; there are some retailers providing 10x miles per dollar spent, so spending $200 would qualify for that, and you’d gain something in the process
Bottom line
Having miles expire is extremely frustrating, especially when it’s a considerable balance. I’m upset with myself for allowing my dad’s AAdvantage miles to expire by accident — I aim to monitor all points currencies, but sometimes things get overlooked.
American wanted $1,000 to reinstate the approximately 142,000 AAdvantage miles, which would have been a decent deal if that was the sole option to recover the miles. However, as it turns out, American provides a challenge of sorts for those whose miles have expired.
My dad was