AAdvantage devaluation coming?

[JayTee]

Hmm, I'm on the AA website and can only see redemption out of sydney with QR up to 5 April.

I just looked again . There is availability all of may 2022 out of Sydney but in April , it stops when I reach 5 April . Any reason or ways to confirm this ?

 

[QF029]

I've got about 170k points which I'd love to redeem in J to New York in June next year but seats seem very scarce on aa.com.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I've got about 170k points which I'd love to redeem in J to New York in June next year but seats seem very scarce on aa.com.

Yeah - to New York it looks like the 'standard' price is now 175K one way... no discounting there. (There are dates with higher prices!)

Searching to LAX only they do have plenty of dates using Fiji Airways via NAN. The connection from SYD/MEL varies between 737 or A350 (SYD only), but the connection on to LAX is on the A350 with the full flat beds. (SFO gets the A330 with angled flat.)

Dunno if you can combine FJ with AA on the one award for domestic connections? Seems you *can* add domestic connections on AA!

 

[BriarFlyer]

I just looked again . There is availability all of may 2022 out of Sydney but in April , it stops when I reach 5 April . Any reason or ways to confirm this ?

April school holidays? Always more difficult to get awards into/out of Australia during holiday times. Try confirming availability using another Oneworld program, e.g. BA, JAL, CX. Or search on QF using 1 pax.

 

[JayTee]

Does anyone have knowledge on claiming back the US federal excise tax on AA miles ?

I did some research online and came across an article ( US legal tax document) that mentions purchases of miles that will be used for international travel is not subject to this type of tax .

Anyone have or know something to support this. ?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Does anyone have knowledge on claiming back the US federal excise tax on AA miles ?

I did some research online and came across an article ( US legal tax document) that mentions purchases of miles that will be used for international travel is not subject to this type of tax .

Anyone have or know something to support this. ?

I can only see one recent article, not sure if you have seen this: Get A Tax Refund Whenever You Buy Airline Miles And Spend Them On International Travel - View from the Wing

There are potentially some forms you could fill out and send to the IRS. Dunno whether you need a US tax number or social security number to claim the miles, or even how they would refund you.

I don't know if anyone's actually done it... there would have been reports somewhere if this had been the case.

 

[JayTee]

I can only see one recent article, not sure if you have seen this: Get A Tax Refund Whenever You Buy Airline Miles And Spend Them On International Travel - View from the Wing

There are potentially some forms you could fill out and send to the IRS. Dunno whether you need a US tax number or social security number to claim the miles, or even how they would refund you.

I don't know if anyone's actually done it... there would have been reports somewhere if this had been the case.

Yep, that’s the same one I saw .

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yep, that’s the same one I saw .

It doesn't look like the author has had any success with it, and if anyone was going to, it would be him!

I think it's just one of those things you have to wear.

 

[JayTee]

It doesn't look like the author has had any success with it, and if anyone was going to, it would be him!

I think it's just one of those things you have to wear.

Yeah , you’re right . You might have to wait 2 years before getting any sort of reply

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yeah , you’re right . You might have to wait 2 years before getting any sort of reply

He wrote a similar article in 2015... same IRS form. So it's been close on 6 years!

 

[Danger]

Does anyone have knowledge on claiming back the US federal excise tax on AA miles ?

I did some research online and came across an article ( US legal tax document) that mentions purchases of miles that will be used for international travel is not subject to this type of tax .

Anyone have or know something to support this. ?

I wrote to the IRS about five years ago and actually got a snail mail letter back. I largely didn't understand it but the crux was no refund was due. I'm away from home so I can't post the letter, unfortunately.

 

[Mattg]

Status Earning Changes for AAdvantage from March 2022

Looks like we are safe, for now. Changes apply to status qualification (and some quite nasty changes too, but thankfully don't really have an effect on the majority here) https://aadvantagestatus.com/?anchorLocation=DirectURL&title=newaadvantage

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

It looks like the AAdvantage award charts have been spared from this round of changes. Thank goodness for that.

 

[burmans]

Seems the news was never about a devaluation of miles already earnt and given most of us here aren't in AA for the status probably not as much affect as suspected.

 

[burmans]

They might not have devalued redemptions but actually finding redemption options (other than MH) to Europe is extremely limited at this time, even the second half of the year!

 

[SYD]

What's the view in the latest enhancements?

Introducing AAdvantage® Loyalty Point Rewards

Enjoy new ways to earn rewards, redeem miles and reach your travel goals with the AAdvantage® program. You’ll experience more rewards even before reaching status – and more often after you do.

www.aa.com

 

[Bundy Bear]

Did anyone else find the changes complicated, all airlines and banks want is big spenders.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Did anyone else find the changes complicated, all airlines and banks want is big spenders.

Like taxi drivers who refuse small jobs waiting for the big fares. I thought the idea was to keep the meter ticking as much as possible..

 

[Must...Fly!]

Like taxi drivers who refuse small jobs waiting for the big fares. I thought the idea was to keep the meter ticking as much as possible..

Surely it will trend back in time. It's all good when pent up demand is very high, capacity is an issue and you know every seat can be filled.

 

[JayTee]

Nothing has changed “ significantly “ despite the many Nostradamus type predictions on here .

Until anything factual happens , I will continue to enjoy its benefits .

 

[burmans]

This whole thread reminds me of the stock market bears who continuously predict a downturn. Of course occasionally they are right but you’d miss out on a lot of upside following their recommendations.

Similarly history tells us that sometimes FF programs do devalue but equally you could miss out on a lot of good opportunities waiting for this to occur.