The American Airlines AAdvantage program lets members earn miles and loyalty points to redeem toward future travel. Members can redeem miles for award tickets, hotels, rental cars, and more when their trips arrive.
In the past, American let AAdvantage members hold award tickets for up to five days if they booked two weeks or more in advance. Hold times were 24 hours if booking less than two weeks beforehand. However, the airline is significantly changing its hold time policy.
American’s new award ticket hold time policy follows industry norms
As reported by Ben Schlappig at One Mile at a Time, American Airlines will now limit award ticket hold times to 24 hours. The airline’s policy was one of the most charitable in the industry, with few other carriers even allowing holds. American’s award ticket holds provided travelers with extra convenience, letting them set aside award space without making a reservation. That allowed more time to make travel plans or utilize points from a credit card. The airline will still allow award ticket cancellations without a fee, while refunding miles, taxes, and fees.
Andrea M. Rotondo, Director of Content Operations for The Points Guy, said: “This was a nice benefit AAdvantage offered its members and it’s frustrating when any benefit is removed from a program. Holding an award, instead of booking it and canceling later, meant that I didn’t have to check my credit card statement to confirm that the taxes and fees paid were refunded.”
While American Airlines’ award ticket hold times were a nice perk, the new policy follows most in the industry, with few airlines allowing the benefit. Those still offering award ticket holds include Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue and Lufthansa’s Miles & More.
