American Airlines makes changes to the AAdvantage Business program

Citi is a TPG advertising partner.

AAdvantage Business, American Airlines’ corporate loyalty program, has announced several changes, which should be welcome news to business travelers.

Effective immediately, AAdvantage Business members will now earn Loyalty Points and AAdvantage miles for bookings made through third-party travel agencies.

This reverses a recent decision to restrict earnings to those booking directly with the airline or AA-controlled booking channels. AAdvantage recently reversed this controversial policy for consumer bookings and has now reversed it for corporate bookings as well.

Another positive improvement is the introduction of dedicated phone support for AAdvantage Business members, available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time on weekdays by calling 877-229-8278.

As first reported by Travel Weekly, based on email communications sent to travel managers, future improvements to the program include:

• Later this summer: Redeem and manage AAdvantage miles directly from AAdvantage Business accounts without transferring them to a personal AAdvantage account first, and store payment card details in AAdvantage Business accounts.
• By the end of 2024: Redeem and manage shared trip credits as well as show individual company travel policies all within AAdvantage Business accounts, and allow name change waivers for all registered travelers in the account, allowing companies to transfer tickets between employees.

Currently, AAdvantage Business accounts can earn 1 AAdvantage mile per dollar spent on eligible flights through the AAdvantage Business program. Going forward, travelers will still earn miles as they typically would through the AAdvantage program (5 miles per dollar spent and 5 Loyalty Points per dollar on eligible flights).

Spending on a cobranded business credit card, such as the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees), earns miles toward an AAdvantage Business account, not a personal AAdvantage account. However, individuals will earn 1 additional Loyalty Point per dollar on eligible American Airlines purchases in their personal account when spending on a business cobranded card.

This is a way of rewarding both businesses and business travelers for booking their corporate travel through the AAdvantage Business program; hopefully, these recent improvements make the program more attractive to travelers.

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