You can now apply American systemwide upgrade certificates online

Earlier this year, American Airlines promised that it would enable online redemptions for systemwide upgrade certificates.

Well, 2024 is (nearly) coming to a close, and the Fort Worth-based carrier is finally making good on its promise — at least in a limited way.

Beginning on Monday, American has started a limited-time beta test of online redemptions for systemwide upgrades. Select AAdvantage members with unused systemwide upgrades in their accounts were notified on Monday via email that they were part of a beta test.

The test, which will run for two to three weeks, will determine whether American needs to make any changes to the online upgrade portal before rolling it out more broadly, a company spokesperson told TPG.

“This feature is something our members have requested for some time, so we’re eager for the results of this test to inform how we can continue to make engaging with the AAdvantage program easy for our members,” said a company spokesperson.

Unfortunately, the carrier didn’t mention when it would roll out the feature globally despite initially promising to have the functionality available by the end of the year to all AAdvantage members.

In the meantime, at least the carrier seems to be progressing towards its goal.

If you’re one of the lucky AAdvantage members who received an email from American, the online redemption process is pretty simple.

You need to navigate to the linked website and then input your last name and confirmation number. You’ll then be asked which flight you want to prioritize for an upgrade. American recommends that you select the longest flight in your itinerary to maximize your comfort in the pointy end of the plane.

If the flight is available for immediate confirmation — here’s how to check — your itinerary should be upgraded instantly. If it’s not, American will place the flight on the waitlist. The airline said it will also attempt to confirm or waitlist any upgrades on shorter connecting flights after your preferred segment is upgraded.

It wasn’t immediately clear if you could select which systemwide upgrade would be pulled if your upgrade is confirmed. (Presumably it’s the one that expires soonest.)

While this functionality might seem pretty basic, it’s actually quite powerful for elite members who have spent hours on the phone over the years with the AAdvantage service desk applying upgrades to upcoming reservations.

Even if you received the beta invitation, I’d still recommend calling American if you have any complicated upgrade requests.

Still, this is a long-awaited technical improvement, and I, for one, can’t wait to use it on an upcoming flight.

It’s interesting to note that American’s upgrade tech still pales compared to what Delta and United offer. United has long been the leader in this space with a fantastic web and mobile interface for using and redeeming PlusPoints.

Delta debuted the ability to redeem upgrade certificates online at the end of 2022, and that functionality is now live for any eligible elite traveler.

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