(EXPIRED) American Airlines: Book Flight Now & Get 10-20% Off Future Flight (With Restrictions)

American Airlines has launched a promotion which has the potential to offer some significant savings as they’re offering discount codes worth 10-20% off a future flight. As can be expected though, there are some restrictions involved, particularly regarding the dates you need to fly.

The Deal

• Book a flight with American Airlines and get one of the following discounts off a future flight:
  • Up to $199 = 10% discount
  • $200-$499 = 12% discount
  • $500-$999 = 15% discount
  • $1,000+ = 20% discount
• Direct link to offer.

Key Terms

• Black Friday Offer
  • Limited time offer.
  • Offer valid for reservations made in the US on flights operated by American Airlines and/or American Eagle originating in the US48, Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
  • Fees, taxes, and discounts are excluded for purposes of determining the amount of the promotional discount.
  • Customers who purchase a flight between November 27, 2020 and December 1, 2020, 11:59 p.m. Central Time for travel through March 31, 2021 and in accordance with these terms and conditions, are eligible to receive a promotional discount code of up to 20% for future reservations as follows:
    • Purchase up to $199.99 and receive promotional discount of 10%
    • Purchase between $200 and $499.99 and receive a promotional discount of 12%
    • Purchase between $500 and $999.99 and receive a promotional discount of 15%
    • Purchase $1,000 or more and receive a promotional discount of 20%
  • Promotional discounts will be awarded 14-21 days after purchase is completed, and a unique promotional discount code will be sent to the email provided with the reservation. Customers will not receive a promotional discount for cancelled or exchanged reservations.
  • Eligible customers may not receive more than a 20% promotional discount, and only one unique promotional discount code will be provided for each reservation made during the promotional period.
  • American Airlines will provide a notification that indicates the discount percentage received based on the total amount purchased, excluding gift card purchases, fees, taxes, and discounts.
  • This offer is only valid for reservations made between November 27, 2020 and December 1, 2020, 11:59 p.m. Central Time, and cannot be applied retroactively or to existing reservations.
  • Offer is valid on all cabins to all destinations.
  • Offer is valid for reservations with up to nine (9) passengers.
  • Gift card purchases are excluded for purposes of determining the amount of the promotional discount.
  • Offer is not valid for Group & Meeting Travel, award miles redemption and is not combinable with any other offer or promotion.
  • American Airlines reserves the right to modify or cancel the offer at any time. If any of these terms are violated, the offer and any promotional discount code will be invalid.
  • Offer applies only to published, scheduled service. Schedules subject to change
• Promotional Discount Code For Future Travel
  • Promotional discount may only be redeemed on aa.com.
  • Promotional discount code may be applied to reservations booked between January 1, 2021 and March 31, 2021, for travel between January 1 and May 31, 2021.  Travel must be completed by May 31, 2021
  • Promotional discount may be applied to any published fare, minus fees and taxes, and any cabin for flights originating in the U.S.48 to any destination.
  • Promotional discount codes are single use and may not be combined with other offers or promotions and are not applicable for use with vouchers, trip credits or flight credits.
  • Promotional discount codes can only be used for new bookings and cannot be applied to exchange bookings.
  • Only credit payments qualify for these promotional discount codes, and other forms of payment including voucher, trip credit and flight credit cannot be combined with promotional discount codes.
  • Promotional discount codes cannot be combined with lap infant.
  • Promotional discount may be used for up to nine (9) passengers on the same reservation.
  • Stopovers or multi-city reservations are not allowed using the promotional discount code.
  • American Airlines will provide a notification that indicates the discount percentage received based on the total amount purchased, excluding gift card purchases, fees, taxes, and discounts.
  • Promotional discount code will not be replaced if lost or stolen.
  • Promotional discount may not be resold and may not be combined with other offers. Promotional discount may only be applied toward flights operated by American Airlines and/or American Eagle and may not be used for ancillary products, award miles redemption, AA Vacations or Gift Cards.

Quick Thoughts

The biggest potential issue for being able to take advantage of this offer is the dates involved. To receive a discount code, you have to fly by March 31, 2021, with the discount code only being valid on flights from January 1 to May 31, 2021.

If you know you’ll need to fly twice during the eligible dates, the potential savings could be significant. Be sure to price out all your options though because even with a 20% discount, it might still be cheaper to book one or both flights with other airlines. Having said that, it’ll be another month before you can book the second flight to redeem the discount code, so there’s no knowing what prices will be at that stage.

I’m a little unsure about how this promotion works when booking travel for more than one person. The offer is valid on reservations of up to 9 people and the discount code can be redeemed for a booking with up to 9 people as well. If the first paid flight you take is for 8 people and the ticket price is $125 per person, does that mean you’ll earn 8x 10% discount codes for spending less than $199 for each person, or will you receive 1x 20% discount code as you’ll have spent a total of $1,000? I strongly suspect it’s the latter, but an argument could be made that it’s the former. The terms for the discount code are clear that one code can be used for up to 9 people which is why I think the first part of the offer is based on cumulative spend rather than the per-person amount.

While I’m not encouraging anyone to fly unnecessarily right now, an economic case could be made for a mileage run. Let’s say you’re planning a large family trip before May 31 for 8 people and you anticipate the cost being $1,000 per person. Being able to get 20% off each person’s fare would result in total savings of $1,600. That would mean booking a $1,000 flight now for travel through March 31 would save you $600. I’m sure there are very few people who’d find themselves in that exact scenario, but it’s a fun thought experiment.

I’m half-tempted to try taking advantage of this promotion myself. We’d been hoping to visit the UK next spring as my dad turns 80, so it would be great to be able to be back there for that. With a COVID vaccine on the horizon, that might make such a trip more viable. We’re then needing to fly from the west coast to the east coast in May for a family wedding, so these dates actually line up perfectly. We have a $1,000+ credit sitting with American Airlines right now from a canceled trip to Europe this fall which we’d booked pre-COVID restrictions, plus they extended my Executive Platinum status received courtesy of Hyatt, so that should make travel a little more comfortable and would mean that credit doesn’t go to waste.

I’ve no idea if we’d subsequently make use of the 20% discount code for the flights to and from the wedding, but if there was a cheap fare then getting an additional 20% off and paying with gift cards from past Amex airline fee credits could make sense.

h/t reader Jeremy

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