Cruiseline purchased air doesn't earn AA Loyalty points.

[tcuprof]

If you have elite status with American Airlines, you probably care about earning loyalty points since they are the new currency for achieving or maintaining status. In April, we took a Viking cruise that included DFW-EZE and MAD-DFW flights. We arranged the flights through our AA concierge, but they were purchased by Viking. I was expecting 55000 loyalty points ($5000*11), but received only 5000. I learned that flights purchased by cruise lines do not earn loyalty points.

 

I have mixed feelings about cruiselines arranging air. On the one hand, they are ostensibly cheaper and they include a guarantee to get you on the cruise and home. On the other hand, one of the reasons they are cheaper (at least with Viking) is that they often choose a route you would not take (for example, Viking tried to send us DFW-JFK-LHR instead of DFW-LHR). Also, as stated above, you don't get loyalty points, and that's important to me. 

[Globaliser]

1 hour ago, tcuprof said:

... and they include a guarantee to get you on the cruise ...

 

In general, this is a misunderstanding - there usually isn't any such guarantee.

 

I think that "cheap" is typically the chief attraction. In Europe, making the booking into a package also has consumer protection benefits.

[6rugrats]

Yes, many times these are consolidator tickets and aren’t eligible to earn miles.  And agree w/ Globaliser.  You certainly are not guaranteed to make your cruise on time.

[Free2bMeForever]

Agree there is absolutely no “guarantee” even if they imply there is and I find that round trip tickets are typically not significantly less expensive.  The benefit to me is on a one way international flight and the flexibility to change my mind before final payment. I also agree that often frequent flier miles are not associated with these flights; however, that is not always the case.  If miles are important, that should be clarified upfront.  As has been said on this board many times CAVEAT EMPTOR.

[BOB999]

22 hours ago, tcuprof said:

If you have elite status with American Airlines, you probably care about earning loyalty points since they are the new currency for achieving or maintaining status. In April, we took a Viking cruise that included DFW-EZE and MAD-DFW flights. We arranged the flights through our AA concierge, but they were purchased by Viking. I was expecting 55000 loyalty points ($5000*11), but received only 5000. I learned that flights purchased by cruise lines do not earn loyalty points.

 

I have mixed feelings about cruiselines arranging air. On the one hand, they are ostensibly cheaper and they include a guarantee to get you on the cruise and home. On the other hand, one of the reasons they are cheaper (at least with Viking) is that they often choose a route you would not take (for example, Viking tried to send us DFW-JFK-LHR instead of DFW-LHR). Also, as stated above, you don't get loyalty points, and that's important to me. 

 

I'm a little confused, you said cruise fares don't earn Loyalty Points, but said you earned 5,000.

 

On AA, cruise/consolidator fares should earn Loyalty Points; however on a different calculation scheme versus normal tickets.  On these "special fares," the booking code and distance are used instead of fare.

 

On top of the base, I would have expected that any elite bonuses (e.g. 120% of base for EP) would be applied.   If you got anything different I would contact AAdvantage Customer Service.

 

https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-program/miles/earn/special-fares.jsp

[iancal]

We never seem to get loyalty points when we buy consolidator tickets from a TA.  When we buy basic fares from AC we only get 25 percent credit.

 

[em-sk]

8 hours ago, iancal said:

We never seem to get loyalty points when we buy consolidator tickets from a TA.  When we buy basic fares from AC we only get 25 percent credit.

 

 

That comes down to the deal the consolidator made with AC.  These are generally unpublished fares and subject to the terms the consolidator and AC agree on.   I use to use RBC Avion Visa points for booking trips.  When RBC and AC negotiated their last deal it included dropping all Aeroplan points.   When I log into Avion Visa portal I can book AC flights with either cash or Avion points.  It is almost always cheaper than buying direct but without the points.

 

In the case of AA and Viking, the two likely have some deal to gets Viking cheaper fares but excludes points.

 

[iancal]

9 hours ago, em-sk said:

 

That comes down to the deal the consolidator made with AC.  These are generally unpublished fares and subject to the terms the consolidator and AC agree on.   I use to use RBC Avion Visa points for booking trips.  When RBC and AC negotiated their last deal it included dropping all Aeroplan points.   When I log into Avion Visa portal I can book AC flights with either cash or Avion points.  It is almost always cheaper than buying direct but without the points.

 

In the case of AA and Viking, the two likely have some deal to gets Viking cheaper fares but excludes points.

 

We no longer care about Aeroplan points.   We stopped our cards some time ago.   For us the benefit, after payment of their 'fees' was often less than one percent.  We switched to a cash back travel card that allows us to truly shop the market for any carrier.

[FlyerTalker]

6 hours ago, iancal said:

We no longer care about Aeroplan points.   We stopped our cards some time ago.   For us the benefit, after payment of their 'fees' was often less than one percent.  We switched to a cash back travel card that allows us to truly shop the market for any carrier.

 

Far better to put spend on credit cards that have flexible transferable points, which you can leverage across dozens of carriers.

 

A fixed-rate cashback card is a good idea - IF you are fine with a locked in rate of return.  If, OTOH, you are savvy enough to leverage your points and can work the system, you can get a much better rate than just 2% return.  For example - used Chase points to get UA miles which got a business redemption of 75k points for a $4000 ticket.  Better than a 5% return.

[iancal]

Alas...we live in Canada.  

 

Our banks excel at retail service charges but fall far short when it comes to credit card offerings.

 

In the past we have rec'd far better value from our Delta points and from our United points than we have done from Aeroplan over the past 10 years or so.

Edited July 24, 2022 by iancal

[em-sk]

6 hours ago, iancal said:

Alas...we live in Canada.  

 

Our banks excel at retail service charges but fall far short when it comes to credit card offerings.

 

In the past we have rec'd far better value from our Delta points and from our United points than we have done from Aeroplan over the past 10 years or so.

 

I use RBC Avion Visa card personal card and the AMEX Platinum as a small business card.  

 

The Avion points can be spent on any airline.  However the special deal RBC has with Air Canada is they don't earn Aeroplan points.  Still find the AMEX does.   The RBC Avion does still earn Aeroplan points on TAP Air Portugal and United issued tickets,   Not certain if that is by design or something not getting coded correctly.

 

As for Aeroplan, my strategy has been to put the Aeroplan number of the booking and earn whatever I earn.  I am not going out of my way to earn them.   

 

[AF-1]

On 7/22/2022 at 5:30 PM, tcuprof said:

If you have elite status with American Airlines, you probably care about earning loyalty points since they are the new currency for achieving or maintaining status. In April, we took a Viking cruise that included DFW-EZE and MAD-DFW flights. We arranged the flights through our AA concierge, but they were purchased by Viking. I was expecting 55000 loyalty points ($5000*11), but received only 5000. I learned that flights purchased by cruise lines do not earn loyalty points.

 

I have mixed feelings about cruiselines arranging air. On the one hand, they are ostensibly cheaper and they include a guarantee to get you on the cruise and home. On the other hand, one of the reasons they are cheaper (at least with Viking) is that they often choose a route you would not take (for example, Viking tried to send us DFW-JFK-LHR instead of DFW-LHR). Also, as stated above, you don't get loyalty points, and that's important to me. 

That stinks.  I too like to earn as many loyalty points as I can. 

[vjmatty]

19 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

For example - used Chase points to get UA miles which got a business redemption of 75k points for a $4000 ticket.  Better than a 5% return.

 

That is the best I have found so far.  I have two Chase Ultimate Reward cards, Ink and Sapphire, which  I convert to Mileage Plus points because I have yet to find a better deal in using the UR points than Star Alliance business class flights.

[mchell810]

1 hour ago, AF-1 said:

That stinks.  I too like to earn as many loyalty points as I can. 

 

I think the title of this thread is misleading because earning points depends on which cruise line you have booked with and/or their specific agreement with airlines.  Last month I flew American on tickets booked via the cruise line (Silversea) and I certainly did get points.  The OP received fewer points than expected on tickets booked via Viking, but that doesn't mean no one can get points.

[FlyerTalker]

33 minutes ago, mchell810 said:

I think the title of this thread is misleading because earning points depends on which cruise line you have booked with and/or their specific agreement with airlines.  Last month I flew American on tickets booked via the cruise line (Silversea) and I certainly did get points.  The OP received fewer points than expected on tickets booked via Viking, but that doesn't mean no one can get points.

 

So, should it be replaced with "Cruiseline air on some cruiselines won't get you points on some airlines"?

 

Personally, I think it works well.  Gets across a point, and everyone should ALWAYS read fully to get the complete details.  And if you are reading correctly, the poster is talking about the new AA loyalty points, not the redeemable AAdvantage miles.  Did you get full loyalty, or just redeemable?  (big difference)

[Zach1213]

2 hours ago, mchell810 said:

 

I think the title of this thread is misleading because earning points depends on which cruise line you have booked with and/or their specific agreement with airlines.  Last month I flew American on tickets booked via the cruise line (Silversea) and I certainly did get points.  The OP received fewer points than expected on tickets booked via Viking, but that doesn't mean no one can get points.

 

Yep, it's all over the board. Depends on the cruise line, the airline, the agreement itself. All I can say is that if you are dead set on getting miles and dead set on using the cruise line to book air, make sure you know what you are buying and what it's getting you. That can definitely impact if it's the "best price" or not (because we often have to reiterate around here that "best price" and "lowest price" aren't always the same thing). 

[Globaliser]

19 hours ago, AF-1 said:

I too like to earn as many loyalty points as I can. 

 

"Loyalty points" have a monetary value. It can be difficult to define, and the same point may have different values for different purposes. But they have a value, and that value is limited. There is no reason to pay more for a loyalty point than it is worth.

 

And that's important to remember if a lower price is part of the reason for picking a cruise line air fare.

[AF-1]

12 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

"Loyalty points" have a monetary value. It can be difficult to define, and the same point may have different values for different purposes. But they have a value, and that value is limited. There is no reason to pay more for a loyalty point than it is worth.

 

And that's important to remember if a lower price is part of the reason for picking a cruise line air fare.

Thank you for your explanation

[ak1004]

Does anyone know if the same is true for Aeroplan? If the cruise line books the flights with Air Canada, and I put my Aeroplan number into the reservation, is there any reason not to earn the points, SQM and SQD?

[FlyerTalker]

41 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Does anyone know if the same is true for Aeroplan? If the cruise line books the flights with Air Canada, and I put my Aeroplan number into the reservation, is there any reason not to earn the points, SQM and SQD?

 

Yes.

 

It completely depends on the specifics of the fare rules for the ticket being purchased.  And if you don't know the fare code, you can't research the rules.

 

Caveat emptor.

[ak1004]

8 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Yes.

 

It completely depends on the specifics of the fare rules for the ticket being purchased.  And if you don't know the fare code, you can't research the rules.

 

Caveat emptor.

we will be upgrading to business class. I know that business class tickets with AC qualify for miles, points, SQM and SQD. So personally I don’t see a reason why tickets purchased via the cruise line won’t qualify.

[FlyerTalker]

39 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

we will be upgrading to business class.

 

First off....do you know that your cruiseline air ticket will be eligible for an upgrade to business?

 

40 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

I know that business class tickets with AC qualify for miles, points, SQM and SQD.

 

Business class tickets purchased directly from AC would.  Cruiseline tickets are NOT the same as those you buy on the open market.  Do you know the fare rules of the cruiseline tickets, or are you just projecting from a standard revenue ticket?

 

42 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

So personally I don’t see a reason why tickets purchased via the cruise line won’t qualify.

 

Do you personally have a reason why they WOULD qualify, when they are not the same ticket as what you would buy elsewhere?

 

But feel to make that assumption if you wish -- I would not make such an automatic leap, and would research completely.

[ak1004]

39 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

First off....do you know that your cruiseline air ticket will be eligible for an upgrade to business?

 

 

Business class tickets purchased directly from AC would.  Cruiseline tickets are NOT the same as those you buy on the open market.  Do you know the fare rules of the cruiseline tickets, or are you just projecting from a standard revenue ticket?

 

 

Do you personally have a reason why they WOULD qualify, when they are not the same ticket as what you would buy elsewhere?

 

But feel to make that assumption if you wish -- I would not make such an automatic leap, and would research completely.

 

I'm paying for a business class flight to Silversea in advance, it's not an upgrade.

 

Here is a quote from Aeroplan - https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/aeroplan/status/qualification.html#/

 

 

They say that any ticket operated by AC or ticketed by AC is eligible.

 

But no, I'm not automatically making an assumption - this is why I'm asking for a feedback from people that maybe have been in this situation.

[em-sk]

29 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

I'm paying for a business class flight to Silversea in advance, it's not an upgrade.

 

Here is a quote from Aeroplan - https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/aeroplan/status/qualification.html#/

 

 

They say that any ticket operated by AC or ticketed by AC is eligible.

 

But no, I'm not automatically making an assumption - this is why I'm asking for a feedback from people that maybe have been in this situation.

 

The fine print is at:

https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/aeroplan/partners.html#/terms-and-conditions

 

Specifically: 

 

• Certain airline tickets are not eligible for earning points credits. These include, but not limited to the following;
  • Refunded, void, or unused tickets, including unused non-refundable tickets
  • Reward travel tickets or free promotional tickets
  • Travel agency/ industry reduced rate tickets
  • Tour conductors, companion tickets, Infant tickets (under age two)
  • Tickets purchased to carry excess baggage or special baggage such as musical instruments or to provide extra space for the primary passenger.
  • Single entity charter flights, unless otherwise specified.
  • Tickets issued at fares with rules that exclude the earning of points credit

 

The last point on the list is the issue.  We just don't know.  If the cruise line is access some special rates negotiated between the cruise line and the airline.    There are no shortage of special unpublished negotiated fares that you and me don't normally have access to.   For example the federal government or a major corporation like IBM would have worked out a special deal with AC.  They book into special fare rules we just don't have visibility into. 

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

Em-sk....absolutely!

 

Unless you know the fare rules, you don't know if it includes or excludes point earning.