Frequent flyers with American Airlines will no longer have to call a customer service agent to redeem their systemwide upgrades (SWUs) online. Following a successful beta testing phase that demoed the ability for select AAdvantage members, American is rolling out the ability to apply systemwide upgrades online to all members with SWUs in their accounts. Upgrades all around Systemwide upgrades were previously redeemable only through calling Reservations.
They are a perk provided to AAdvantage members who reach select Loyalty Point Reward levels, beginning at 175,000 Loyalty Points. The airline's Million Miler members also receive four systemwide upgrades when reaching two million miles and for every Million Mile level after. The ability to redeem the SWUs was promised earlier this year following the airline's move to allow passengers to earn miles and Loyalty points when purchasing cash upgrades.
Members of the oneworld Alliance carrier's AAdvantage frequent flyer program can earn at least 5 miles and Loyalty points per dollar spent on upgrades The rollout follows several weeks of testing. It is expected to simplify the process and benefit travelers who may potentially already be abroad or otherwise less able or excited to pick up the photo and call an agent for an upgrade. Speaking to Simple Flying, an American Airlines spokesperson confirmed this was one of the most highly-anticipated features in the airline loyalty program: "We’ve heard positive feedback from our members .
