Here's why unaccompanied minors can't book American Airlines Web Special awards
Editor's Note
Editor's note: As of April 1, 2020, you can now book Web Specials over the phone for domestic flights and those to Canada and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Reader Questions are answered twice a week by TPG Senior Points & Miles Contributor Ethan Steinberg.
There's no denying that dynamic award pricing is a bad thing for the majority of travelers, especially those whose work or school schedules force them to travel over peak dates. However, American Airlines has softened the switch to dynamic pricing just a little bit by offering some incredible award sales, including transcontinental domestic award routes for 5,000 miles one-way and business class to Europe for 84,000 miles round-trip. TPG reader Ralph wants to know if it's possible for unaccompanied minors to book these awards as well ...
[pullquote source="TPG READER RALPH"]My 15-year-old son has had an AAdvantage account since he was three weeks old and has accumulated a decent amount of miles. I found a 13,000-mile Web Special award for him, but because he's traveling as an unaccompanied minor I need to call American Airlines to book his ticket. The agent on the phone said they can't sell me the 13,000-mile award, and are instead trying to charge 50,000 miles for the same route. What gives?[/pullquote]
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Dynamic award pricing comes with growing pains for everyone, both travelers who have to get used to the lack of predictability that comes from not having a fixed award chart and airlines who have to fine tune their pricing and update other policies to keep up to date. Let's break down what's going on here, starting with the Web Specials.
Similar to Delta's increasingly-popular flash award sales, AA's Web Specials offer discounts on selected routes for a limited amount of time. In addition to the cheap domestic and European flights, we've seen discounts on AA Flagship First to Hong Kong, business class to Tokyo and a number of other routes.
Related: Maximizing redemptions with American Airlines AAdvantage
The key word to focus on with these deals is "web." These prices are calculated by a computer system and can only be booked online, likely as a way to cut costs by reducing the number of calls that need to be answered by a real live human. The takeaway: Even if an agent wanted to, they simply don't have any way to sell you a Web Special award over the phone.
Which brings us back to Ralph's question. American Airlines requires children traveling solo between the ages of 5 and 14 to register as unaccompanied minors, and for children aged 15 to 17 this service is optional. This should mean that Ralph could book his 15-year-old son a Web Special award if he forgoes the unaccompanied minor service, but AA also adds the following piece of language which complicates things:
And of course, if Ralph has to call AA to book the ticket, he won't be able to take advantage of the Web Special award pricing. So what exactly is going on here? In an era of increasing digitalization, I understand why American still wants a human to process unaccompanied minors with a focus on safety first, rather than relying on a computer system.
Related: Flying alone: Unaccompanied minor policies and fees in the United States
You really can't fault the company for that, but the issue is they haven't yet built a workaround to fix this. We reached out to American Airlines for comment, asking specifically if they had any way to reconcile these two policies, and received the following answer:
"Since the web special awards must be booked online, and minors traveling alone cannot be booked online, a different type of award ticket will have to be chosen for their travels."
Bottom line
For the time being, it's not possible for children traveling as unaccompanied minors to take advantage of American Airline's Web Special awards. Hopefully the company will come up with some sort of workaround in the future, such as booking online and then calling in to confirm the details of the unaccompanied minor.
Thanks for the question, Ralph, and if you're a TPG reader who'd like us to answer a question of your own, tweet us at @thepointsguy, message us on Facebook or email us at info@thepointsguy.com.
Featured photo by Caiaimage/Agnieszka Olek/Getty Images.
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits.Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.