Reader mistake story: Forgetting to add your loyalty number could cost you miles. Here's how to get them back in minutes
We're back with another weekly edition of our reader success and mistake stories. Last Friday, we featured a staff success story about huge savings on a trip to Disney World.
This week, I'm writing about an American Airlines AAdvantage mistake that hit my household — and the quick fix we were lucky to find.
What happened?
My partner, Chapel Fowler, is a sports reporter who often travels to report on games. This spring, he nearly lost out on nearly 3,000 miles he'd earned on an American Airlines flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) after covering the NCAA Women's Final Four.
"During a busy work week in April, I booked a direct flight from Phoenix and Charlotte and didn't attach my AAdvantage number," he wrote.
As a former sports reporter myself, I totally understood. You're often booking at the last minute for basketball tournaments, so there's a lot to juggle.
However, there were 2,950 AAdvantage miles (worth about $47 per TPG's June 2026 valuations) and 2,950 Loyalty Points on the line. While there are certainly more costly mistakes out there, he didn't want to lose out on hard-earned AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points.
Luckily, American Airlines reached out days later to help him recover the miles, turning this mistake into a last-second win.
Related: How I earned 29,000 Loyalty Points and 23,000 AAdvantage miles on a single $800 hotel stay
Why it happened
If you're booking in a hurry (or with a third-party corporate tool, like Chapel was), it could be easy to forget to include your loyalty number while you're quickly searching for the best flight to book.
In this instance, Chapel left the field for his AAdvantage number blank. Since it isn't an essential piece of information (though we may feel differently here at TPG), he was able to continue through the booking process without entering it.
Days later, AA came in clutch. Chapel received an email from American Airlines days later that read: "Don't leave your miles behind."
The airline noticed that Chapel had flown without claiming his miles, and they reached out proactively to help him get them back.
The best part? The reclaiming process was lightning fast.
"I clicked through, put in a claim and received my mileage credits in minutes — literally," Chapel wrote. "AA's original email came at 1:02 p.m., and I had my missing miles by 1:09 p.m. It was a ridiculously fast (and easy!) process."
If you don't receive an email, per AA's website, you can request miles for eligible flights if it has been at least three days since your travel. This policy may differ from carrier to carrier.
Related: How I saved 7,000 points and $31 on upcoming hotel stays
How to avoid this
An easy way to avoid this altogether is by always booking directly through the airline and ensuring you're logged in when you make your arrangements. However, for some third-party corporate tools, this may not always be possible.
I generally advise business travelers to familiarize themselves with their company's travel booking platform and locate the section where they can enter their loyalty numbers to save them to each reservation. If your corporate tool doesn't have a loyalty number field built into its settings, take an extra second while you're making your reservation to check if there's a field to enter your loyalty number there. It could be worth a lot in points or miles.
Already booked and just realized your number is missing? You don't have to wait for the airline to reach out. If you've already made the booking and remember to add in your information before your flight, you can always visit the airline's website, click to manage your trip, and edit passenger information to include your loyalty program number.
Like AA, some airlines may reach out even if you completely forget, so don't fret if you're caught in this situation yourself. Luckily, it's usually a mistake with an easy fix, though your mileage may vary by airline.
Related: Best frequent flyer programs for US travelers
Bottom line
While AA saved the day for Chapel, this may not be the case with every flight on every airline. In general, you don't want to miss out on your miles just because of a clerical error.
Remember to always check that your loyalty information is entered before you make a booking on any site. And, if you aren't registered with each of the major airline and hotel loyalty programs already, what are you waiting for? Make free accounts with programs like AAdvantage as soon as you can.
Want to share your story with other TPG readers? Fill out our mistake story form or success story form. (For ongoing issues that you feel owed compensation for circumstances beyond your control, please contact TPG's ombudsman, Michelle Couch-Friedman, at ombudsman@thepointsguy.com.)
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Frequently asked questions
Yes. American Airlines allows members to earn miles on qualifying flights after the flight has flown, even if you forgot your AAdvantage number before you departed. It's relatively simple (and quick, from Chapel's experience) to do this online.
It's not a guarantee that AA (or any airline, for that matter) will reach out to you after you missed out on miles. However, in Chapel's circumstance, he received an email days later that read "Don't leave your miles behind." The email included a direct link for him to claim his miles after the fact, but this may not happen to every AAdvantage member.
In Chapel's case, it took less than 10 minutes. However, I'd recommend giving it about 1-3 days, since that's the typical time AA claims it takes to credit miles for flights, according to its website.
No, you do not have to call AA to receive credit. The entire process can be handled online, whether you click a link in an email or go directly to American Airlines' mileage request webpage.