Second Wave Of American Airlines Shutdown Emails Sent Out Today
American Airlines is sending out more emails regarding their account shut downs. We wrote about accounts being shut down more than a week ago. Then Mark wrote about one email that was sent earlier this month, before we were alerted to the massive shut downs.
This latest email is dated December 18th and related to the recent shutdowns for sure. There’s more reports out there of these emails coming in throughout the day. Here’s some of the relevant text:
“we must now exercise our right to terminate AAdvantage account #______. All membership benefits associated with this account, including all remaining miles and issued award tickets, are forfeited, effective December 18, 2019. Award tickets obtained through fraud, misrepresentation, or violations of the AAdvantage Terms and or Conditions of Carriage are not valid for travel. Any tickets issued from these accounts have been cancelled and you will need to make alternate arrangements for any upcoming travel plans.
Because it is clear from our investigation that you have been engaged in one or more violations of the General AAdvantage Program Conditions, any additional accounts in your name or that you control must also be terminated. All membership benefits associated with these accounts, including all remaining miles and unused tickets, are forfeited, effective December 18, 2019. You are no longer eligible to participate in the AAdvantage program.”
Conclusion
All this comes from people using targeted mailers that were not intended for them. As anticipated, people are now seeing this email from American Airlines. They still don’t pinpoint they exact reason, but those who have had their account shut down should have an idea of what has caused it.
Let us know if you have received a similar email today.
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I got a shutdown letter today. Over half a million miles lost. Never purchased a mailer, never sold a mile, never sold an award flight. All earned through offers they sent to us, flying, and credit card purchases. I appreciate the advice in this thread.
Anybody else get a letter today? Sad day…
Hoang: Suing in small claims varies from state to state. First thing you will need to do is find out the legal address for AA in your state. Your state Secretary of State website should have this information by searching for it. Once you have this, go to your nearest court and they will have an office for small claims. They will have the forms and will answer questions, etc. You need to have a short description and amount of your claim for the claim form. Then you will need to pay the filing fee (was $85 in TN) and for the marshall to serve AA ($50?) with the lawsuit. The small claims clerk will then give you a court date on the spot. AA lawyer will call you a few days before the court date and tell you their contract with you allows them to take your points at anytime for any reason. Tell them that they (AA lawyers) know that courts abhor forfeitures for arbitrary reasons and for sure they will lose the case. They will ask you what it takes to make you go away. You tell them $.0188 per point plus court fees. They will ask you where you got the $.0188 and you will say that is what AA charges to buy points. They will try to bully you … just stay firm and they will agree (it will cost them thousands of $$ to go to court). They will ask you to go to the court and dismiss the case and then they will pay you. It’s a hassle for a few hundred $$ … but a few thousand$$ is worth it (IMHO). Of course, if you got your points through identity theft or creating multiple AA accounts …. you’re on shaky ground … identity theft … forget it (IMHO). But if you got your points by taking advantage of CC offers (which I did with Citi), your on solid ground (IMHO).
Suing in small claims varies from state to state. First thing you will need to do is find out the legal address for AA in your state. Your state Secretary of State website should have this information by searching for it. Once you have this, go to your nearest court and they will have an office for small claims. They will have the forms and will answer questions, etc. You need to have a short description and amount of your claim for the claim form. Then you will need to pay the filing fee (was $85 in TN) and for the marshall to serve AA ($50?) with the lawsuit. The small claims clerk will then give you a court date on the spot. AA lawyer will call you a few days before the court date and tell you their contract with you allows them to take your points at anytime for any reason. Tell them that they (AA lawyers) know that courts abhor forfeitures for arbitrary reasons and for sure they will lose the case. They will ask you what it takes to make you go away. You tell them $.0188 per point plus court fees. They will ask you where you got the $.0188 and you will say that is what AA charges to buy points. They will try to bully you … just stay firm and they will agree (it will cost them thousands of $$ to go to court). They will ask you to go to the court and dismiss the case and then they will pay you. It’s a hassle for a few hundred $$ … but a few thousand$$ is worth it (IMHO). Of course, if you got your points through identity theft or creating multiple AA accounts …. you’re on shaky ground … identity theft … forget it (IMHO). But if you got your points by taking advantage of CC offers (which I did with Citi), your on solid ground (IMHO).
Preston,
Thanks. I will save this information. We lost 100K clawback with AMEX due to the MS and I did file with Federal agent to protect consumers (sorry I forgot the name) but it did not go anywhere. I argue the GC is not the same as cash since it does not get accept at all places like cash and you can deposit it in the bank.
Thank you for the advice. Are you suing? I got a shutdown letter today. Over half a million miles lost. Never purchased a mailer, never sold a mile, never sold an award flight. All earned through offers they sent to us, flying, and credit card purchases. Gut wrenching!!
anyone losing a substantial amount of points may well have a good chance of winning in court against AA, despite what the terms and conditions say, just as Preston described. But the new catch with this shutdown (and why AA feels confident they can do this) is that some people managed to get a huge number of email offers without the 24-month restriction by signing up for multiple fake AAdvantage accounts (all really owned by the same person) just in order to generate offers via email — this is different from buying or trading physical mailer codes, which people did for years, and which AA and Citi couldn’t do much about (until they became one-time use). If you used someone else’s mailer and the bank or the airline tries to close your account, your chances of winning in court are probably high. But the generating of fake email offers by creating multiple accounts (essentially fake identities) actually is cheating the AAdvantage program (not Citi) and looks and smells like fraud. I don’t know the arrangement the two companies have with each other, but millions of miles aren’t just created out of thin air, someone has to pay for them (and I know the miles are getting devalued, but whatever — they’re still worth something). No other airline and bank has been so negligent at stopping the exploitation of credit card signup bonus loopholes.
I saw a post earlier today that the new ‘enhancements’ for dynamic award pricing are listing one-way European business class seats at 400K and even 480K on some routes.
At that devaluation, does this shutdown conversation even matter?
I mean, seriously. Good luck getting value for those points that you ‘stole’. [insert the rolling eyes here]
Why under ANY circumstance would you get an AA credit card over a variable points card? … I don’t get it.
Gus,
Thanks. But I don’t get it since I thought the 24 months applied to open Citi credit card to get bonus so does not matter which AAdvantage account you have.
Sue AA. While the T&Cs may say that they can take your points at anytime for any reason, judges hate arbitrary forfeitures. Citi “stole” 400,000 TYP from me a few years back “just because they said they could”. They alluded to some violation that I did, but were never specific.
I sued them in small claims. They called me 48 hours before the court date to settle. I said $.015 per point, plus my court filing fees. They tried to argue with me, but I told them their lawyers know that a judge will never allow this “just because the T&Cs say so” (which was their argument). They agreed and sent me a check for $6,000+.
AA will have to argue they were financially harmed … and that’s why they can take your points to “compensate” them.
Would you show people how to file the small claim? I don’t believe I did anything wrong but I truly believe AA can not act like “God”
Nice to see this crackdown. Bravo AA.
I keep waiting for my shutdown email but it hasn’t come.
Hopefully it pans out.
“targeted mailers that were not intended for them” but WERE transferable.
I suppose if you are going to play the game you’ve got to figure if the risks you take are worth it. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.
I am so digging these AA shutdowns. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving group. When you play with fire, you need to know you might get burned. Don’t like what AA is doing? Tough luck. Yes, they are the boss of you, you should have known that, and maybe you’ve learned something. Oh, and maybe you’ll think twice next time you think you’re gaming the system.
They are “only the boss of you” if you let them be the boss of you. You have a contract with them that both parties are obligated to follow … and judges don’t like it when one party takes property from another “just because the contract says so”. They do have the power … but the judge is the boss.
But, if you have multiple AA accounts … you’re on thin ice (IMHO).
Why aren’t you being a consumer advocate and pointing out that Citi’s terms and conditions allowed this, so people shut down were in full complaince with the terms. Their contract was with Citi, and faithfully executed.
Why not even point out that the way AA is doing this is wrong, without even providing a way to discuss this or hearing anything, or impacting innocent spouse accounts.