Award Holds

Rule 5: When the redeeming program doesn't allow holds, redirect

Want a Cathay first/business via Alaska Atmos (no holds)? Book it via American AAdvantage instead (24h online hold, free) for the same award. Then transfer Bilt (1:1 instant), Citi TYP (1:1, 1-2 days), or Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 base ratio with a 5,000-mile bonus per 60K transferred, so 60K Bonvoy = 25K AAdvantage miles, 4-day delivery) to AAdvantage. AAdvantage does NOT partner with Amex MR or Chase UR.

Want a United partner award via MileagePlus (no holds)? Book it via Lufthansa Miles & More instead (5-day hold) when both programs ticket the same Star Alliance flight.

Rule 6: The 5-day-hold era is over for AA

AA reduced holds from 5 days to 24 hours in late 2024. The 24-hour hold still beats UA, AS, DL (which have no holds), but if you're booking AA from Marriott Bonvoy (4 days), the hold won't survive the transfer. Use Lufthansa Miles & More instead, OR transfer Bonvoy in advance and book on the spot.

Reading the Data File

# Programs that allow holds, sorted by max hold days
jq '.programs[] | select(.category == "positive") |
    {name, max_days: .max_hold_days, hold_fee: .hold_fee_usd,
     phone_fee: .phone_booking_fee_usd, online: .self_serve_online}' \
    data/award-holds.json | head -50

# Programs that do NOT allow holds
jq '.programs[] | select(.category == "negative") | {name, restrictions}' \
    data/award-holds.json

# Sources for a specific program
jq '.programs[] | select(.id == "american_aadvantage") | .sources' \
    data/award-holds.json

# Transfer-speed reference
jq '.transfer_speed_reference' data/award-holds.json

Cross-References

• transfer-partners — find which transferable currencies reach a given program
• transfer-bonuses — current promotional bonuses on transfers
• partner-awards — which alliance / bilateral awards each program can ticket (so you know your hold options for a given award)
• booking-guidance — phone numbers, the canonical "hold before transfer" workflow
• seats-aero — finding the award space to hold
• stopovers — multi-segment / stopover awards have specific hold rules per program (some allow holds on online-only single-segment awards but not multi-segment ones requiring phone booking)
• round-the-world — RTW bookings have unique hold rules. Star Alliance RTW must be ticketed >=72 hours before first departure (effectively a hard purchase deadline, not a hold). Most other RTWs require phone booking and immediate ticketing.
• status-match — Elite tiers sometimes unlock waived close-in booking fees, priority on phone-booking queues, or other booking benefits. AA's hold policy applies equally to all members (24h online); other programs may grant elite-only hold privileges but verify per-program before assuming.

Source Hierarchy (Per Research Integrity Protocol)

1. The airline's own award rules / phone-line confirmation — canonical
2. Frugal Flyer's award-hold guide — most current authoritative third-party list (canonical for the 6 reliable + Singapore agent-discretionary set)
3. Upgraded Points award-hold table — comprehensive 2025 update with phone numbers and fees
4. Point.me, Frequent Miler, OMAAT — corroborating reports
5. Live and Let's Fly, 10xTravel — for recent policy changes (e.g., the AA 5-day → 24-hour reduction)

When sources disagree (e.g., FF says Cathay = 2 days, UP says 3 days), the data file uses the more conservative number. Confidence markers reflect source agreement.

Avoiding Fabrication

• Hold rules are agent-dependent in practice. The data file gives the published policy; actual behavior may vary by call.
• The 6 reliable + Singapore agent-discretionary list is canonical as of 2024 (Frugal Flyer). If a user reports a hold experience with a program NOT on the list (e.g., Etihad reports from years past), document it as anecdotal but don't update the data without primary-source confirmation.
• Phone numbers can change. Always verify the published phone number on the airline's site before recommending a call.