Originally Posted by
swag
If you just get a reuasble credit, a la Southwest, then for regular AA fliers, it's basically as good as a refund. But if it's just good for date/time changes, then refundable becomes the only real option if you think you may not make the journey at all.
It specifically states that you have to pay the fare difference, so I don't think you can change dates/times with no additional cost unless it's the same price, which leads me to believe it is a la Southwest.
For regular AA flyers, I would take it to mean it's just like a refund, but for the ones who really want cash, they probably would consider the fully refundable.
But since you have to pay the fee upfront, you need to be someone who changes flights every other flight to make it worth it, because paying $68 twice almost makes up for the $150 (standard change fee cost) that you would have to pay if you wanted to make a change; you know, standard "self-insurance" argument.