Dec 16, 2014, 3:14 am
Last edit by: JDiver
Extended Booking Hold: Pay (& offer) to Hold Reservation Longer than 24 Hours
NOTE: American Airlines may offer a free 24 hour hold for AA tickets booked on aa.com as an alternative to the now normal 24 hour cancellation policy required by USDOT. When you arrive to the point of purchasing your fare, 24 hour or multiple day Hold may displayed as a purchase option (unless your flight is departing in 7 days or less) This all falls within USDOT rules.
This "pay for extended hold" option was originally trialled in 2011, it returned in 2014 as an ongoing offer and still is offered in 2017 - but not with all bookings. As well, agents may offer to place a hold over 24 hours on a reservation.
Note: the fare is not guaranteed over 24 hours, and ticket detailed rules should be consulted to assure no deadlines are overlooked.
Free 24 hour holds, monetized 3, 5, 7 day holds format:
24 hours: free when offered
3 days: $9.99
5 days: $12.99
7 days: $15.99
See post #121 by Antarius for illustration. Fares February 2017.3 days: $9.99
5 days: $12.99
7 days: $15.99
Hold Your Reservation On aa.com
As a convenience for your travel planning, aa.com (sometimes) offers hold* options during booking. You may place your reservation on hold for up to 24 hours for free, or you may pay to place your reservation on hold for an extended time period. When you make a reservation on aa.com for American Airlines flights, including American flights operated by codeshare partners, look for the "Hold" option on the "Review and Pay" page during the booking process.
Hold your reservation for 24 hours or more Here's how it works:
Book your flight now!
* Actual hold period depends on fare rules. Some fares require purchase by a specific time.
# Hold is not offered if booking closer than 7 days away - added note
As a convenience for your travel planning, aa.com (sometimes) offers hold* options during booking. You may place your reservation on hold for up to 24 hours for free, or you may pay to place your reservation on hold for an extended time period. When you make a reservation on aa.com for American Airlines flights, including American flights operated by codeshare partners, look for the "Hold" option on the "Review and Pay" page during the booking process.
Hold your reservation for 24 hours or more
- Did you find a good fare, but need more time? Hold your trip.
- All holds (offered) are free for the first 24 hours #
- If you choose to hold longer, you’ll be charged after 24 hours.
- Hold charges are non-refundable.
- When you’re ready, go to the confirmation email or My Trips to pay for or cancel your trip.
- Be sure to pay with a credit card from the same country you used to hold your trip or your fare may change.
- Once you select the Hold option, the Free Hold and Extended Hold offers will display: (sic)
* Actual hold period depends on fare rules. Some fares require purchase by a specific time.
# Hold is not offered if booking closer than 7 days away - added note
Extended Hold FAQ's - Extended hold (more than 24 hours) from https://www.aa.com/i18n/utility/FAQs...ns-tickets.jsp
How does extended hold work?
- The extended hold fees are only charged following the expiration of the free 24-hour period. If you buy or cancel your itinerary within that period, extended hold fees will not be charged regardless if you purchased the option initially.
- You must extend the hold for all passengers in the itinerary.
- You can’t use miles to purchase an extended hold.
- The extended hold fee is non-refundable.
Is an extended hold option offered on all flights?
The option to extend your hold is only offered on select routes and is subject to availability. It is only offered to customers traveling on American Airlines marketed and operated flights and American Eagle® services operated by Envoy Air Inc., SkyWest Airlines, Inc., ExpressJet Airlines, Inc., or Republic Airline Inc.
Can I make changes to my itinerary during the extended hold period?
No. You can’t make changes to the itinerary once it has been held using the extended hold feature.
If you’ve had a change in plans, you can cancel your existing hold and choose new flights. You would need to purchase the extended hold product again for your new itinerary (subject to availability).
Can I use different cards for my ticket and the extended hold fee?
Yes. You can use two different credit cards as long as they’re issued in the same country. Using a credit card with a different country’s billing address to purchase a ticket would result in the ticket being re-priced according to the address on that specific card.
FT: Q. Can I hold for 24 hours and then have the USDOT cancellation after the 24 hour hold?
No. Once the 24 hour hold has been selected, you may cancel, but you may not hold, purchase during the Hold period and then have 24 more hours to cancel for refund without penalties or fees.
Updated 8 Feb 2017 - JDiver
Extended Hold: Offer and pay to hold reservation over 24 hours (consolidated)
Mar 25, 2011, 1:34 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: AA EXP - 2MM +, CO, US, UA,SPG, Hertz Presidents Club
Posts: 233
Extended Hold: Offer and pay to hold reservation over 24 hours (consolidated)
I just put a reservation on hold on aa.com and received this up-sell offer. Pretty smart idea:
"Note: This is not a receipt. Fares are guaranteed up to 24 hours. This reservation will automatically cancel if not purchased by the date indicated in the status field.
Need more than a day to decide? Extend this hold and guarantee this fare for 7 days for only $20 per passenger.
Use the record locator below as a reference
Return to AA.com within 7 days to purchase your itinerary
*This product does not apply toward the purchase price of the fare and is non-refundable. This offer may only be purchased at the time of initial booking."
"Note: This is not a receipt. Fares are guaranteed up to 24 hours. This reservation will automatically cancel if not purchased by the date indicated in the status field.
Need more than a day to decide? Extend this hold and guarantee this fare for 7 days for only $20 per passenger.
Use the record locator below as a reference
Return to AA.com within 7 days to purchase your itinerary
*This product does not apply toward the purchase price of the fare and is non-refundable. This offer may only be purchased at the time of initial booking."
Last edited by Microwave; Dec 16, 2014 at 3:14 am Reason: Removed mod note
Mar 25, 2011, 1:37 am
#2
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: DTW
Programs: AA EXP, DL FO
Posts: 1,719
Pretty nice feature for people who are very close to an advance purchase cutoff for a cheaper fare and want to essentially extend their purchase decision to a date when the fare would be substantially higher. ^
Mar 25, 2011, 1:47 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: AA EXP - 2MM +, CO, US, UA,SPG, Hertz Presidents Club
Posts: 233
Odd, on 2nd reservation I booked, the offer was for $5 per person. (first one was a Q, 2nd was a more expensive bucket). Perhaps it's a sliding scale. Either way, likely a feature I will wind up using one day.
Mar 25, 2011, 1:51 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Location: Los Angeles & Orange County, CA
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Mar 25, 2011, 2:08 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: AA EXP - 2MM +, CO, US, UA,SPG, Hertz Presidents Club
Posts: 233
Mar 25, 2011, 3:24 am
#7
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: EXP (AA), Diamond (HH), National Executive Elite
Posts: 81
This is a great feature. I use AA for practically all of my flights, but notwithstanding my loyalty, I am still price sensitive. As a result, I tend to be very contemplative about making a purchase and the 24-hour hold option is one that I use often.
A 7-day hold for a modest cost (its all relative), suits my buying style. For business related travel, it gives me more time to beat the price of the airline selected by our corporate travel agent. We are allowed to purchase outside of the official travel system, if a cheaper fare is available via another source.
My personal travel dates are always subject to my business OPTEMPO, and since I usually purchase non-refundable for personal travel (business I go refundable), I try to be certain that I've gotten my dates right and at a good cost.
A 7-day hold for a modest cost (its all relative), suits my buying style. For business related travel, it gives me more time to beat the price of the airline selected by our corporate travel agent. We are allowed to purchase outside of the official travel system, if a cheaper fare is available via another source.
My personal travel dates are always subject to my business OPTEMPO, and since I usually purchase non-refundable for personal travel (business I go refundable), I try to be certain that I've gotten my dates right and at a good cost.
Mar 25, 2011, 6:31 am
#8
Join Date: Nov 2010
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 446
I wonder if this is how they are test marketing it. They just generate a random price to see how much people are willing to pay for the feature.
Mar 25, 2011, 6:45 am
#9
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Mar 25, 2011, 7:12 am
#11
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP; UA 1K, AS 75K, LT Titanium, Globalist
Posts: 625
2 questions:
1. Do you have to pay the $20 before purchasing the ticket, or is the $20 part of the purchase price and not valid if you abandon?
2. Does anyone know whether the exp desk can also extend this option?
1. Do you have to pay the $20 before purchasing the ticket, or is the $20 part of the purchase price and not valid if you abandon?
2. Does anyone know whether the exp desk can also extend this option?
Mar 25, 2011, 7:42 am
#13
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: London UK
Programs: BAEC Silver, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 2,042
Mar 25, 2011, 7:54 am
#14
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