Originally Posted by
JY1024
Call AA and ask how much you could get back if you reticketed your current itinerary. (Depends largely on the change fee associated with your ticket.)
I've done this before and here's what happened:
Let's say my original ticket was $1000. Price drops to $600. Since I had a non-refundable ticket, ticket changes requires paying the change fee (for simplicity, let's say it was a $250 change fee).
The agent retickets my itinerary, telling me that I'd receive a $150 paper voucher in the mail ($400 fare difference - $250 change fee). Do note that paper vouchers expire one year after issue and do have certain restrictions.
If you're unfamiliar with AA's archaic paper vouchers, here's a good wiki page to read:
http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Vouchers_(AA)
(Disclaimer: I use several AA paper vouchers each year and have never had an issue. They're not as convenient as other airlines' electronic versions, but still easy to use once you read the wiki.
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Thanks for your help. After finding the lower fare on aa.com and waiting on hold for about 40 minutes, mysteriously the cheaper fare disappeared when I tried to book it.