Originally Posted by
jordyn
Definitely true that you should get the SWU back. What I've found is when an SWU is applied due to a quirk of the reservations system rather than keeping the residual value attached to the original ticket, AA will issue a paper voucher. I generally find this more useful, but it's somewhat annoying to redeem the paper vouchers versus calling in to apply the ticket to an existing on-hold reservation.
I called the AAdvantage desk and they told me the SWU is forfeited when the reservation is cancelled online without removing it first. They sounded pretty firm about that. This is one thing I miss about UA where the re-deposit was automatic.