Originally Posted by
xliioper
To be clear, the fare difference must be greater than change fee to get any credit back. If the new fare is $150 less and the change fee is $200, you will still have to pay $50.
Originally Posted by
ryman554
That's not how it works (anymore).
You have to pay the $200 in new money. You then get $150 back in credit to be used within 1 year of initial ticketing. Exceptions vary if the fare is "refundable" (ie, to cash), in which case you can do what you indicate. Those fares tend to be more expensive, however, and not in the leftmost column of fare choices..
Wanted to give an update - I called back explaining my situation. I actually booked 2 one-way tickets for this flight (one in points and the other cash + TravelBank) so I was concerned I would be double-hit with fees. However the agent previously said they would only charge the highest fee since it was technically a round-trip.
The new agent quoted the change fee as $151 dollars (not sure why) and refunded the $5 difference from the old ticket price. I was then directed to the refund request website where I submitted a letter from the surgeon's office. Thanks to all the people in the thread.