djc6

I was booked for a United flight PSP->ORD->CLE but was moved to American Airlines (same route) while at the airport due to a delay on inbound United flight. I would have missed my connection to Cleveland.

I found myself at the American counter at the airport with $100 in bag fees and I happened to have a $100 eVoucher! I tried to use but they said my eVoucher would have to be printed out to use it Supervisor said the same thing. There was no barcode or anything special when I hit print to PDF as a test - it was just eVoucher number and PIN.

Nothing in the terms and conditions says I need to print it:

https://evouchers.aa.com/terms.jsp

What are my chances of getting a refund and who would I contact? Thanks!

DCAstudent

The terms specifically say you can't use them for bag fees....

djc6

Odd then I guess the desk agent and supervisor didn't know that. Their concern was about it being printed out.

djc6

So I am still at airport; they said I can't use eVoucher to pay overweight/oversized bag fees but I could for normal bag fees if I'd printed it.

The terms and conditions link I posted above seems to make that distinction as well. Only mentions "excess baggage" fees as excluded.

ijgordon

Isn't *one* checked bag an "excess" bag fee on most tickets, when the allowance is zero?
Not that it matters I suppose...

ThreeJulietTango

E-vouchers are not accepted at the airport, period. Unlike traditional vouchers, there's no ticket number associated with them and it's borderline impossible to process using the tools available to airport agents because they can't be run through as an exchange.

djc6

If they don't have the tools available, how would printing it out allow them to process it?

Anyways, I filled out form at https://prefunds.aa.com/refunds/ and in a couple hours had my money refunded. I guess this confirms that eVouchers CAN be used toward applicable bag fees.

satman40

Next time buy them in $50.00 cards.

milesandmoremiles

all that confirms is somebody wasnt paying attention to your refund request.

as the T&Cs state, e-vouchers can only be used on air travel

djc6

Link? I Read terms/conditions - link is above in thread, it states no such thing. Agent at the ticket counter in Palm Springs AND his supervisor said I could use it for bag fees (had I printed) and different agent at the gate said same thing.

I called AA to ask how to apply for refund, the guy on the phone said I could use eVoucher for bag fees - I mentioned situation so I wouldn't waste my time asking for a refund I wouldn't get. I got my refund quickly - only took a few hours after I filled out website form.

The "excess bag fees" exclusion in T&C was brought up in this thread while I was still at the airport, so I asked AA employee at airport and they explained "excess" means additional fees for overweight/oversize bags. Four AA reps that I spoke to (3 in person, 1 phone) plus whoever processed my request would have had to have been wrong.

milesandmoremiles

All you have to do is read the T&Cs. It clearly says it only applies to airfare and doesn't apply to anything that isn't airfare. Then it lists a variety of items with the header of "such as" and thats where excess baggage is listed. "Such as" is not an absolute term but used when giving examples such as AA is doing on the website. Baggage is not airfare. Its a service/product sold separately and the website clearly states it doesn't apply to such items.

Here is what is pulled directly from the T&Cs. You were lucky in that you got a refund but was definitely not something you were entitled to.

eVouchers are redeemable toward the purchase of the base air fare and directly associated taxes, fees and charges that are collected as part of the fare calculation. eVouchers may not be used for products and/or services that are sold separately, such as upgrades; Admirals Club® membership enrollments or One-Day Passes; excess baggage fees; pet fees; unaccompanied minor fees; oxygen fees; Preferred Seats charges; ticketing fees for transactions processed through American Airlines Reservations; taxes, fees or charges payable in connection with AAdvantage® award travel; American Airlines VacationsSM or non-flight products and/or services sold by American Airlines.

djc6

I really wasn't seeking out something I wasn't entitled to. I was bored at the airport due to delay and asked 3 AA employees if I could use eVoucher and they said I could had I printed it. It was supervisor at ticket counter who mentioned I could apply for refund. I then called for details on how to apply for a refund and was encouraged to do so. I then applied for refund and got it quickly.

I guess AA has a serious training problem if a minimum five and possibly more people have the wrong information about how vouchers can be used. I wasn't trying to game the system I was simply told by multiple AA employees to get a refund (and got it).

milesandmoremiles

The airport agents were confusing e-vouchers for printed transportation vouchers. Those are two completely different items.

Not saying you were trying to game the system, but just merely setting the expectation that what you encountered was a fluke and not something to be expected in the future.

ThreeJulietTango

Printing the voucher wouldn't have allowed them to process it. Airport agents rarely encounter eVouchers, and as milesandmoremiles mentioned, it's likely that they were confusing it for a paper transportation voucher, which is a physical document and is associated to a 13-digit ticket number which is required in order to process the exchange. No such number exists for eVouchers and they would've discovered this had they attempted to process it. Agents and representatives mistakenly giving out incorrect information—especially when faced with unfamiliar situations—is sadly not unprecedented.

While the public facing terms and conditions do not appear to state that an eVoucher may not be used at the airport, AA's internal reference is quite clear on this. The refund may have given been either in error or as a goodwill gesture from AA if you were misinformed by reservations representative or airport agents that your eVoucher would be accepted at the airport. Since bag fees (whether excess or not) can only be paid at the airport, then eVouchers cannot be used as payment for any bag fees.

MrAndy1369

After you got the refund, does your eVoucher still have the $100 value on it?