Are (mileage award) web specials booked now still unchangeable / nonrefundable?
Apr 7, 2020, 10:22 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: United Premier Platinum
Posts: 638
Are (mileage award) web specials booked now still unchangeable / nonrefundable?
Are web special award tickets booked now covered under AA's COVID-19 waiver, or are they still not able to be changed?
Apr 7, 2020, 11:00 am
#2
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: The World!!!
Programs: Some of them not all ...
Posts: 1,532
Actually, why would you want to change them. My question is, are they refundable without paying the $150 redeposit fee?
that would the same as changing it, as you can go ahead and book for another day.
If they were, they would have to charge you the mileage difference, even if that means returning or deducting miles.
that would the same as changing it, as you can go ahead and book for another day.
If they were, they would have to charge you the mileage difference, even if that means returning or deducting miles.
Apr 7, 2020, 11:45 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: United Premier Platinum
Posts: 638
Apr 7, 2020, 3:15 pm
#4
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: The World!!!
Programs: Some of them not all ...
Posts: 1,532
Free change for an award is a thing of the past, when award charts use to exist, as you would want them to open the cheapest award inventory for your new dates and allow you to move the ticket without mileage cost (open T inventory, for examples, as usually there wouldn't be any for the new dates).
Apr 7, 2020, 5:59 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Bye Delta
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Plat, Nat'l Exec Elite, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 16,278
You don’t get the new ticket change fee waiver like you would with a cash ticket purchased today.
If your travel is before 5/31, you’re also not eligible for that other change fee waiver as you had to book before 3/1 to fall under that waiver.
Long story short - the normal rules will apply to you. If your intended travel is 5/31 or before, don’t count on additional waivers being issued. If your travel
is after 6/1, there’s a chance they may extend or issue another waiver but nothing is currently on the books.
If your travel is before 5/31, you’re also not eligible for that other change fee waiver as you had to book before 3/1 to fall under that waiver.
Long story short - the normal rules will apply to you. If your intended travel is 5/31 or before, don’t count on additional waivers being issued. If your travel
is after 6/1, there’s a chance they may extend or issue another waiver but nothing is currently on the books.
Apr 7, 2020, 11:38 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Bye Delta
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Plat, Nat'l Exec Elite, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 16,278
AA updated the waiver again last night. Newly booked award tickets are still not eligible for a free change, but if you have an existing booking for travel through 9/30, that’s covered.
Apr 8, 2020, 10:26 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: United Premier Platinum
Posts: 638
Are they letting people who book miles web specials change the date to later in 2020 if they retain the same routing? In other words, is the "no change whatsoever" rule for web specials temporarily waived (for new bookings made now)?
Some context around the question: we're hoping to go to Japan in mid June, but whether we can or not obviously depends on the COVID-19 situation's evolution in both the US and Japan. I'm curious if I were to book web specials for June and the situation were not to improve, would I be able to move the award ticket to later in the year without paying $150?
Some context around the question: we're hoping to go to Japan in mid June, but whether we can or not obviously depends on the COVID-19 situation's evolution in both the US and Japan. I'm curious if I were to book web specials for June and the situation were not to improve, would I be able to move the award ticket to later in the year without paying $150?
Last edited by mcrw00; Apr 8, 2020 at 10:34 am
Apr 8, 2020, 4:24 pm
#9
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: NOVA
Programs: IHG Rewards Platinum, Marriott Gold, Hilton Diamond, UA/DL/AA Back of the plane...
Posts: 4,612
That being said - I hope I am right because I just booked one a few days ago!
Apr 8, 2020, 5:34 pm
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: United Premier Platinum
Posts: 638
The wording of the latest waiver seems to suggest that, like other tickets, a web special award booked now for travel through September 30 would at the very least be cancellable without redeposit fee. It mentions one policy applying to tickets booked up until yesterday that expressly says “award tickets too,” and then below says that new purchases are also covered. So any reasonable person could conclude that award tickets newly booked are also now covered. I took a screencap of this in case AA tries to push back later.
FWIW, I also called in to cancel an award ticket booked months ago for a flight that wasn’t until October, and they redeposited the miles today with no mention of a redeposit fee.
FWIW, I also called in to cancel an award ticket booked months ago for a flight that wasn’t until October, and they redeposited the miles today with no mention of a redeposit fee.
Apr 8, 2020, 5:35 pm
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: United Premier Platinum
Posts: 638
Apr 9, 2020, 1:20 pm
#12
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Programs: BMI Diamond Club Gold forever
Posts: 6,367
Interesting. I have 4 biz saaver awards to DBV and was told I can convert them to saaver biz to LHR for no cost since AA will no longer fly to DBV this summer.
But I can see that the same route is available for web special business at only 42k per ticket. I wonder if I am better protected keeping the 57.5k standard tickets vs trying to save 15.5k per ticket on web savers?
But I can see that the same route is available for web special business at only 42k per ticket. I wonder if I am better protected keeping the 57.5k standard tickets vs trying to save 15.5k per ticket on web savers?
Apr 9, 2020, 2:46 pm
#13
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: LAX
Programs: AS 100K, DL PL, B6 M3
Posts: 180
Interesting. I have 4 biz saaver awards to DBV and was told I can convert them to saaver biz to LHR for no cost since AA will no longer fly to DBV this summer.
But I can see that the same route is available for web special business at only 42k per ticket. I wonder if I am better protected keeping the 57.5k standard tickets vs trying to save 15.5k per ticket on web savers?
But I can see that the same route is available for web special business at only 42k per ticket. I wonder if I am better protected keeping the 57.5k standard tickets vs trying to save 15.5k per ticket on web savers?
Apr 9, 2020, 3:42 pm
#14
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
You book a web special fare, you can cancel and get the miles redeposited without fee if the cancellation was due to flight cancellations, etc. If you can get to a destination within 300 miles of your original destination, they might let you do that using AA metal. Otherwise, web special award flights are not changeable, even for dates.
This has been stated by several web special holding flyers.
This has been stated by several web special holding flyers.
Apr 9, 2020, 8:00 pm
#15
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Programs: BMI Diamond Club Gold forever
Posts: 6,367
You book a web special fare, you can cancel and get the miles redeposited without fee if the cancellation was due to flight cancellations, etc. If you can get to a destination within 300 miles of your original destination, they might let you do that using AA metal. Otherwise, web special award flights are not changeable, even for dates.
This has been stated by several web special holding flyers.
This has been stated by several web special holding flyers.