Ticket price decrease, rebook and travel credit?
 

I just want to make sure I am understanding correctly
If I book a ticket for $1000 (non-refundable) and the price drops to $800- can I cancel and rebook and get the $200 as a travel credit? If so, what is the expiration date on the travel credit? I think it is 1 year, but not sure if one year from the original booking or the date of the change? And is the expiration date when I need to book a ticket by or travel by?

thanks!

If not booking basic economy, yes.
It defaults to a year from original purchase.
Book a ticket by.

No need to cancel, just call in and they’ll refare the existing one.

If you refare, you'll get the difference as a trip credit that expires 1 year from the date the change was processed.

After you cancel, the credit is a year from purchase, but if you immediately use it to rebook, the remaining value (assuming the price went down) will be issued as a new credit 1 year from the current date.

thanks- and just to clarify like the previous poster said- one year to book by, not travel by?

also to clarify- does the credit have to be used on the ticketed passenger or can you use it on a family member?

If you get a trip credit (which will happen if you change the existing reservation), it can be used for anyone, and it just needs to be redeemed prior to expiration.

If you get a flight credit (which may happen if you cancel the existing reservation), that’s locked to the passenger, and travel must begin by expiration.

big thanks- very much appreciated - so the trip credit from re-faring is definitely a better deal

Yes, it’s a more flexible credit type. If you cancel a ticket, you often still receive a Flight Credit… sometimes a Trip Credit (which AA has been increasingly working towards). Even if you get a Flight Credit, people have had success getting AA to convert them into Trip Credits, or have employed the workaround of using the Flight Credit for a very cheap ticket, which causes the residual to be issued as a Trip Credit. So you still have options, but definitely easier to just refare.

I know this is just for "Tour & Cruise Operators" but I hope it doesn't make its way to all tickets:

https://saleslink.aa.com/en-US/blog/...operators.htmlIssued: April 1, 2024

Dear Partner,

American has carefully reviewed agency performance, and starting on May 13, 2024, we’ll be implementing stronger restrictions on the following:

• Cancellations after the 24-hour booking window, before ticketing (“Materialization” or “Materialize”).
• Voluntary rebooking the same segments, not resulting from schedule changes (“Churning” or a “Churn”).

Fee Changes

• Materialization
  • A fee of $50 will be incurred for all cancelations beyond the 24-hour booking window for Passenger Name Records (“PNRs”) that do not Materialize.
• Churning
  • One free Churn is permitted per PNR. All subsequent Churns to the same PNR will incur a $50 fee, up to a maximum of four charged Churns per PNR ($200 maximum).

Sincerely,

Agency Relations

American Airlines Modern Retailing

I have a couple of trips coming up. I simply go to change the itinerary and if a fare has gone down then I select it. No need to cancel.

I am wondering if the recently enacted FAA Reauthorization Act will affect the expiration of these types of credits? This is an except from the Senate's press release:

• Sets Minimum Standards for Airline Credits: When airlines offer credits or in lieu of a refund, credits must be good for at least 5 years—so they don’t expire before they can be used.

https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2024...horization-act

It only applies to travel credits/vouchers offered as compensation, not travel credits from voluntary changes.

https://www.afar.com/magazine/faa-re...r-travel-rules