I have a love-hate relationship with American Airlines (AA). I live in Los Angeles and they’re my primary carrier since I have Executive Platinum status, their top tier elite level since I fly so much with them or their partners.
I chose American Airlines because my primary destinations used to be Miami and New York and they service those destinations better than their competitors — especially in Business Class, which I could often get for free thanks to my status, or find inexpensive premium tickets using miles and points.
In addition, American Airlines has excellent lounges in all three of these airports and the lounges are a haven to pass time in if your flight is delayed. On top of that, the Flagship Lounges are usually staffed with knowledgeable ticketing agents who can help when plans go awry. I also love American’s social media team because if you’re in a real bind, they usually respond right away.
What I loathe about American Airlines is that they make using their flight credits and systemwide upgrades almost impossible. For the flight credits, you usually have to call and speak to an agent so it’s a total time suck. United and JetBlue make this process quick and easy by allowing customers to do it all online.
I just called American Airlines’ Exec Plat line to use some credits that are expiring soon for a HNL-LAX trip in early January. After the agent put me on hold to check with their exchange department (my credits were from a U.S. to Canada flight), she came back to tell me that the credits couldn’t be used for the HNL-LAX trip as travel would have to be completed by December 31.
What?! I politely asked for an extension and she said sorry, she couldn’t do anything about it and that I would have to contact their customer service team.
Per her suggestion, I sent American an email via their Contact Us form of their website, asking for an extension and quickly received this automated response: “As an AAdvantage member, if you have an original ticket issued between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021, the value of your unused ticket can be used by September 30, 2022 for travel completed by December 31, 2022.”
Is this not the most ridiculous airline policy or am I overreacting? First of all, Covid has been raging so we’ve been very careful about flying – especially with two little kids. Secondly, my kids are in school so it’s not like they can just take off and use them before December 31. Lastly, this whole travel credit thing is a total sham. Why do they have an expiration date to begin with?
Southwest Airlines made headlines last week when they announced that they’re “eliminating expiration dates on all Southwest flight credits unexpired on, or created on or after July 28, 2022. This additional flexibility applies to all currently valid, existing flight credits, with no action required by Customers with flight credit in the bank, and will apply to any new flight credit issued.”
Now that’s how every airline should treat their customers when it comes to travel credits, instead of some scheme to rake in more money. But unfortunately, as Southwest noted, “it’s a first-of-its-kind policy among major U.S. airlines” and so far, no other airlines have followed suit.
I purchased these tickets with my own hard-earned money and ended up rightly canceling because of the pandemic. But because we’re not able to travel by a certain date, they’re just going to keep my money? This doesn’t sound right to me.
Are you having problems using your American Airlines flight credits, too? Do you think these rules are draconian too?
Just found out Ive lost $1200 in flight credit with AA as well. Does anyone have a sample complaint letter to AA, to DOT? etc? how do we do a class action lawsuit?
Can anyone comment on whether or not they actually had to take the cheap flight that they used in order to prolong their credit? I just converted $3600 of flight credit ($1600 each for myself and my husband) that was going to expire before I could use it. It became about $3450 in trip credit (now expiring a year from today) by purchasing 2 one way tickets that I won’t use. Is it okay to cancel these tickets before I would be scheduled to fly? I already have the numbers for the new trip credits.
Thank you so much! We are trying everything at this point! Again, we’re not asking for more than we paid. We’re not asking for a refund. We’re just asking for the credits to use in the future. We appreciate any help we can get!
My fiancé and I are in the same boat! We booked flights to Paris in Aug 2019. We were getting married on May 4th, 2020 in Paris. We had been planning that wedding for 3 years. We purchased tickets for $2,500. There was no way we weren’t going, so we thought getting the tickets early was smart….eye roll…the Covid hit! My fiancé was out of work for a year and we couldn’t afford to go anywhere by the time the credits expired. I’m livid! When speaking with their complaints department, I told them I’m not looking for my money back. I’m not asking for anything more than what I already paid for. She told me it doesn’t work like that and then thanked me for choosing American Airlines! I’m writing the Attorney General, the transportation department, and going to see what options we have to take legally. Every other company we worked with for our wedding had NOOOO issues refunding us. We even had insurance but because they said we could have credits, we didn’t think it was necessary to file the insurance for the flight tickets. After all, we’re honest people! We don’t want the money and credits. That wouldn’t be fair! Instead, we lost our money/tickets!
This is crazy. I will help you take it to the next level by writing a post and featuring this comment.
My family had to cancel my elderly grandmother’s ticket on American Airlines when the pandemic hit in 2020 (value ~$276). She is in her mid-80’s. She could not travel in 2021-22 and now needs to travel cross country for a specialist doctor’s appointment near where other members of our family live. I called and got the same song and dance from American Airlines. No exceptions to their travel credit expiration policy that ended on December 31, 2022. That is total hogwash. With inflation raging, this part of my family is barely trying to make ends meet right now. Talk about adding insult to injury. We will not be flying with American Airlines again. We will also be filing a compliant with the US Department of Transportation.
I have nearly $300 in trip credit from a canceled flight from CUN – PHL in Feb 2022. I just called to book the SAME flight (CUN-PHL) in a few weeks and was told I couldn’t use my credit bc the flight has to originate in the US. This is an actual WTF moment for me and I will NEVER willingly fly AA again.
OMG I’m on the same boat!! $800 in credit due to canceling our Europe Trip in 2020 and with everything that is happening in this world we were not thinking on vacation. Now i need to fly to LA to see my niece that is very ill and they are saying my credit expired in December 2022!! This is STEALING! they need to honor this credits specially now with the after covid disaster!
I faced the same issue.I had $450 in travel credit due to my flight cancellations in jan 2022. I called AA customer service to book flights just to use my travel credits and I was told my credits had expired. this is unethical, We never received any email about the new expiration dates set by AA.I will never use AA again.Such a fruad company.
Just tried booking and had the same issue as others. Credit expired of date of booking and not the date of when flight was booked for. They are never getting a dime out of me ever again.
Just went to book AA today for my daughters wedding in May with our flight credits of $1200 and they are gone! Happy New Year to us :(
I just discovered that I’m out a $487 travel credit. I called customer service who would not reverse the cancelation. They suggested filling out the online customer relations form, which I did, but I got another rejection. All this while other airlines are stepping up to honor travel credits, especially Southwest. I’m a nurse who worked through covid, and the only travel I’ve done throughout was to see family in a place that American Airlines does not fly to. Not their fault, they don’t care. I got nothing for the $487 I innocently gave them. I wonder how much money they’ve made (stolen) from consumers over the years for unused travel credits…… What a risk it is to do business with American Airlines. Never again.
I’m appalled that travel credits expire with AA, especially when they’re only “valid for 12 months” like WHAT? So you just get to keep our hard earned coin with no other alternative? It is so damn annoying and frustrating they don’t offer any other kind of resolution other than kick rocks. I never want to fly American ever again. Cannot stand them.