American Airlines Refund Policy Changes for the Better

Last year, American changed their refund policy on tickets. Essentially, when searching for a ticket you could place it on hold for 24 hours for free, and then within 24 hours, pay for the ticket. That was changed to allow refunds within 24 hours, so long as a trip was booked more than 7 out from departure. If it was within 7 days, the ticket was completely non-refundable.

Now, AA.com has been updated to the following:

You have up to 24 hours from the time of ticket purchase for a full refund if you booked at least 2 days prior to departure. You must cancel your trip for a refund.

This new policy allows for refunds between 2-7 days from departure, again so long as it is canceled within 24 hours of purchase. Generally, if you purchased a ticket at 8am on Day 1, you have until 11:59pm on Day 2 to cancel, which is more than 24 hours, but be weary using this for close-in purchases, as I can’t guarantee that will work. It’s safe to always make the final purchase or refund within 24 hours of the time you purchase the reservation.

My Take

 The American Airlines refund policy has now changed for the better, and this will encourage more close-in booking of tickets, since consumers can now request a refund up to 2 days prior to departure. 

Hat Tip: FlyerTalk