Does American Airlines have a Flight Change & Cancellation Policy

American Airlines flight plans may be canceled or changed for unforeseen reasons. A refund or flight credit can usually be obtained without additional charges; it depends on the type of ticket and the situation.

Rebooking your flight might seem limited since you likely booked it several weeks or months ago. According to our American Airlines flight change guide, this is not necessarily the case

Table of Contents

American Airlines Cancellation Policy

The American Airlines Cancellation Policy is fairly straightforward. Consider these points:

As long as your departure date is more than two days in the future, your ticket is fully refundable within the first 24 hours after booking.
There is no fee to change or cancel non-refundable tickets, but no refund will be given. As an alternative, you will receive a travel credit.
Once a basic economy ticket is booked, it cannot be changed. Recent policy changes allow you to cancel your flight for a fee. As with other nonrefundable tickets, you’ll receive a travel credit instead of a refund.
The original payment method can be refunded at any time for fully refundable tickets.
No fee is charged for canceling award tickets and redepositing miles.

American Airlines cancellation policy is customer-friendly. As long as your ticket originates outside North and South America, you won’t have to jump through hoops or worry about losing the entire value of your ticket.

You’ll also receive a credit for any fare reduction you receive when changing a nonrefundable ticket.
If you change a $500 ticket to a $300 ticket, you will receive a $200 travel voucher.

Credits issued after April 2, 2024, are valid only for AAdvantage members for one year after issuance, but for non-members for six months after issuance.

There is no excuse not to join AAdvantage and keep your credit valid for one whole year with the free membership.

How do I cancel an American Airlines flight?

With American Airlines, you can cancel both paid and award tickets in virtually the same way. To access your American Airlines trips, sign in to American airlines and click on “Your trips”:

Cancel your American Airlines flight.
Choose the trip you’d like to cancel from your list of upcoming trips:

Select “Cancel trip”:

Then, confirm your cancellation:

If your miles have been reinstated for award tickets and you have paid for the ticket, the airline should automatically issue you a travel voucher. Taxes and fees paid on award tickets should be refunded to the credit card used to purchase them. As a personal recommendation, double-check that you receive your credit.

Call American Airlines if the money is refunded as a travel credit.

American Airlines Flight Change Policy

According to American Airlines, you may change your flight before your first flight’s departure time. Changes are free within 24 hours of booking, no matter your ticket type, class, destination, or route.

American Airlines Change Fees are as follows:

Within the 24-hour grace period, you cannot change a Basic Economy ticket.
You will be charged a change fee depending on the fare type and when you change your flight.
Unrestricted fares allow you to change your flight (based on availability). An additional fare collection may be required.
It is unnecessary to pay a change fee on American-operated flights, but the difference in fares must be paid.

American Airlines Seat Change

Passengers can rebook their seats according to their preferences with American Airlines. Seats can be reserved in advance when purchasing tickets. Please make seating changes 72 hours before departure.

American Airlines Date Change

American Airlines provides a date change policy for passengers who wish to understand the regulations. Your ticket type plays a large role in determining a date change. Your Basic Economy tickets are non-refundable if you booked them.

American Airlines Name change

The name on a ticket can be modified for an additional fee on American Airlines. Basic Economy tickets typically allow name changes. Name changes must be requested at a ticket office or through American Airlines Name Change Policy.

For legal or marital purposes, it may be necessary to provide supporting evidence, such as a marriage certificate or court order. Fees vary depending on the ticket type and destination.

How to change an American Airlines flight?

It is easy to change an American Airlines flight online. American Airlines can also change your flight over the phone. In contrast, award flights booked with miles can’t usually be changed; you’d need to cancel and rebook. To change a flight, follow these steps:

Choose “Change trip” once you’ve accessed your account online:

By checking the “Yes, I want to change this flight” box, you can search for new flights.

From the options presented, choose a new flight:

As soon as the itinerary has been updated, American Airlines will display the revised itinerary and whether you will have to pay additional fees or receive a credit:

American Airlines displays a “Refund Amount” when you’re eligible for a travel credit. Most refunds are issued as travel credits rather than refunds to the original payment method.

American Airlines will send you an email with the credit to use on a future flight once you have confirmed your new itinerary.

American Airlines trip credit.

What is the American Airlines Refund Policy?

American Airlines can refund passengers who cancel their flights under certain conditions.

For refundable tickets, American Airlines allows passengers to cancel their flights and receive a full refund of the ticket price. The refund is usually processed within seven days of the cancellation request and credited back to the original form of payment.

If the ticket was purchased using a credit card, the refund may not appear on the card statement for several days.

Refunds on nonrefundable tickets after 24 hours are only possible if one of the following conditions is met:

Passenger orders from the military
Change in schedule that lasts longer than four hours
Passenger or travel companion death