American Airlines has quietly updated its (formerly) generous policy when it comes to 24-hour refunds for tickets that are booked last minute, as flagged by View from the Wing. This is worth being aware of, as American now just complies with regulations, rather than going above and beyond in this area…
This content can be expanded You have 24 hours from the time you first buy your ticket for a refund if you booked at least 7 days before departure. The 24-hour refund policy applies to all ticket types, but you have to cancel the trip to get a refund. If you bought your ticket through a travel agency or another booking source, contact them for a refund. Reservations booked as part of group block do not qualify for the 24-hour refund.
The alternative to booking last minute tickets with flexibility
As mentioned above, American is now just following regulations. American has long been extremely generous when it comes to both refunds and ticket holds, on both revenue and award tickets. So it’s hard to be too mad at American, though it definitely eliminates one of the areas where the airline was more customer friendly.
Among the major US carriers, Delta continues to have the most generous policy in this regard, as the airline gives you that flexibility even until the day of departure. So if you book a Delta ticket the day before a flight, you can cancel it within 24 hours for a full refund.
If you are flying American and aren’t sure if you’ll be able to take the flight, you can always book through an online travel agency that allows passengers to cancel within 24 hours for a refund, even close to departure. You’ll want to check with the individual online travel agency, but this is a policy that you’ll find on sites like Expedia.
Bottom line
American has updated its policy for ticket refunds within 24 hours of booking. Up until now, you could get a full refund if you canceled a ticket within 24 hours of booking, as long as you were ticketing at least two days in advance. With this update, the window has been increased to seven days, in line with regulations.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
