American Airlines Price Drop Refund Policy
Experience an American Airlines price drop? Master the American Airlines price drop refund policy, learn how to reprice for savings, and skip the hold times.
Experience an American Airlines price drop? Master the American Airlines price drop refund policy, learn how to reprice for savings, and skip the hold times.
While American Airlines won’t usually refund cash to your card (unless it’s a refundable ticket), they allow passengers to reprice their reservation and claim the savings as credit for future trips. Here is the guide to the American Airlines price drop policy, and the exact steps to secure your savings.
You have a 24-hour window from the moment you buy your ticket to cancel for a full cash refund, no questions asked.
Note: Group block reservations do not qualify.
If you miss the 24-hour window on a non-refundable ticket, your savings will come as a credit.
Here is how the two credit types differ: Trip Credits are issued when you cancel on aa.com and are often transferable with a specific expiration date, while Flight Credits come from other cancellation channels and must be used within 1 year of the original ticket date by the original passenger.
Note: You must reprice or cancel before the first flight departs. If you "no-show," you lose 100% of the value.
Basic Tickets are restrictive, but there is a loophole for AAdvantage® members.
American Airlines does not automatically send you savings. You have to work for it. Here are your two manual options.
Want to skip the hard work? Manual repricing is tedious and risky. Autopilot handles this entire process for you, monitoring the fare and working to secure your savings, so you never have to worry about inventory selling out while you click buttons.
You cancel your current flight to get a credit, then immediately use that credit to book the lower fare.
You can call American Airlines Reservations and ask an agent to reprice the ticket for you.
Refundable tickets always get a refund to the original form of payment. For non-refundable tickets, you only get cash back if there is a significant disruption:
Q: What is the easiest way to price match airfare on American Airlines when the price drops?
A: Use Autopilot. Manually checking prices and sitting on hold is painful. Autopilot monitors your reservation for you. If we identify a price drop, our team works to reprice the reservation and secure the savings for you.
Q: Can I get a refund on an American Airlines Basic Ticket?
A: Only if you are an AAdvantage® member. Members can cancel for a partial credit (minus a fee). Non-members generally cannot reprice or refund a Basic Ticket after the 24-hour window.
Q: Does American Airlines have a 24-hour cancellation policy?
A: Yes. You can get a full cash refund if you cancel within 24 hours of purchase, provided you booked at least 7 days before departure. This applies to all ticket types.
Q: Do Business and First Class tickets qualify for repricing?
A: Yes. All tickets above Basic (Main Cabin, Premium Economy, Business, First) qualify for repricing if the fare drops. The savings are issued as a credit.
Q: Will American Airlines refund bag fees if I cancel?
A: Generally, no. Ancillary fees are non-refundable if you voluntarily cancel. However, if the airline fails to provide the service (e.g., lost bag, no Wi-Fi), you are entitled to a refund of those fees.
Autopilot is an independent third-party service and is not affiliated with any airline, hotel, or travel provider. We work on behalf of our customers to help them secure savings when prices drop.
