DISCLAIMER: I am not an American Airlines employee or affiliated with them in any way, so unfortunately, I am not able to access flight records or help you re-book. I have simply learned some of these lessons the hard way and hope to share my knowledge so you’ll have an easier time using your credits! I’m happy to try to help if you do have questions though – feel free to reach out to me through the form on my Contact page or by leaving a comment on this post!

---

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many airlines began making sweeping changes to their formerly rigid cancellation policies. It’s great to retain the funds you paid; however, if you don’t have a full understanding of flight credit and voucher procedures, it’s easy to end up with unused money left on the table.

If You Only Take Away One Thing…

Before we get started, the most important piece of advice I can give you is to document, document, document! Keep every email you get from American Airlines. Take notes while you’re on the phone with Customer Service. If you expect to receive something via mail/email, add a calendar reminder to follow up if you haven’t received it in ten business days.

Before you begin redeeming, compile a spreadsheet with the following information:

• Flight numbers, cities, and dates of your cancelled trip
• Which passengers were originally on the ticket(s)
• How much you paid per person for the ticket(s)
• Record locator and ticket number(s) associated with each single ticket you cancelled (we’ll discuss the difference below)

When you redeem credits for new flights, add this information to your spreadsheet:

• Flight numbers, cities and dates for your newly-booked flight
• Cost of the new flight
• Which passengers have redeemed the flight credit
• The amount remaining (if the flight you redeemed was less expensive than your original ticket)
• The format of your remaining funds (travel voucher or trip credit, which we’ll discuss below)

Record Locator vs. Ticket Number

Let’s talk through some key terms.

When you purchase a ticket, your confirmation email will include a six-character record locator (confirmation number). The email also includes a 13-digit ticket number (beginning with ‘001’) for each passenger. You may not notice this number right away, as you don’t need it for normal travel, but it is key when it comes to tracking your flight credits.

Customer Service Agents are typically not able to pull up credits by your name, AAdvantage loyalty account, or even your six-character record locator. Having the ticket number is the only way to ensure they’ll be able to find your credit.

Types of Credits

There are three different types of ‘credits’ American Airlines uses for travel funds resulting from cancelled flights: flight credits, travel vouchers, and trip credits.

Flight Credit

When you cancel a flight, you’ll initially receive a flight credit for the amount you originally paid. You can only book travel for the originally-ticketed passenger when redeeming a flight credit.

A flight credit is always be tied to your original 13-digit ticket number, and you’ll need to give the ticket number to the Customer Service Agent in order to redeem the credit. You may get lucky and be able to give the Agent your six-character record locator instead of the ticket number, but don’t count on this. Flight credits also may or may not show up on your AAdvantage loyalty account (they showed up in my account for only about half of the flights I cancelled).

Travel Voucher

Travel vouchers used to be issued for any remaining flight credit leftover after the first redemption (if the flight you re-booked didn’t cost as much as your original ticket). Vouchers were also used for compensating passengers for things like giving up your seat on an oversold flight.

While this practice has recently changed, you may still have a valid paper voucher (mailed to you) or electronic “e-voucher (emailed to you) to redeem.

Vouchers are essentially like gift cards with an expiration. You can use them to book travel for anyone. Treat travel vouchers like cash, as they cannot be looked up or replaced. They are not tied to a particular record locator, ticket number, or passenger name. To redeem, you’ll give the Agent the travel voucher number (and the PIN, for e-vouchers only).

Trip Credit

Flight credits and trip credits are not the same thing (couldn’t they have picked a different name?!). Flight credits are the initial value of your cancelled flight (see above), while trip credits are essentially the same as travel vouchers.

While you used to receive a travel voucher for giving up your seat on an oversold flight, you now receive a trip credit. Similarly, if you have remaining travel funds leftover after redeeming part of your initial flight credit, you’ll receive a trip credit for the remaining balance.

To redeem, you’ll give the Agent the trip credit number from your email (and be aware there may be multiple trip credit numbers if you originally purchased upgrades or add-ons like preferred seating or checked bags). Trip credits can be used to purchase travel for anyone.

Rules of Redemption

Who can I book travel for?

• Flight credits (your initial credit after cancellation) can only be used to book travel for the passenger on the original reservation
• Travel vouchers and trip credits (with leftover funds) can be used for anyone

When do my credits/vouchers expire?

• For flight credits, travel must begin one year from the date of issue
• Travel vouchers and trip credits expire one year from the date of issue (you must purchase a new ticket by the expiration date, but travel does not have to begin by that date)

How many credits/vouchers can I redeem at once?

• You cannot apply both a credit and a voucher to a single new reservation. You have to choose one or the other
• However, you may apply up to eight of the same type of credit/voucher to a single ticket
• If you have a paper voucher and an e-voucher, these can be applied to the same reservation since they are both vouchers

Redeeming Credits and Vouchers

You can redeem a single flight/trip credit or up to eight travel e-vouchers on aa.com, but I recommend calling Customer Service instead (800-433-7300). This ensures you’re able to ask all of your questions, understand the credit you’ll have leftover (if any), and be aware of the expiration date of the remaining credits.

Pick Your Flights

Before you call, search aa.com to find the exact flights you want to book using your credits or vouchers. Make a note of the date, departure time, flight number, and price. Go through the steps online as if you’re going to book a ticket (you’ll put in your traveler information but will not have to input payment information). This pulls up the seat selection map so you can tell the Agent which seat you’d like to book.

Call Customer Service

Call as early in the morning as possible to minimize wait times (take advantage of American’s call-back feature). Be sure to keep your phone with you the entire time – you don’t want to miss the call and have to get in the virtual queue again. If you are booking multiple tickets or have several credits/vouchers to use, you could be on the phone with the Agent for close to an hour.

Tell the Agent which flights you want to book, and let him/her know that you have a credit or voucher to redeem. You’ll need to give your ticket number (for a flight credit), voucher number (and PIN, if you received the voucher via email), or trip credit number.

Refer to your notes throughout the re-booking process (and take more notes during the call, too). Be sure you know the amount of your credit and how much your new ticket costs. Ask as many questions as you need to, especially if you expect to have money leftover.

Mail Your Voucher (If Applicable)

If you have a paper/hard copy travel voucher, you’ll need to mail it in once you have booked your tickets. The Agent will walk you through the steps, including which address to send it to and what to include in the envelope. Take a picture of the voucher (front and back) before putting it in the mailbox. It’s also a good idea to use mail tracking services to ensure the envelope does not get lost in the mail.

But How Does This Actually Play Out?

Let’s talk through an example. Last summer, I planned to go to Florida with my husband (Scott), sister (Paige), and brother-in-law (Daniel). We booked our flights together on the same reservation, and each round trip ticket from Dallas to Miami cost $300. When we cancelled our trip, American issued us $300 each in flight credits to be used toward the purchase of future travel.

Remember, flight credits can only be used to book travel for the originally-ticketed passenger, so I could not take Scott’s $300 and purchase a $600 ticket for myself with those funds.

Booking a More Expensive Flight

Let’s say Scott and I want to use our flight credit to book a new trip to Cancun. Flights to Cancun cost $350 each (more than the amount of our flight credit), so using the credit is easy. I simply call Customer Service (or book online) and let them know I had a flight credit to redeem. The cost of the tickets uses up both Scott’s and my $300 credit, so I pay the remaining $50 per person with a credit card.

At this point, Paige and Daniel still have $300 each in flight credits that they can use for themselves.

Booking a Less Expensive Flight

On the other hand, let’s say Scott and I decide to take individual trips. I want to visit a friend in Denver ($175 ticket cost), and Scott wants to play golf in San Diego ($250 ticket cost). That means that I will have $125 of my $300 credit leftover, and Scott will have $50.

To book, I call Customer Service to book these tickets because I know I’ll have funds leftover. I don’t book online (even though I could) because I want to ensure I fully understand what form of remaining credit I’ll be receiving, when I should expect to receive it, the monetary value, and the rules of expiration.

Remember, once you redeem part of your original flight credit, the rest of the funds are magically transformed into a trip credit. Scroll back up if you need a refresher on the terminology! So in this scenario, I expect to receive an email with a 13-digit trip credit number for my leftover $125, and Scott will expect to receive a separate email with the trip credit number for his $50.

Redeeming Remaining Funds

Now, here’s where things start to get interesting. Trip credits and vouchers have much looser rules than flight credits. They operate essentially like gift cards. You can book travel for anyone using trip credits, and you can use up to eight trip credits to purchase a single, more expensive ticket.

So, let’s say Scott and I are feeling generous, and we want to use all of our leftover funds to purchase a flight for my other sister, Faith. We have $175 total in trip credits between us ($125 + $50), and we can use all $175 to purchase a flight for Faith.

If Faith’s ticket costs more than $175, I can simply use a credit card to pay the remaining balance.

Since trip credits work like gift cards, if Faith’s ticket costs less than $175, the trip credit will retain the remaining funds. I will not receive another email with a new trip credit number.

Remember, Paige and Daniel haven’t redeemed their $300 each in flight credits yet. Could all four of us pitch in and have $775 ($300 + $300 + $125 +$50) to use for Faith’s ticket? Unfortunately not. Remember, only travel vouchers and trip credits can be used to book travel for other people. Paige and Daniel have not redeemed any of their funds yet. Their money is still in the form of a flight credit, which can only be used to book travel for themselves.

Keep in Mind

Don’t forget, the best thing you can do is write everything down, even if you think it’s not important. Save emails, take notes during phone calls, and keep track of your ticket numbers and the value of credits/vouchers.

Redeeming American flight credits can sometimes feel like you’re playing a game and no one has explained the rules. Just keep track of your tickets and credits, and keep asking questions until you feel satisfied in your understanding.

Good luck, and happy travels!