February 2020 I bought tickets to Barcelona from New York City which I cancelled due to the pandemic. Like everyone else I got a travel voucher which was supposed to be valid till December 2021. The original voucher was for roughly $600. I used $300 of it in a itinerary in July 2020. I got the balance back in another travel voucher. What American airlines didn't tell me in advance before I made the purchase was that the new voucher would only be valid for a year and not till Dec 2021. The validity of the $300 voucher lasted till July 2021 and apparently it was written in a small font at the end of the email that I received along with the $300 voucher. I wasn't even aware of this. Now when I try to use the voucher it says invalid. Is there any way I can get the money back that was mine in the first place ?
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1You might be too late, as you have probably clicked agreement to the terms. You could and should have rejected the travel voucher, since you were entitled to get your money back.– gerritCommented Oct 26, 2021 at 11:16
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5I just don't understand why airlines get to put expiration date on the money they rightfully owe to you. Can I do the same with my mortgage, I wonder.– alamarCommented Oct 26, 2021 at 12:09
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2@alamar My guess is the original voucher being good through Dec 2021 was based on some legal requirements due to covid bailouts. Once the original voucher was used in part, the remainder owed was then time limited per standard accounting practices.– CGCampbellCommented Oct 26, 2021 at 14:12
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3@gerrit: OP would have been entitled to get their money back if the airline had cancelled the flight. But OP says "I cancelled", in which case the airline was not obliged to refund, and could offer a voucher instead.– Nate EldredgeCommented Oct 26, 2021 at 17:30
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1@Valorum Gift certificates, in many states of the US, cannot have expiration dates (and gift cards are required to not expire for a minimum of 5 years federally).– JoeCommented Oct 27, 2021 at 4:37
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1 Answer
I wasn't even aware of this.
That is unfortunately your problem.
I think the best you can do here is to call them and ask nicely. American Airlines played by the rules that you (unknowingly) accepted so there is very little you can do to push them. If you can't any traction with the first agent, you can try again with another agent.
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4This worked. I used the chat application and they directed me to customer relations through the website. The key is to talk to different representative and maybe one of them is kind enough to understand your situation and remedy it. I asked nicely and the fact that AA extended coupons expiring till May 2021 helped as well. Commented Oct 27, 2021 at 9:17
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@o0'. sadly it's more likely a corporate-level response and isn't limited to just one country.– CriggieCommented Oct 27, 2021 at 9:26