Reinstating a canceled trip or loosing $1,345.35 US dollars

My advice is to definitely not file a complaint with your credit card. That is not appropriate for this case...at least not yet.

You need to find out from American what your current status is. You need that in writing. I don't have an account with American, but I do with Delta. It isn't simple to find my ecredits on Delta.com, so maybe you could google how to do that or ask an American phone agent how to view that. If you can find your credit on your account it will be clear when it expires. Delta has extended ecredits and usually the airlines end up following each other, so there is a decent chance that you have more time

Hi, Mike. I agree that 1300 is a lot of money, buy you may want to edit your title to reflect the correct amount and that you might be "losing: it.

I hope that you get the resolution you desire.

dp,
Not everything that you are saying is correct. Mike called the airline and asked what his options were. The airline offered him a credit. Some airlines, like Delta, are encouraging ticket buying by offering customers to be able to change/delay their tickets with no change fees. Just because this wasn't offered in the past doesn't mean it isn't being offered now or in the future. Mike's problem now is that he doesn't know if he actually has a credit or when it expires. The original agent told him that he was receiving a credit and that it was good until July, 2022 (one year after his original flight date). Unless you think Mike misunderstood or is lying, this is what he should be given. The solution is for him to communicate with the airline. I do agree that the title of the thread isn't so good.

It is very common for the credit to extend from the date the ticket was originally purchased and not the date cancelled. You should have a copy -- email or hard - of your original tickets. On that ticket is record locator number. That should provide the trail for your reservation.

Now -- lets talk about your reservation. You indicated that you were aware that you purchase a Basic Economy ticket. Were you not aware of the limitations for that class of ticket? Without reading the fine print, I am sure that ticket was a no refund, no change ticket plus limitation on luggage and seating. Did you not understand that? Now you have cancelled the ticket for your own reasons. You were not forced to cancel by the Spanish government, the airlines, or even the US govt. You simply chose to cancel and you have to be responsible for that decision. You are at the mercy of the airline to be good guys and give you back part of your tickets. Am Airlines has done nothing wrong or illegal. You have no recourse against your credit card company because everything has been done properly. You need to find a very sympathetic agent, explain your reason, and hope for the best. DO NOT ARGUE. The best might be a refund minus a change fee of a couple hundred dollars. They own you nothing so beg nicely.

Lets talk about your insurance. Did you buy "Cancel for Any Reason" insurance? I doubt it. That insurance tends to be fairly expensive and premium is generally closer to 10% of insured value. BUT -- what does you insurance policy say about cancellation. You would be in a much stronger position if the airline had cancelled or if you were prohibit from entering Spain. Neither situation exists so I would assume you have no claim against the insurance. But read the fine print carefully.

No, you have no basis to make an insurance claim or complaint to your credit card.
You need to take the time to review this again when your anxiety level is reduced.
If you received a confirmation email for the crdit, see if you can reply to it. If so, then do that and ask
1. What is the amount of the credit
2. When is the date it must be used by
3. Will it only be credited to one return trip, or multiple.
Number 3 is to find out whether you can book one or more US flights with the credit. I know you are thinking about Florida for Christmas. That flight will cost less than $1300. If you can only credit one ticket , then you salvage some of the credit but lose the rest. However, you won't have to stress about taking a covid test to return to USA, nor risk being stuck overseas because of a positive covid test.
It is frustrating thst the initial rep gave you incorrect information, but they are dealing with issues around the clock, and must have misheard your question. Credits for a year from initial purchase is the norm, and despite Delta being willing to extend credits, I know other airlines that will not. AA waspretty generous to even issue a credit, in my opiniom.
Unfortunately, this is a situation of your own personal making and you have to accept the consequences or decide how you can minimize your financial loss. Which is more horrific? Losing the flight cost, not being able to use the entire credit amount on a domestic flight, or running the risk of a positive covid test overseas and all the extra costs thst entails? Only you can decide...but to do that, you need a little more information from AA.

Except, if Mike's account is truthful, they DO owe him something. They owe him what they told him they would give him when he cancelled the tickets.

I called back today to see when I have to use my credits by. The agent said by January 5th,

With the airlines I fly, 'use the credit' usually means having to buy a new ticket by that date, not having to complete travel by that date.

Should I try to argue with agents on the phone again

Rather than approaching it with a hostile attitude ( 'argue' with the agents), perhaps approach it as asking for a clarification and explanation of what your options are to use the credit. Apply it to your Fla. trip as a last ditch means to avoid a complete loss?

Whether your situation is an 'insured event' on the travel policy is something you need to ask the carrier.

Good luck

Elliott Advocacy is a non-profit consumer advocacy organization. On its website, it has a very nice article on how to settle your own consumer problem: https://www.elliott.org/answers/how-to-fix-your-own-consumer-problem/

It also has executive contacts for companies, including American Airlines: https://www.elliott.org/company-contacts/american-airlines/

Follow the guidelines of the article very closely. For example, keep your letter/e-mail short and focused. No negative comments about American. No threats to never fly them again. If you've flown them previously and had a good experience include something about previously enjoying flying with American. Make them what to help you.

End with what would resolve the problem for you. I think it's reasonable to ask for the credit's expiration to be extended to July 2020 due to the customer service rep saying that is when it would expire and you making a decision based on that information. Asking for a refund will almost certainly get shot down.

Don't tell your mom 🙂. She'll just say, "I told you traveling to Europe was a bad idea."

.....Except, if Mike's account is truthful, they DO owe him something. They owe him what they told him they would give him when he cancelled the tickets....... That is wrong. They own him what his ticket contract says they own him. An on-the-phone agent may have misunderstand, not have full information in front of him, etc. so they are not accountable for misstatements. They can be accountable IF it is in writing or an email. Even Mike might have misunderstood. It is a mess but both sides have contributed to the problem. It is best to hit the reset button and see if you can get a do over.

I doubt calling back to talk to another customer service rep will do much for you.

From AA's Coronavirus Updates webpage (https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/coronavirus-updates.jsp):

You're allowed to make a change to your trip once, and the change fee
will be waived. You can cancel your trip online and rebook later when
you’re ready, including Basic Economy fares bought between March 1,
2020 and March 31, 2021.

That webpage references credits and links to AA's Travel Credit webpage (https://www.aa.com/i18n/customer-service/payment-options/travel-credit.jsp):

A flight credit is the type of credit issued for a cancelled flight.

Travel must begin 1 year from the date of issue.**

...BUT...

**Flight Credit issued for flights voluntarily canceled by customers during the COVID-19 flexible period can be used for travel through
March 31, 2022.

Since your basic economy ticket was purchased during the COVID-19 flexibile time, the expiration date at the bare minimum should be March 31, 2022.

Ahh, Dave provided the needed information. Now Mike needs to figure out how he can see his credit. The previous suggestion to use his ticket number was a good one.

Trip insurance? You have to read the terms of your contract to know if it will cover.

Dispute with credit card company? (1) Consumers are obliged by the Fair Credit Billing Act to try to work out the problem with the company before filing a dispute. (2) You are likely outside the window of time for filing a dispute. (3) If American follows its written rules for Basic Economy tickets that were in effect at the time of your purchase, you do not have any grounds to dispute the charge.

Now Mike needs to figure out how he can see his credit.

AA's Travel Credit webpage includes information on how to find your credit. It looks like it is easier to do if one has an AAdvantage frequent flyer number.

It looks like you will have to call without that (which it sounds like you have already done).

And... I should have said this at the beginning... I'm really sorry that you are in this situation. I'm sorry, too, that you got some responses here that highly prioritized bluntly assigning blame over providing actionable ways for you to help yourself.

I do think that if you follow the Elliott Advocacy plan, you have an excellent chance of getting the expiration date extended to July 2020.

If you want someone to review your letter/message before sending, feel free to PM me.

I hope you will update us on this situation when the dust settles.

Good luck!

“Did I miss something? How did you come up with that amount? Or was it done so people would look at your post?”

tdw, obviously it was a typo.

Thanks for your imput so far. I fixed the title of my post.

Unfortunately, they deleted my original flights during or just after my phone call to American Airlines in July. And they did something weird so that the amount of credit and the date the trip has to be taken by, won't show on my account and didn't show up in their e-mail confirming my canceling, but instead when I pick my flights I want to take, I have to call customer service, give them my old record locator, and tell them what flights I want, instead of being able to do it through the website. I have my record locator so giving that isn't part of the problem. As it is now, there won't be a an official change fee if I book new flights. If new flights cost more, then I am getting screwed but the extra cost isn't the same as an official "change fee".

Perhaps I could ask to get my deadline to use the credit extended for an extra "change fee".

Or I guess I could acquiesce to reinstating my trip and hopefully everything will be fine regarding COVID-19 testing and hopefully minimal time will be spent traveling to the clinic at the airport or outside the airport, getting the test, and then salvaging the rest of my day. The testing seems like an obsessive-compulsive physically unnecessary bureaucratic waste of time. Without getting the deadline to use my credit extended through at least the end of March, this would be my preference. Because I find it too disturbing to loose so much money. If I fly to Florida and back, which will cost around $400 -$600, that still leaves a risk of loosing about $745-945 (without going to Spain soon enough).

Edit: sometime after I bought my original tickets but before I called in July, they deleted my second return flight, flight from Madrid to North Carolina. I wish that would be an excuse for something, but they already deleted evidence of it.

My previous flights on American were ok. (A flight left 3 hours later than originally planned, and they asked me if I would be willing to switch seats but I said it was ok if they switched my seat because I hadn't paid to pick the seat. Small things like these are not what I care about. Loosing money is what I care about)

Mike doing the tests is really not too onerous so don’t let that put you off going.
In order to return to UK from Spain we have to have proof of negative PCRtype or antigen test. I think that’s the same for return to US but I could be wrong.
We chose the antigen test as it it easier and quicker to obtain the results. We went for an over the internet observed test. For this you buy the test before you leave for your trip and arrange a test appointment. The kit get delivered to your home address and you take it on holiday with you. At the appointment time you have a zoom meeting where you are guided and observed doing the test. This takes about 10 mins. You then email a picture of your results 15 mins later to the company and are then emailed the results certificate. Ours took about 30 mins to come back. This is all done from the comfort of your accommodation at a time that is convenient to you. We did ours at 9pm. I’m sure this type of arrangement is available to you. It was really easy and efficient. Others on this site have also done the same recently.

Mike, as Amanda says,

Mike doing the tests is really not too onerous so don’t let that put you off going.

The swab test, whether you do it for yourself or somebody swabs you is really easy, I'm sure that it is the same as you have been regularly doing already. Here in England we have test kits we use twice a week so I'm sure that would be similar in Detroit.

If you're concerned about a last minute positive, take a DIY a couple of days earlier. Doesn't take much time out of your holiday.

sometime after I bought my original tickets but before I called in
July, they deleted my second return flight, flight from Madrid to
North Carolina. I wish that would be an excuse for something, but they
already deleted evidence of it.

If a "significant change" is made to your itinerary (e.g., a 3-hour change in arrival or departure time), a consumer is entitled to a refund on her or his ticket. BUT... once a credit is accepted (as you have done), that option is gone.

One more idea. This falls under the category of "the worst they can do is say 'No.'" You could ask if you can use the ticket for your Florida flight and then get a "trip credit" (use those words) for the unused portion of the ticket. According to the AA Travel Credit webpage, trip credits typically expire 1 year from the date issued. Perhaps the ticket being a basic economy fare would exclude that from being an option, but, again, the worse they can do is say "no." That you could do by phone.

I think, due to relative inexperience with flying, you don't appreciate the concept of major flight changes. That includes anything over 2 hours or so (exact wording is in your flight contract) and certainly a dropped leg on the return, which would make the original itinerary untenable. When an airline changes your schedule that drastically, you have two options: 1) get a full refund with no questions or strings or 2) give them a second-best alternative itinerary with no additional cost to you. American Airlines makes so many changes and cancellations that it would have been quite easy to get out of this flight scot free - every change refelcts a single opportunity to act. And they have been quite generous with their terms, as far as extending credits. I still have a credit from March 2019 that won't expire until Dec 31, 2021. They've "moved the goal posts" in my favor many times already. This in spite of it being a basic fare. In the future, you need to know your rights.

Also, it pains me to say this, but I hope you change the way you buy your tickets because it seems like every ticket price you post is just really, really expensive compared to what it can/ should be. That matters if you're on a budget. A basic fare to Madrid in the off-peak should not cost you over $1300. That's not a competitive rate (yes, even out of Detroit). For fun, I just Googled some random dates for October and came up with several fares in the $720 range. Give it a shot using Google Flights and the Price Graph feature. That sounds a lot more normal for an October fare to a very competitive market. Same with Florida. If you're flexible on exact dates, winter fares can go for about $250 or even less round trip (Southwest has good fares, so does Jet Blue). I think you may be buying your tickets way too early and not checking if you can switch them (and pocket the difference in the form of a credit - see this: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/delta-airfare-drop-6410d575-b71f-4b68-ab90-94b57af54f85) or you're mistakenly tying yourself to certain airlines (I think you say things like "I am supposed to do x....." You have to think outside the box. There is greater competition among airlines these days, there is no need to fly American or any US-based carrier exclusively. I would consider a $1300 basic fare a total ripoff, especially due to the strings attached which, by the way, have been relaxed in unprecedented ways.

It never hurts to talk to another agent. I've been told ridiculous things by some agents, including by American Airlines. I don't give up. If someone blows me off, I politely say goodbye and thank you and call back and speak with someone else. I've never had anyone totally stump me yet. Most agents will work with you and will help you out if you are professional and polite and persistent. Give it a try. American Airlines user interface may not instantaneously show credits, or there may be a lag, or whatever. Don't assume things. Just keep at it until you get the result you want. And next time, be very aware of flight changes and your rights.

Mike, I do not think you will have much success with the avenues of your trip insurance or your credit card company. Trip insurance covers your trip in cases of sickness, sudden obligations such as jury duty, or unforeseen disasters. Most does not cover covid-19 events, which in 2021 are categorized as a known risk, and certainly does not cover you cancelling your own trip due to a testing requirement.

Your credit card will not get involved in disputes where your airline operated according to the terms of service agreed upon when you bought the ticket, especially since your issue is not with the tickets originally purchased, but the terms of your refund after you voluntarily cancelled what is was clearly listed as a non-refundable ticket.

Take it up again with the airline. If they were already willing to give you credit on your flight, perhaps another agent would be willing to extend the use-by date, especially given the delta surge and CDC putting many countries on the do not travel list. Also keep in mind that having to use the credit by Jan does not mean you must take the trip by Jan, a big difference.

Lastly Mike, taking the return covid test is a sensible requirement, and as many travelers here have reported, a quick affair at any number of pharmacies in Spain near your hotel if you do not want to rush it at the airport. If you have a problem with this, international travel is likely not in your future this year or the next.

Talk to another AA agent, maybe a manager, and get the resolution in writing. You’ve gotten different deadline dates from different representatives, so it’s apparently nothing etched in stone, and you haven’t yet run out of time. Get the resolution in black and white, and then both you and the airline have a reference that will, hopefully, work for both of you. I hope you get a satisfactory result, and eventually a great trip!

I scheduled a call with an agent from American Airlines. They called at the scheduled time. I gently asked the agent if she could see if I the deadline to use my credit could be extended so I could take my trip in March. She put me on hold. Finally she came back and said they were making a one time exception to the rule and I could use my credit to reschedule my trip through March. Apparently, normally with basic economy tickets, changes can only be made for travel not more than a year from the purchase date. Aa.com wasn't working and I had to schedule another call with an agent to actually reschedule my trip - which I did. I already got a confirmation e-mail from them about my new travel dates. As an extra side effect, my new tickets total, for both sets of flights, Detroit to Seville and the flights from Madrid back to Detroit, only cost $905.35, leaving me with just over $380 remaining credit. Now I just have to tell the trip insurance seller that I changed my travel dates and I need to remake reservations for hotels, trains, and so on.

Mike, I'm glad you were able to have a constructive conversation with them and a solution that works. Thanks for coming back and giving us the update.

Congrats on the extension. I will call BS on their "one-time" exception. It's their stated policy.

Congrats Mike- glad it worked out for you.

Hooray! Congrats!

I gently asked the agent...

Glad things worked out for you. Surprising how much can be accomplished by simply being nice.