What happens if I cancel my American flight?

That depends on what fare type you’ve purchased and whether or not you’ve purchased a refundable ticket. If you’ve purchased a basic economy ticket, you are not permitted to cancel the ticket for a refund after the 24-hour grace period from when your ticket was purchased. If you have a nonrefundable ticket, you will be not be charged any change fee. You receive the canceled ticket value in the form of an eVoucher or Trip Credit for use on a future American flight. If you have a refundable ticket, you can cancel anytime before the departure of your flight and be reimbursed on your original method of payment.

What happens if you cancel a nonrefundable American flight?

To cancel a nonrefundable ticket, you can cancel without any change fee. The value of the canceled ticket is given to you as an eVoucher or Trip Credit for future use on an American flight.

When do American eVouchers expire?

Your eVoucher expires exactly 1 year after its issue date.

Will American waive my cancellation fees?

A waive of fees really will depend on your reason for canceling the flight. If it’s because of an immediate family member’s death or sickness or military orders, American may waive your cancellation fees but ask for proof. If you believe you have a legitimate reason to have your cancellation fees waived, then it never hurts to call and ask!

How To Cancel an American Airlines Flight [Points or Cash Ticket]

Senior Content Contributor

Updated: January 6, 2025, 10:28am CST

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Key Takeaways
American’s Cancellation Policy: Flights Paid With Cash or Points
American’s Flight Change Policy
How To Cancel a Flight on American
How To Use an American Travel eVoucher
How To Use an American Trip Credit
Final Thoughts

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Key Takeaways

American Airlines allows flight cancellations online, with full refunds available if you cancel within 24 hours of booking.
Cancellation fees and refund eligibility vary depending on fare type, with nonrefundable tickets typically offering credit for future travel.
There is no fee for changing flights for flights originating in North or South America, but fare differences may apply.

Sometimes things happen outside of our control that can put a dent into our travel plans. The process of canceling a flight can be both expensive and complicated.

But if you happened to book your flight with American Airlines and need to cancel, you’re in the right place! Here’s all the information you need to navigate its cancellation policy and determine what policies apply to your situation.

American’s Cancellation Policy: Flights Paid With Cash or Points

All customers have 24 hours from the time of their original booking (at least 2 days before departure) to cancel their reservation without being charged a cancellation fee, regardless of the fare selected.

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Ticket Type	Cancellation Fee
Basic economy	$99 (unless special circumstances apply)
Nonrefundable	$0, but fare difference may apply (depending on fare rules)
Refundable	$0
Award ticket	$0

Basic Economy Ticket

American Airlines generally charges a $99 fee to cancel a basic economy ticket after the 24-hour window has passed. To cancel a basic economy ticket, you must be an AAdvantage member and your travel must be wholly within the United States. You receive your refund (minus the $99 fee) in the form of an American Airlines travel credit. You must use your flight credit within 1 year from the date your ticket is issued.

However, there are some circumstances where you can cancel a basic economy ticket and receive a full refund, even outside the 24-hour window. You can get a full refund if American changes your flight schedule by 4 hours or more, if you have military orders, or if you or your traveling companion dies.

Nonrefundable Ticket

For domestic flights, American charges no cancellation fee on paid fares and no fee for international flights.

You can apply the unused value of your American Airlines ticket toward a future trip as long as your new trip begins no later than 1 year from the ticket’s original issue date and you canceled the original ticket before the departure of the first flight (depending on fare rules).

Hot Tip: Nonrefundable tickets can still be refunded in the event of the death of the passenger or passenger’s traveling companion or because of military orders. You must have supporting documentation.

Refundable Ticket

If you’ve purchased a refundable ticket, cancellations can be made anytime before the departure of your flight. The refund will be issued to your original credit card within 7 days (it should appear on your statement in 1 to 2 billing cycles).

Award Ticket

American Airlines has eliminated all cancellation and redeposit fees on award tickets.

Hot Tip: Looking for even more information about canceling award tickets? Explore our guide to canceling award tickets, including information on over 30 carriers, to learn more.

Hot Tip:

Are you an AA loyalist? Then read through our guide to the best AA-branded credit cards before you book that flight you’re going to change or cancel.

American’s Flight Change Policy

American does not charge change fees for any domestic flights originating in North or South America, excluding basic economy. For travel originating outside North or South America, the change fee is up to $750.

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Ticket Type	Change Fee
Basic economy	Not permitted for any flight
Domestic and short-haul international tickets (excluding basic economy)	$0, but fare difference may apply
Long-haul international tickets (excluding basic economy)	$0, but fare difference may apply
Refundable	$0
Award ticket	$0

Basic Economy

American does not allow flight changes for those with basic economy tickets, regardless of the departure city. You are allowed to make changes for trips that begin in Europe (excluding Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), though you there is a fee.

Domestic and Short-Haul International Tickets

American Airlines has eliminated all change fees for first, business, premium economy, and Main Cabin tickets for all domestic and short-haul international flying on all tickets, excluding basic economy.

Long-Haul International Tickets

American has eliminated change fees for first, business, premium economy, and Main Cabin tickets for all long-haul international flights originating in North or South America, excluding basic economy. For flights originating outside of North or South America, the change fee is up to $750.

Refundable Ticket

If you’ve purchased a refundable ticket, you can make changes to your itinerary without needing to pay additional fees. If you’re changing to a more expensive fare, you need to pay the difference in price. If you’re changing to a cheaper flight, AA will refund the difference to your original method of payment.

Award Ticket

American Airlines has eliminated all change and redeposit fees on award tickets.

How To Cancel a Flight on American

Step 1: Log in to your account on American’s homepage and select “Your trips/Check in.”

American Airlines My Trips — You can cancel your American flight on AA.com. Image Credit: American Airlines

Step 2: Once you’ve selected the trip you want to cancel, select “Cancel Booking.”

Step 3: The next screen asks you to confirm that you want to cancel your booking. After you click “Confirm,” your booking will officially be canceled and you’ll receive a voucher for any remaining funds after any potential cancellation fees.

How To Use an American Travel eVoucher

You can retrieve your eVoucher number and personal identification number by clicking on the link AA sends you via email. On the payment screen, enter both the eVoucher number and PIN exactly as they appear on the retrieval page.

You may use up to 8 eVouchers at a time. If the total price of the ticket exceeds the value of your eVouchers, you may use a credit card for any remaining balance.

How To Use an American Trip Credit

Recently, American Airlines introduced Trip Credits as its method for compensating customers after canceling their tickets — these are set to replace the old eVoucher method.

When you cancel a ticket, Trip Credits are automatically generated and sent by email for the unused value of a ticket (minus any fees). Similar to eVouchers, your Trip Credits have a ticket number and are valid for 1 year from the date of issue.

A major caveat to the program is that any eVouchers you still have are not combinable with Trip Credits, and you cannot use both during the same purchase.

To redeem your Trip Credit, contact the American Airlines reservations department and provide them with your canceled ticket number to rebook. You may use up to 8 Trip Credits at 1 time. If the total price of the ticket exceeds the value of your Trip Credits, you may use a credit card for any remaining balance.

Bottom Line:

AA is phasing out eVouchers in favor of Trip Credits, which work similarly but cannot be combined or used in conjunction with eVouchers.

Final Thoughts

If you’re worried that you may need to cancel your flight and want to make sure you can get a refund, a refundable ticket is going to be your best, albeit more expensive, option.

Having to deal with canceling a flight can be difficult enough as it is, but knowledge is power (as are cards that provide compensation). Be certain to review fare rules closely so that you know what your options are both at the time of booking and if you end up needing to cancel.