Positive and Negative Changes of American Airlines New Award Tickets Change & Cancellation Fees

American Airlines
has always been one of my favorite miles program to use for award bookings
because of their more understanding award change and cancellation fees policy
compared to other US mileage programs out there. While the policy lasted for
quite a long time, American Airlines now decided to make some changes to their
award fees policy. 

Depending on how you look at it, the change can be good and bad, but overall I
feel that the new policy is not too awfully bad to accept. 

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American Airlines doesn’t charge for award tickets change fee as long as the
origin and destination remain the same. You can change date, time, connecting
city, airlines, etc. at no cost. You can make unlimited changes and it does
not even matter if it was 6 months, 2 months or several hours before
departure.

However, with the exception of AA Executive Platinum members, any cancellation
for miles reinstatement including any changes made to the origin and
destination, award type such as downgrading from higher class to lower class
cabin would result in a fee of $150 for the first passenger on the itinerary
and $25 for each additional passenger. 

American Airlines is making changes to award change and cancellation fees
policy based on your elite status and ticket’s booking time period before
flight’s departure time. See below:

Depending on how you look at the new American Airlines award fees policy,
there are positive and negative things behind it. 

• Free Change: You can change award tickets at no cost 60 days
  before travel. It does not matter what types of change you want to make.
  Whereas before, you would be charged if you change origin &
  destination after 24 hours and after the award ticket is confirmed. 
• Free Cancellation: You can cancel award tickets and redeposit
  miles into your account at no cost as long as your request is made 60 days
  before departure. Before, after 24 hours you cannot cancel without a fee
  after the award ticket is confirmed. 
• Web Special Awards: AA has been rolling out web special awards
  that offer significant discount on award miles tickets. Those tickets are
  not changeable or cancellable, but with the new policy, those tickets can
  be changed or cancelled free of charge as long as the request to change or
  cancel is made 60 days before travel. 
• Reduced Award Fee: If you are flying alone most of the time and
  have no status with American Airlines, the change and cancellation fee is
  reduced from $150 to $125. If you have elite status, the fee is reduced
  substantially. 
• Free Class Upgrade: Upgrading using more miles to a higher class
  cabin on the same award flight continue to not have any fees even within
  the 60 days window. This is the same as the old policy.
• Free 24 Hours: Cancellations of the original ticket purchased
  2 or more days before departure will continue to have up to 24 hours for a
  full ticket refund including mileage reinstatement.

• Multiple Passengers: Family travelers are going to pay a lot of
  fees to change or cancel an award ticket within 60 days of departure. If
  you do not have elite status, the change or cancellation fee is $125 per
  passenger. Whereas before, the first passenger pays $150 and each
  additional passenger on the same itinerary only pays $25. 
• Award Change Fee: If you settle for an award ticket that may have
  insane connecting time or have bad departure and arriving time, you can no
  longer make changes free of charge even if you keep the origin and
  destination the same. Any changes within 60 days before travel will incur
  fees.
• Award Cancellation Fee: If you cancel an award ticket within 60
  days before travel and have miles redeposited, you will be charged for a mileage reinstatement fee per passenger on the itinerary. The mileage reinstatement fee is the same as award change fee. 
• Upgrade Award: If you use miles to upgrade a cash ticket, any
  cancellation that results in miles reinstatement will incur a fee of $150
  per account for the first ticket and $25 for each additional ticket on the
  same itinerary. You also forfeit any non-refundable co-payment used to
  upgrade. 

American Airlines new award fees change applies to any award reservation that is made on or
after July 1, 2020.

I personally feel that the new American Airlines award fees policy is not
awfully bad and it is still fair compared to other US mileage programs out
there. I appreciate that now we can make any changes and even request
cancellation to have miles redeposited at no cost 60 days before travel. On
the other hand, everyone’s traveling situation is very different. The new policy is
going to hurt those that travel with multiple passengers the most as the new change fee is charged per passenger and based on elite status. But all in all,
I can only think of more positive things to talk about AA award fees change than
negative ones. 

• Direct Link to AA New Award Fees Change
• Master List of Airlines Change And Cancellation Fees For Award Tickets