Are you confused about how to redeem an American Airlines travel voucher? If you’ve ever been on an oversold AA flight, you’ve probably been offered a travel voucher. It’s one of the easiest ways I’ve ever received “free travel”. I offered to get bumped off my flight to Chicago last year in exchange for a travel voucher. I was flying American Airlines out of San Francisco and the flight was oversold.

The gate agent made several announcements before I decided to accept a $500 travel voucher for a later flight. The agent also threw in a $15 meal voucher and offered me “a very nice seat” on the next flight. It turned out to be an aisle seat with the middle blocked off. I was a happy camper.

Five months later, I was heading to Cabo and saw it as the perfect opportunity to put the voucher to use for my parents’ tickets. Turns out redeeming an American Airlines travel voucher was easier said than done. I’ve put up with my share of hassles in this hobby, but nothing tops redeeming this voucher.

What is an American Airlines travel voucher?

An American Airlines travel voucher is as good as cash towards a variety of purchases made with the airline. While travel vouchers are most commonly redeemed towards flights, they can also be applied towards the following purchases:

Airfare on American Airlines/Eagle/Connection, codeshares, and Oneworld itineraries where AA is the international/”governing” carrier.

500-mile domestic upgrade stickers (at the airport only).

Co-payments for upgrades or reduced mileage awards.

Excess baggage fees.

Special handling fees (e.g., checked pets), with a traveling passenger (i.e., not cargo).

Change fees, provided an additional collection of the fare is also being made.

When do American Airlines travel vouchers expire?

An American Airlines travel voucher expires one year from the date of issue.

How to redeem an American Airlines travel voucher

American Airlines travel vouchers can be redeemed either via mail or at an airport ticketing desk. The safest method is to do it at an airport ticketing desk. Especially if you need to book a ticket within 2 weeks.

If you have to mail it in, get a tracking number and take a photo of the voucher in case it gets lost in the mail. Vouchers sent by mail will usually get processed within 1-3 days.

Can you book flights for someone else with an American Airlines travel voucher?

You can book tickets for other people using a travel voucher, as long as you (the voucher recipient) are the one presenting it for redemption.

Can you redeem an AA voucher on partner airlines?

You can use an AA eVoucher for travel on any AA or OneWorld partner flight. Codeshare flights are eligible too. Flights sold or originating outside the U.S., Puerto Rico or U.S. Virgin Islands or operated by other carriers are not eligible.

My experience redeeming an American Airlines travel voucher

For those of you who are unfamiliar with how to redeem an American Airlines voucher, get into a time machine and go back to 1985. That’s how backwards the process is. The voucher I received wasn’t redeemable online. When I called American Airlines to inquire about redemptions, they told me I had to do it at an airport AAdvantage desk since I was booking the flight two days before departure.

There are three airports within a 60-mile radius of where I live, but I decided on Sacramento International since it’s the least crowded. And I could hit up a few Walmarts on the way over there.

Driving out there was quick and there’s a parking garage conveniently located across from the terminal. I parked on the first floor, crossed the street, and headed to the AAdvantage desk. There was a bit of a line, but I got through after about 10 minutes and that’s where the fun began.

The rep was confused about how the travel vouchers worked and got at least two other people involved before someone figured it out. This is where putting your itinerary on hold really saves time.

I gave the rep the hold number. She pulled it up and then proceeded to redeem the voucher. It took an excruciatingly long time. I had already put the tickets on hold and brought the passports just in case there was a problem. Even with all of this, it took over 40 minutes to complete the booking and I received two old-fashioned paper tickets.

If any of you are in possession of one of these vouchers and need help redeeming them, here are some common questions you might have. Hopefully, the answers will save you a bit of time and frustration.

Final Thoughts

That pretty much sums it up. If you have an American Airlines travel voucher, be sure to use it within one year of the issue date. Also, redeem your voucher at the airport and dedicate at least 1-2 hours of your day to this activity.

In my case, it took about 45 minutes for the ticketing agent to apply the voucher to my reservation…which I had placed on hold, with all the personal information entered in advance! If you’re booking a flight for someone else, bring their passport just in case. You never know when you might need it.

Have you ever redeemed an American Airlines travel voucher? What was your experience like?

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