The Seattle Times has a good compilation of policies on getting a credit for future travel if the price goes down on your ticket. Here is the summary from that article.
- Alaska Airlines/ Horizon Air: Travel voucher good for one year for the difference in fares, minus a $10 service charge.
- Northwest Airlines: Two options: Voucher good for one year, less a $25 service fee. Cash refund, minus a $100 fee.
- US Airways/America West Airlines: Voucher good for one year issued at no charge. Cash refund, minus a $100 fee. Certain promotional fares excluded.
- United Airlines: A United spokeswoman would not respond to phone and e-mail requests for clarification on the airline’s policy. Information on its Web site says that United will issue a voucher good for one year for domestic flights, and apply a (unspecified) fee on international tickets.
- Continental Airlines: Voucher good for one year, minus the normal change fees applicable to the original fare (usually $100 on domestic flights and $200 on international). “However, we work with customers on a case-by-case basis if individual circumstances apply,” said spokeswoman Susannah Thurston.
- Delta Airlines: Voucher good for one year, less change fees applicable to the original fare (usually $50 for domestic flights and $200 on international).
- American Airlines: Cash refund for the difference in fares, less change fees applicable to the original fare (usually $100 for domestic flights and $200 on international). The airline’s Conditions of Carriage agreement adds, “When reduced fares are for sale for a limited period of time, American reserves the right to decline to issue refunds.”
- Southwest Airlines: Credit for future travel within one year; after that, a voucher good any time. No service fee.
- JetBlue Airways: Voucher good for one year. No fee. If a sale fare applies to a different itinerary or flight times, JetBlue allows customers to cancel the original booking with no penalty and rebook the new flight.
Not long ago, we took advantage of Jetblue’s no penalty crediting and received $20 due to the reduction in fare. A few months before, someone we advised was able to pay for another trip to visit relatives, after getting credit for a trip they booked 11 months in advance that had gone down.