Captain Mike

I spoke with AA yesterday about the reduced taxes when using a DV voucher. The agent stated that the only voucher that reduces taxes is the one issued for INvoluntary bumping, which code I don't remember (IU or IV maybe?). This is contrary to what I've experienced in the past, but then we got talking about the fee to do the ticketing when using a voucher or a coupon (like a Citibank companion two-for-one). He stated that an internal memo was issued 4/4/07, effective 4/5/07, that eliminates the $10 per ticket fee charged when using a voucher or coupon and "purchasing" the ticket by phone. You are not really purchasing on the phone, of course, but are mailing the coupon or the voucher to Milton, Florida for ticketing there. His point was that the $10 per ticket fee would NOT be charged if you followed that sequence, because you cannot redeem the voucher or coupon online, something AA FT'ers have been complaining about for a long time.

Here's the unknown part, and why I capitalized PHONE in my title: Does that also mean that the $15 ticketing fee at the airport will not be charged when redeeming a voucher or coupon in person there? It would seem so, but he could not verify that, since he claimed to only have access to memos directed to PHONE agents, not airport agents. It would seem reasonable to eliminate the airport ticketing fee on vouchers and coupons at the same time, but we all know how little reason there is in the airline business!

I tend to believe him, since he read me the memo to phone agents verbatim, although he couldn't give me a memo number or title. Was this guy correct?

AlexS

I didn't realize this was a policy change, but I think the agent you spoke with was correct. Yesterday, I made a reservation online, and then called to apply a voucher I have to it, and was NOT charged the $10 phone ticketing fee.

ja_user

Great, my $300 is now a little more useful.

sithjedi333

Interesting, I used a voucher last weekend and had to pay the fee. Oh well.

srk123

How about the $15 fee I had to pay for ordering a reduced mileage award, available only by phone. Yes, I saved 7,500 miles, but I had to pay a $15 phone fee to do it and, of course, forfeited that generous 250 miles AA now gives you for an on-line RT purchase.

MJonTravel

Well, this is a good thing. I've long thought that charging a Customer for the "extra" service of a live person that you are forcing them to use because your IT can't handle a totally electronic transaction was tacky at best. Kudos to AA.

myfrogger

Thanks for the post...

The part about only certain types of vouchers being taxable is not true. AA.com still says the only type of voucher that is taxable are the OU vouchers.

http://www.aa.com/content/agency/Boo...on_vchrs.jhtml

And I've never been involuntarily bumped but I thought that IDB meant cash money...but that is another thread topic.

swag

I don't suppose they are extending this courtesy to award bookings with stopovers, which also can't be booked online?

jrhone

He speaketh the truth. "Effective immediately customers who use vouchers as a form of payment will be exempt from paying the Res Service Fee.".

You still have to pay the $15 to have a highly qualified ticket agent spend some 45 minutes ticketing you at the airport though.

Efrem

Now if they would only apply that logic to other transactions that, because of AA's IT development decisions and through no fault of its customers, can also not be done online ...

zachary

You should be able to avoid the fee by making a reservation on line, holding it, calling and adding the stopover, and then "purchasing" on line. I have not been charged the telephone fee when doing this.

TrojanHorse

finally a change that benefits passengers

although I'm quite surprised by this as I'm not sure how this benefits AA

ricktoronto

Didn't they do away with bonuses for award booking, and you are not buying anything here it seems.

SeAAttle

I have always placed a reservation on hold (after confirming on EF that A is available) and then called to book a mileage upgrade (domestic) and paid the fee. Last week, I called to do that and the agent said I could go ahead and book on line and then call in to have the upgrades done - no fee charge. Tried it and it worked. This was news to me.

Captain Mike

Spoke with an AA "Platinum Desk" agent today who knew NOTHING about this change. She claimed that any time a customer needed human involvement in ticketing, the fee would be charged.

Other statements from this agent:

"Full taxes are charged on voucher tickets" (even though AA.com says otherwise)

"AA does not keep track of vouchers it issues, so FOR SECURITY REASONS they need to be redeemed by an agent - not online" (WHAT? If so, why does each voucher have a serial number that is used at redemption?

I suspect it will be some time before we can routinely avoid the $10 phone ticketing fee! Best idea would be to photocopy voucher or coupon and mail to Milton, Florida, I guess. Hopefully, they are "with it" enough to not charge the fee. Regular agents are slow to pick up on this!