American Airlines Unannounced Change to Basic Economy Tickets Effective Immediately (Following Delta’s Lead)
I am even more thrilled that I took up Frontier on their fast track elite status challenge since it appears that the lines are starting to blur between the low cost carriers and legacy carriers. Take this unannounced change that American Airlines made that also took effect immediately!
Basic Economy fare tickets purchased after 12 AM CST on December 17, 2025 will now not earn any AAdvantage® miles or Loyalty Points! This is another step down for these fares as change fares were added last year but you were still able to earn 2 AA miles&LP/$1 of the fare.
You have 24 hours from the time you first buy your Basic Economy ticket to make changes or cancel for a refund if you booked at least 2 days before departure. After 24 hours, changes and refunds to the original form of payment are not allowed.
But luckily AA is not going as far as Delta as AA status members will still have the following when purchasing a Basic Economy ticket:
- Upgrade privileges
- Complimentary Preferred and Main Cabin Extra seat benefits based on AAdvantage® status
- Complimentary confirmed same-day flight changes for AAdvantage Executive Platinum® and AAdvantage Platinum Pro® members
- Priority or preferred boarding privileges
- Checked bag benefits
You can bring 1 carry-on bag and 1 personal item on board the plane. Carry-on requirements apply to all customers, including AAdvantage® status members.
- Carry-on bag: This bag must fit in the overhead bin above your seat
- Personal item: This item must fit under the seat in front of you
- Basic Economy fares do not include free checked bags (Doesn’t apply to AAdvantage® status members.)
Delta rebranded their Basic Economy fares as Delta Main Basic in May with an effective date of October 21, 2025 with many, many restrictions even for those with elite status!
- No mile/status earning: Applicable to everyone purchasing this fare
- Upgrades: No – not eligible for paid or complimentary upgrades
- Delta Comfort or Preferred seats: No – not eligible for paid or complimentary
- Advance seat selection: No – not eligible for paid or complimentary
- No same-day confirmed or same day standby changes:
Oof. While comparing it to the changes made at Delta, losing out on the ability to earn miles and loyalty points is a big deal for many. I rarely book basic economy tickets since you know how often I change my mind about trips! But when I have purchased these flights, I have been complimentary upgraded as well as when I was able to score Flagship business tickets on a basic economy ticket using a system wide upgrade.
Stay tuned to see what my experiences as an AA elite member vs Frontier elite member will look like.
About Author
Rosemary is a travel hacker, points nerd and female solo traveler who’s explored 70+ countries without a trust fund, sugar daddy, or sponsored content. Every mile, upgrade, and trip is completely self-funded using a mix of points, miles, and cash or earned with elite status. And she shows you the receipts along with a mildly concerning amount of spreadsheets. Through firsthand experience and plenty of trial and error, she teaches everyday travelers the art of travel hacking and how they too can travel for cheaper, better, and more often. While Rosemary doesn’t take herself too seriously, she does take award travel (and searching for the best ice cream) seriously – because seeing the world shouldn’t be reserved for the rich, the retired, or content creators with brand deals.
