Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you're ready to book that dream American Airlines flight, but your funds are scattered across different accounts, gift cards, or even with a travel buddy? It can be a bit frustrating when the website only seems to want one payment method!
Fear not, fellow traveler! Splitting payments for your American Airlines flight is absolutely possible, although it might require a slightly different approach than simply clicking a few buttons online. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the various ways to successfully split your payment and get you on your way.
The Nuance of Splitting Payments on American Airlines
While American Airlines' website is generally geared towards single payment transactions for flight bookings, there are several workarounds and dedicated methods to utilize multiple forms of payment. The key often lies in knowing when and how to engage with American Airlines' customer service or leveraging specific payment tools.
Step 1: Assess Your Payment Arsenal – What Do You Have?
Before diving into the "how-to," let's take stock of the different payment methods you might be looking to combine. This will help determine the best strategy.
Sub-heading: Identifying Your Payment Sources
Credit Cards: Do you have multiple credit cards you want to use, perhaps to hit different spending bonuses or utilize available credit limits?
Debit Cards: Similar to credit cards, you might want to split the cost across different debit accounts.
American Airlines Gift Cards/eVouchers: Have you received gift cards or eVouchers as a present or compensation? These are typically straightforward to use, but combining them with other methods needs careful handling.
Travel Vouchers/Flight Credit/Trip Credit: If you've had a canceled flight or other travel disruptions, American Airlines might have issued you a travel voucher, flight credit, or trip credit. These have specific redemption rules.
AAdvantage Miles: While technically not a "payment split" in the traditional sense, you might be looking to pay partially with miles and partially with cash.
PayPal: For online bookings, PayPal is an accepted payment method, but splitting a PayPal payment itself isn't directly supported on the AA website.
"Buy Now, Pay Later" Services (Affirm, Citi Flex Pay): These services, while offering installment plans, typically cover the entire cost of the flight themselves, rather than acting as a partial payment.
Understanding what you have on hand is the crucial first step to a smooth payment process.
Step 2: The Online Limitations and Their Workarounds
American Airlines' official website (AA.com) is generally designed for a single form of payment per transaction. However, there are exceptions and workarounds for specific payment types.
Sub-heading: Using Multiple Gift Cards Online
You can use multiple American Airlines gift cards for a single online booking. This is one of the few instances where the website directly supports multiple payment methods.
How it works: During the payment step, you'll have the option to enter multiple gift card numbers and their associated PINs. The system will deduct the available balance from each card. If a remaining balance exists, you can then pay the rest with a credit or debit card.
This is often the easiest and most direct way to split a payment online if gift cards are involved.
Sub-heading: Combining Travel Credits/Vouchers with a Card Online
If you have American Airlines Travel Credit, Flight Credit, or Trip Credit, you can generally apply these first online, and then pay the remaining balance with a credit or debit card.
Process: On the payment screen, look for the option to apply your credit. You'll usually need the 13-digit ticket number or confirmation code associated with your credit. Once the credit is applied, the remaining balance will be displayed, which you can then pay with your chosen card.
This is a common and relatively straightforward method for partial payment.
Step 3: The Power of the Phone Call – Your Best Bet for Most Split Payments
For most scenarios involving splitting payment across different credit cards, or combining unique payment methods not directly supported online, calling American Airlines customer service is your most reliable option.
Sub-heading: Why Call American Airlines?
Agent Flexibility: Live agents have more flexibility in processing complex payment scenarios than the automated online system. They can manually split the total fare across different credit cards, or combine less common payment types.
Custom Solutions: They can handle situations like paying for one passenger's fare with one card and another passenger's fare with a different card (even if on the same booking).
Clarity on Policies: If you're unsure about specific payment policies or how certain combinations work, the agent can provide clear guidance.
Sub-heading: Preparing for Your Call
Have all payment details ready: This includes full credit card numbers, expiration dates, CVVs, names on cards, billing addresses, gift card numbers and PINs, and any travel credit details.
Know your desired split: Before calling, calculate exactly how much you want to put on each card or how you want to combine your payment methods. This will make the process much smoother and faster. For example, "I want to put $X on Visa card 1234, and the remaining $Y on Mastercard 5678."
Be patient and polite: Customer service agents deal with many queries. A calm and clear explanation of your needs will yield the best results.
Sub-heading: The Step-by-Step Phone Process
Find your flight: Begin by searching for your desired flight on AA.com or the American Airlines app. Get to the point where you have a clear understanding of the total fare.
Call American Airlines Reservations: Dial their general reservations number. You can typically find this on the "Contact Us" section of the AA website.
Explain your request: Clearly state that you wish to split the payment for your flight booking across multiple payment methods.
Provide flight details: Give the agent your desired flight dates, origin, destination, and passenger names. If you already have a held reservation, provide the confirmation code.
Specify payment split: Tell the agent exactly how you want the payment divided. For example:
"I'd like to pay $200 with my American Express card, and the remaining balance with my Visa."
"I have two American Airlines gift cards, one for $50 and one for $75, and I'd like to pay the rest with my credit card."
"Can I use my flight credit for my portion of the ticket, and my friend will pay for their portion with their debit card?"
Provide payment information: The agent will ask for the details of each payment method one by one.
Confirm the transaction: Once all payments are processed, the agent will confirm the booking and provide you with a confirmation code. Double-check all details, including the total amount charged to each method.
Request email confirmation: Ask the agent to send a detailed email confirmation showing the breakdown of payments, if possible.
Step 4: Special Considerations and Advanced Scenarios
While the phone call covers most split payment needs, there are a few other scenarios and tips to keep in mind.
Sub-heading: Group Bookings and Individual Payments
For true group bookings (typically 10 or more passengers), American Airlines has a dedicated Group & Meeting Travel desk. They are accustomed to handling complex payment arrangements, including individual payments for each traveler within the group.
If you're just booking for a few friends or family members who each want to pay separately and you're not eligible for group rates, the easiest method is often to book each ticket separately. This ensures each person pays with their preferred method. You can then call American Airlines after booking to link the reservations so that you are still treated as a group for operational purposes (e.g., in case of flight changes or cancellations).
Sub-heading: Utilizing Third-Party Payment Services (Kasheesh, etc.)
Some third-party services, like Kasheesh, are designed specifically to allow you to split a single online purchase across multiple credit, debit, or prepaid cards.
How it works (general concept): You link your multiple cards to the third-party service. When you go to pay on American Airlines' website, you use the single virtual card provided by the third-party service. The service then automatically draws the funds from your linked cards according to your pre-set preferences.
Benefits: This can be a convenient way to bypass American Airlines' online single-payment restriction without needing to call. It can also be useful for maximizing credit card rewards by strategically splitting the cost.
Considerations: Always research and understand the terms, fees, and security of any third-party service before using it. Ensure it's a reputable platform.
Sub-heading: "Buy Now, Pay Later" Options (Affirm, Citi Flex Pay)
American Airlines partners with services like Affirm and offers Citi Flex Pay for eligible Citi AAdvantage cardmembers.
These are not typically "split payment" methods in the sense of combining with other traditional payments. Instead, they allow you to pay for the entire flight cost over a period of time in installments.
If you choose one of these options, the entire flight fare will be processed through that service, not split with other credit cards or gift cards.
Step 5: Post-Booking Confirmation and Verification
Once your payment is split and your booking is confirmed, it's vital to verify everything.
Sub-heading: What to Check
Confirmation Email: Ensure you receive an email confirmation from American Airlines. This email should clearly state your itinerary and confirmation code.
Payment Breakdown: While the main confirmation might not detail the split payment, review your individual credit card statements or gift card balances to confirm the correct amounts were charged/deducted.
Manage My Trips: Log into "Manage My Trips" on AA.com using your confirmation code and last name. Verify that your booking is active and all details are correct.
If anything looks amiss, don't hesitate to call American Airlines again for clarification.
FAQs: How to Split Payment on American Airlines
Here are 10 frequently asked questions about splitting payments on American Airlines, with quick answers:
How to use multiple credit cards for an American Airlines flight?
You'll generally need to call American Airlines Reservations directly to split the payment across multiple credit cards, as their website typically only allows one card per transaction.
How to combine American Airlines gift cards with a credit card for a flight?
You can combine multiple American Airlines gift cards with a credit card directly on AA.com. Apply the gift cards first on the payment screen, then pay the remaining balance with your credit card.
How to use a travel voucher and a credit card on American Airlines?
You can use your American Airlines Travel Voucher, Flight Credit, or Trip Credit first on AA.com during the payment step, then pay any remaining balance with a credit or debit card.
How to pay for part of an American Airlines ticket with AAdvantage miles and part with cash?
When booking an award ticket online, you'll typically see options to pay with miles plus taxes/fees. The cash portion for taxes/fees can be paid with a single credit card. For more complex scenarios involving partial mile redemption and partial cash for the base fare, you might need to call American Airlines.
How to split payment for a group booking on American Airlines?
For official group bookings (10+ passengers), contact American Airlines' Group & Meeting Travel desk. For smaller groups, it's often easiest for each person to book their ticket separately with their preferred payment method, then call AA to link the reservations.
How to pay for an American Airlines flight with multiple debit cards?
Similar to credit cards, you'll usually need to contact American Airlines Reservations by phone to split a payment across multiple debit cards.
How to pay for someone else's American Airlines flight using a split payment?
You can pay for someone else's flight. If you need to split the payment for their ticket, you'll need to call American Airlines Reservations and provide the different payment details to the agent.
How to use a third-party service to split American Airlines payments online?
Some third-party services (like Kasheesh) allow you to link multiple cards and generate a single virtual card for online purchases. You would then use this virtual card on AA.com, and the service handles the split among your linked cards. Research these services carefully.
How to apply a flight discount code and use another payment method on American Airlines?
Flight discount codes are typically applied before the payment stage. Once the discount is applied, the remaining balance can be paid with a single accepted payment method (credit card, gift card, etc.) online. If you need to split that remaining balance, you'd typically need to call.
How to confirm if my split payment went through correctly on American Airlines?
After completing your booking, check your confirmation email from American Airlines for the itinerary. Then, review your individual credit card statements or gift card balances to ensure the correct amounts were charged or deducted. If there are any discrepancies, contact American Airlines customer service immediately.
