I was surprised that I got a credit with AA when our fare dropped.
I wasn't expecting it at all. Because of their change fee deal.
But it turned out, when the fare dropped, the change fee didn't apply.
I did the same process I do with Southwest, I went through the Change process, and checked out where it issued a credit.
I wasn't sure what it was going to do, send me a credit to my card or what.
Turns out I got an old fashioned type of ticket in the mail that I could use as payment towards a future fare. I had to call to have it applied to our next flight and then had to take them to the airport to technically redeem them. Luckily we have a very small regional airport so it was super easy to hop over there and take them to the ticket counter to turn them in. Had we not had that option I believe I could have mailed them in, I can't recall now.