[chriscolombo]

Did you ask which email address American sent the notification to? Did you ask American for a hard copy of the e-mail? If they can not provide you with this information, your case might be legitimate. However, since you did not have the PIN with you (which is unfortunate), it is incumbent upon you to prove American never notified you. While I empathize with you in not having the funds to purchase a new ticket (who does these days), the use of gift cards are specific to the PIN. Provide an incorrect PIN, and the airline is not responsible for anything. They don't even have to provide you with a courtesy e-mail saying you used the incorrect PIN. Although you can blame American airlines, the responsibility lies on your shoulders in this case. You should ALWAYS use the correct PIN when using travel vouchers.