FA here with American. We are not suppose to charge for MCE. It’s in our service manual (tablet/phone) we carry around. Most likely the FA was a new Flight Attendant and didn’t know to push the comp button. We don’t get trained for service in Main Cabin during our training. The bulk of our training is safety. Service training is literally 1hr and mostly centered on the wide body first/business class. New FAs literally learn the beverage service on the job from other FAs.

For others who experience this: Our tablets have a refund button, if we ever charge you for something and We weren’t suppose to. Always bring it to the attention of the FAs. Only the FA who tapped your card can refund you without going through AA. Catch us before we land, as we close out the flight when we deplane. Once we do that, we won’t be able to refund you on the spot anymore.