How to avoid fees when changing or canceling airline award tickets

Getting compensation can be tricky when airlines cancel flights due to weather, crew issues, maintenance, or other reasons. However, changing or canceling your booking often comes with hefty fees. Thankfully, many airlines no longer charge these fees for both paid and award tickets.

For airlines that still charge fees, there are ways to reduce or eliminate them, such as leveraging schedule changes or travel waivers. Here are a few strategies to help you avoid fees when changing or canceling award tickets.

A summary of change and cancellation fees

While most legacy U.S. carriers no longer charge change fees for most tickets, some airlines still do. You’ll need to pay a set fee along with any fare difference to change your flight. These fees vary by airline, fare class, destination, and how early you make the change.

Many airlines offer same-day changes on the same route for a fixed fee, but these fees are typically waived for elite members. The benefit of making a same-day change is that you likely won’t have to pay extra if you switch to a more expensive flight.

Like change fees, most legacy U.S. carriers have eliminated cancellation fees for most tickets. However, if a cancellation fee applies, you’ll usually receive a travel credit, minus the cancellation charge.

Most major U.S. airlines do not issue refunds to the original payment method unless specific conditions apply, such as a major schedule change. However, for award tickets, many will refund the miles plus any taxes and fees if you cancel.

Change and cancellation policies for different airlines

Every airline has its own set of cancellation and change rules, with some being stricter than others. Here’s a breakdown of the policies of some major airlines.

Air Canada

Air Canada's policy for changing award flights is simpler compared to paid tickets, as it does not depend on the route.

Changes are always free when booking Economy Flex, Economy Latitude, flexible premium economy, business class (flexible), and first class (flexible) awards. However, Economy Standard, lowest premium economy, lowest business class, and lowest first class awards carry a fixed change fee of 100 Canadian dollars (approximately $73 USD) per direction, per ticket. Aeroplan Super Elite members are exempt from change and cancellation fees.

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines eliminated change and cancellation fees permanently as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. To qualify for flight credit, you must make any changes or cancellations before the scheduled departure.

When canceling award tickets, you’ll receive a refund of your miles and taxes, but the $12.50 partner award booking fee and the $15 call center booking fee (for bookings made over the phone) are non-refundable.

Same-day confirmed changes cost either $25 or $50, but these fees are waived for MVP Gold, MVP 75K, MVP 100K, American AAdvantage Platinum Pro, Executive Platinum, and ConciergeKey members. If available, no fare difference will be charged for same-day changes. The fee is also waived for those traveling on the same reservation.

Allegiant Air

Although Allegiant is a budget carrier, it charges a fairly reasonable $25 fee per person, per segment for ticket changes or cancellations. However, any modifications or cancellations must be made within seven days of departure, unless you’ve purchased Trip Flex. This add-on allows a one-time change or cancellation up to one hour before your flight, but it must be added at the time of booking and cannot be applied retroactively.

Instead of refunding your miles, Allegiant will provide a voucher for the value of your ticket.

American Airlines

American Airlines has eliminated change and cancellation fees for all award tickets, and your miles will be automatically refunded to your AAdvantage account.

Refer to this guide for more information on how to change or cancel your American Airlines flight.

Delta Air Lines

Similar to American, Delta Air Lines no longer charges change or cancellation fees for domestic flights or international trips originating in the U.S. This includes award tickets, although you must make changes or cancellations before your flight departs. If you switch to a more expensive flight, you’ll only need to pay the fare difference. Basic economy tickets, however, cannot be modified or canceled.

Visit this link for more information on Delta's change and cancellation policies.

Frontier Airlines

Frontier does not charge change fees for flights more than 60 days before departure. However, a $49 fee applies if changes are made 59 to 7 days before departure, and the fee increases to $99 if changes occur within 7 days of departure. These change fees are in addition to any fare differences.

The airline waives change fees if you purchase its add-on options like The Works and Flight Flexibility.

For more information on Frontier’s change and cancellation policies, check this link.

Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines does not charge change or cancellation fees on Main Cabin fares or higher. However, you will need to pay the mileage difference if you change to a more expensive flight.

JetBlue

JetBlue does not charge any change or cancellation fees for paid or award tickets, unless you purchase a Blue Basic ticket.

Blue Basic tickets can be changed or canceled for a $100 fee on North American flights, or $200 for international routes like Europe. You’ll only need to pay the fare difference if upgrading to a more expensive ticket. If you make changes or cancellations over the phone, there’s a $25 fee. Same-day changes cost $75, though the fee is waived for Mosaic elite members.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest is well-known for its lack of change or cancellation fees, but you will still be responsible for any fare difference. Additionally, you can receive a credit if your fare decreases. The credit can only be applied to the original ticket holder’s future travel.

If you change an award ticket that has decreased in price, any extra points will be refunded to your account and can be used later by anyone. Just remember, if you cancel a paid Wanna Get Away reservation, you must do so at least 10 minutes before your flight's departure to avoid losing the entire ticket value.

If you need to change to an earlier or later Southwest flight, you’ll pay the fare difference for a Wanna Get Away ticket. However, this doesn’t apply to Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime, or Business Select fares. A-List and A-List Preferred members can enjoy free same-day changes and standby benefits, even on Wanna Get Away tickets.

For more information on Southwest’s fare options, check this link.

Spirit Airlines

Like Frontier, Spirit has a tiered pricing structure for flight changes and cancellations. Changes are free if made more than 60 days in advance. If you change within 59 to 31 days, a fee of $69 applies; within 30 to 7 days, it’s $99; and within 6 days, it’s $119. If you purchase Flight Flex, you can change or cancel award tickets up to 24 hours before departure.

If you hold Spirit elite status, you qualify for free same-day standby to an earlier flight, available up to one hour before departure.

United Airlines

United eliminates change and cancellation fees for all flights within the U.S., Puerto Rico, routes between the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean, as well as international flights departing from the U.S. However, this policy doesn’t apply to basic economy tickets, and you’ll be responsible for any fare difference. Additionally, United no longer charges redeposit fees when you cancel award tickets.

To receive your miles back after canceling an award ticket, you must do so before the flight’s departure. If you miss the deadline, a $125 redeposit fee will apply.

How to avoid change and cancellation fees

The airline may be willing to waive your change or cancellation fees under certain circumstances.

Look for a travel waiver

Travel waivers are typically issued by airlines when they anticipate significant delays or cancellations, often due to weather events or natural disasters. Airlines prefer to offer flexibility to passengers in advance rather than managing last-minute changes at the airport. While the details of travel waivers can vary by airline and situation, they generally allow you to modify or cancel your flight without incurring any fees.

You can find travel waivers on the airline’s website, typically displayed prominently at the top of the page. You may also see them when you check in for your flight. In some cases, the airline might directly notify you if you're eligible for a travel waiver, so be sure to check your inbox before your trip.

Stay alert for any schedule changes

You may be able to avoid change and cancellation fees if your flight schedule is altered after you’ve booked. For example, if your flight was originally set for 1 p.m. but is moved to 2:30 p.m., you might qualify for a free change or cancellation. Airlines typically inform you of these changes via email, but it’s a good idea to frequently check your trip details to spot any adjustments.

Generally, many U.S. airlines will offer a full refund if there’s a significant change to your flight’s departure or arrival time. However, each airline has its own specific rules for handling schedule changes.

Keep the 24-hour rule in mind

U.S. airlines are legally required to provide a refund within 24 hours of booking if the flight is scheduled to depart more than seven days later. This is helpful if the fare drops or if you’re still finalizing your plans. This rule also applies to bookings made through third-party platforms like Amex Travel and the Chase Travel℠ portal.

Have a valid reason

In cases of illness, a family emergency, or other exceptional situations like a natural disaster, travelers can often have change fees waived. Be ready to provide documentation to support your claim.

Check your credit card benefits

If you paid for your trip using a travel rewards or airline credit card, it might come with trip cancellation and interruption insurance. This coverage can help offset change or cancellation fees, as well as other eligible nonrefundable expenses. For example, if you booked with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and need to cancel due to something like jury duty or illness, you could receive up to $10,000 in reimbursement per person (up to $20,000 per trip).

In the event of an emergency that qualifies for your credit card’s trip delay or cancellation coverage, you may have more to worry about than just airline fees. However, knowing that these protections are in place can provide peace of mind if needed.

Keep in mind that to qualify for this coverage, you typically need to pay for part of your trip with the eligible credit card. This could involve covering taxes and fees on award tickets or using points to purchase a flight through platforms like the Chase Travel portal.

Achieve elite status

One of the major perks of having airline elite status is that certain levels with specific airlines allow you to waive change fees on same-day adjustments. This flexibility is perfect if you need to switch to a different flight at the last minute.

Use your credit card travel credits or miles for fees

If you're out of options, consider using travel credits from premium cards such as The Platinum Card® from American Express or the Chase Sapphire Reserve, or redeeming miles from a card like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to cover your change or cancellation fees.

While you’ll still be responsible for these fees, you might be able to use a statement credit or your miles to cover the cost. This generally applies to award tickets, where change or cancellation fees are often an additional out-of-pocket charge. For paid tickets, the fees are subtracted from the value of your ticket.

With the Amex Platinum, you can use your annual airline fee credit (up to $200) to cover change or cancellation fees, but only for the airline you've selected. You can choose your airline when you first get your card, then annually by January 31 for that year. Amex also determines which purchases are eligible, so check their guidelines for more details.

The Sapphire Reserve card offers a more flexible travel credit, applying $300 towards various travel purchases each year. This credit resets annually, so if you haven’t used it yet, charge your change or cancellation fee to the Sapphire Reserve, and you'll be reimbursed.

If you have to pay a change or cancellation fee, you can charge it to a card like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and then use your miles at a fixed value to cover the expense. However, transferring your Capital One miles to travel partners can provide a much higher redemption value.

Avoid paying change or cancellation fees until it's absolutely necessary.

If you need to cancel a flight, it's best to hold off on paying the cancellation fee unless it's absolutely necessary. Airlines may offer schedule changes, delays, or cancellations that allow you to change or cancel your trip without incurring any fees. Also, if the airline cancels your flight, you are entitled to a refund to your original payment method, not just a travel voucher. This is an important option if the airline is unable to fulfill your original booking.

However, be sure to check your airline's specific policies. In some cases, you may be able to rebook an unused ticket after the flight by paying the same change fee you'd have paid initially. Some airlines may require you to cancel or modify your flight before its scheduled departure. Understanding your airline’s rules will help you make the best decision.

Key Takeaway

Changing or canceling a flight can be frustrating, especially with costly fees involved. Keep this page bookmarked for easy reference the next time you need to change your flight.

Depending on the type of ticket, making changes to your flight could save you a significant amount of money—potentially hundreds of dollars. So, the next time you adjust a booking, you’ll know how to minimize your out-of-pocket expenses.