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Airline Cancellation and Change Fees for Award Flight Bookings [In-Depth]

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Every airline has its own set of fees and conditions for canceling or changing your award flights (or not — thank you, Southwest!).

We’ve outlined detailed fees and restrictions for canceling or changing award flights with many popular airlines. Below are the award cancellation and change fees you should know about, which are regularly updated.

Award Ticket Fees Tips and Info

Much like cash ticket cancellation and change fees, award ticket fees have varying costs and stipulations — which can be confusing. Here are tips and information to help you better understand fees when booking your next award flight.

  • When you change, you may be required to pay the additional mileage difference for the new route. However, you may not be refunded the mileage if it costs less.
  • In most cases, you will be refunded the taxes and fees you originally paid for the ticket minus any fees to make a change. However, you may not always be refunded the mileage or may not get anything back.
  • All fees are subject to change at any time and may depend on the type of fare you have booked. Always check the terms and conditions of your ticket when booking.
  • Most rewards expire 1 year from the original purchase. During this time, no further changes or refunds can be made.
  • Certain elite status tiers (in many cases) waive the award ticket fees.
  • Some airlines allow you to make same-day changes to a different flight, confirmed or standby, for the same fee as a cash ticket. Sometimes, these fees are cheaper than the change or cancellation fees.
Hot Tip:

You might also be interested in our piece on how to get compensation for your flight when it’s delayed or canceled.

Credit Cards With Travel Insurance for Award Tickets

Do credit cards with travel insurance cover award tickets?

This is a tricky question. Cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card that provide trip insurance have many terms and conditions that must be met to claim the benefit.

The best advice here is to read the terms and conditions of your particular card and pay all taxes and fees with the card in question to be covered. Contact your card’s issuer or benefits administrator if you’re unsure about coverage.

Award Change and Cancellation Fees by Airline

We’ve detailed each airline’s specific award change and cancellation rules. However, check your ticket, as rules and fees constantly change.


Aeromexico

  • Date and/or Schedule Change Fees:
    • Domestic: Tickets booked on or after March 28, 2023
      • At least 8 days before flight departure: MX$700
      • 7 days or less before flight departure: MX$1,000
    • International (except the U.S.): Tickets booked on or after August 8, 2023
      • Asia: MX$5,400 or $300
      • Europe (except France and the Netherlands): MX$5,400 or $300
      • France/Netherlands: MX$3,600 or $200
      • South America LH (Brazil, Argentina, Chile): MX$5,400 or $300
      • South America SH (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru): MX$3,600 or $200
      • Canada: MX$2,700 or $150
      • Central America and the Caribbean: MX$3,600 or $200
    • For award tickets from Mexico to the U.S. (single/round trip) issued on or after January 11, 2023: MX$4,000 ($200)
  • Additional Administration Fee for Changes: 
    • Changed online: MX$323 ($15)
    • Changed via offline channels: MX$640 ($30)
  • Cancellation: Award flights purchased exclusively in Mexico (domestic and international flights operated by Aeromexico) may be canceled within 24 hours of the booking. For other routes, or after this time has elapsed, cancellation fees are:
    • Domestic: MX$1,930 ($100)
    • International: MX$2,900 ($145)
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • Aeromexico Rewards Titanium Members do not incur change fees, provided the change is made more than 21 days before the trip.
  • Awards Program: Aeromexico Rewards
  • Alliance: SkyTeam
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Air Canada

Change and Cancellation Fees: 

SCROLL FOR MORE

Fare Family

Change (Per direction, per ticket)

Cancellation/Refund (Per ticket)

aircanada.com

Contact Center

Economy

Standard

CA$100

CA$150

CA$175

Flex

No additional fee

CA$75

CA$125

Latitude

No additional fee

No additional fee

No additional fee

Premium Economy

Lowest

CA$100

CA$150

CA$175

Flexible

No additional fee

No additional fee

No additional fee

Business

Lowest

CA$100

CA$150

CA$175

Flexible

No additional fee

No additional fee

No additional fee

First

Lowest

CA$100

CA$150

CA$175

Flexible

No additional fee

No additional fee

No additional fee

  • Same-Day Change Fees (Airport)
    • Economy
      • Standard: CA$100
      • Flex: CA$100
      • Latitude: No fee
    • Premium Economy
      • Lowest: CA$100
      • Flexible: No fee
    • Business
      • Lowest: No fee
      • Flexible: No fee
    • First
      • Lowest: No fee
      • Flexible: No fee
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • Changes and cancellations can be made up to 2 hours before the scheduled flight, and fees are per direction, per ticket.
    • Fees for first change waived for Super Elite status members
  • Awards Program: Aeroplan
  • Alliance: Star Alliance
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Air France-KLM

  • Date or Destination Change Fee: €70 plus possible fare difference (before check-in closure)
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund Fee: €70 (before check-in closure)
  • Exclusions and Waivers: Changes or cancellations must be made before the departure of the first flight.
  • Awards Program: Flying Blue
  • Alliance: SkyTeam
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Air New Zealand

  • Date or Destination Change Fee:
    • Global Sale Fares: NZ$50 for each one-way journey
    • Global Saver Fares:
      • Economy and Premium Economy: NZ$50 for each one-way journey
      • Business Premier: NZ$100 for each one-way journey per person
    • Global Flexi Fares: No fee. In the event of a no-show, NZ$300 change fee applies
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund Fee:
    • Global Sale Fares: Nonrefundable
    • Global Saver Fares: Refundable (if canceled 1 day or more before departure)
      • Economy: NZ$150 cancellation fee for each one-way journey
      • Premium Economy: NZ$200 cancellation fee for each one-way journey
      • Business Premier: Z$250 cancellation fee for each one-way journey
      • F class (grabaseat) fares are nonrefundable
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • If you’re not making the change online, a service fee of NZ$60 per change per seat applies for changes made by phone from within New Zealand. Otherwise, the service fee depends on the country you’re calling from.
    • If you buy a Global Sale or Global Saver fare and later upgrade it to a Global Flexi fare, the original cancellation fees apply.
  • Awards Program: Airpoints
  • Alliance: Star Alliance
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Alaska Airlines

  • Date or Destination Change Fee: Free, possible fare difference applies (excluding Saver fares)
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund Fee: Free (excluding Saver fares)
  • Same-Day Change Fee: $50 ($25 for travel within California and on shuttle flights between Anchorage and Fairbanks, Spokane and Seattle, and Portland and Seattle)
    • MVP Gold or 75K members receive complimentary same-day changes
  • Awards Program: Mileage Plan
  • Alliance: Oneworld; codeshare agreements with some SkyTeam members, as well as other airlines
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: Domestic U.S.

American Airlines

American Airlines 737
Image Credit: Stella Shon
  • Date Change Fee: None, possible fare difference applies
  • Destination Change Fee: None
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund of Miles Fee: None (up to 1 year after the ticket issue date)
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • Though you may have to pay the difference, there are no change fees for award tickets.
  • Awards Program: AAdvantage
  • Alliance: Oneworld
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: Domestic U.S.

ANA

  • Date or Destination Change Fee: None (changes can be made up to 24 hours before flight departure)
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund of Miles Fee: 3,000 miles
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • Tickets with stopovers in multiple cities or originally reserved via phone must be changed via phone.
    • Certain types of tickets may include fees; be sure to check your terms.
  • Awards Program: Mileage Club
  • Alliance: Star Alliance
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Asiana Airlines

  • Date or Destination Change Fee:
    • Domestic flights: None
    • International: $30 or 3,000 miles
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund Fee:
    • Domestic: ₩5,000 ($4) or 500 miles
    • International: $30 or 3,000 miles
  • Exclusions/Waivers:
    • International flight fee waived for cancellations made up to 91 days before the departure date
    • No-show fees: ₩15,000 ($10) or 1500 miles (domestic); $120 to $300 or 12,000 to 30,000 miles (International)
    • No changes to the return route may be made.
    • Refunds requested 12 months after the ticket was issued incur a fee of 10,000 miles or $100.
    • 1 free change is permitted. If the ticket can be changed, the fare difference, tax difference, and fees may be incurred according to fare rules. Contact the point of purchase for further details.
  • Awards Program: Asiana Club
  • Alliance: Star Alliance
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Avianca, TACA

  • Date or Schedule Change Fee: Depends on the class selected at the time of redemption, ranges from $30 to $200
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund of Miles Fee: Fee applies, check with the Avianca support
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • Change of name not permitted for award flights
  • Awards Program: LifeMiles
  • Alliance: Star Alliance
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

British Airways

  • Date or Destination Change and Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund Fee:
    • U.K.: £35 ($45)
    • Ireland and Most of Europe: €42.50 ($45)
    • U.S.: $55
    • Canada: CA$58
    • For other countries of departures, visit the British Airways site for specific costs.
    • Each change or cancellation comes with an additional $25 service center fee.
    • Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the flight.
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • Change fees waived for Gold Priority Reward Bookings
  • Awards Program: Executive Club
  • Alliance: Oneworld
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Cathay Pacific

  • Date Change Fee (Per Person, Per Sector):
    • $50 or 7,500 miles rebooking via the online form
    • $50 or 7,500 miles rebooking through other channels
    • Additional $40 or 6,000 miles service fee for change requests made via other channels
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund of Miles Fee: $120 or 17,000 miles
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • Some tickets can be changed within your Asia Miles account and may not incur a change fee.
  • Awards Program: Asia Miles
  • Alliance: Oneworld
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

China Eastern Airlines

  • Date or Time Change Fee: Only the date and time of award tickets can be changed. China Eastern Airlines doesn’t list any change fees for award flights. Change fees for cash flights depend on your ticket.
  • Destination Change Fee: Route changes are not permitted
  • Cancellation or Refund of Miles Fee: Points for award tickets are not refunded for voluntary cancellations, but the airline may refund certain taxes and fees for unused flight segments. For involuntary cancellations, the airline refunds redeemed points and applicable taxes for unused flight segments.
  • Exclusions and Waivers: Award flights cannot be changed to a different class.
  • Awards Program: Eastern Miles
  • Alliance: SkyTeam
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

China Southern Airlines

  • Date or Destination Change Fee:
    • Domestic 24 or more hours before departure: ¥50 ($7)
    • Domestic 24 hours or fewer before departure: ¥100 ($15)
    • International 24+ hours before departure: ¥100 ($15)
    • International 24 hours or less before departure: ¥200 ($30)
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund Fee: 50% of the unused mileage
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • SkyTeam award flights cannot change routes or names; however, the flight number and date can be changed for ¥100 to ¥200 ($15 to $30), depending on whether the flight is domestic or international.
  • Awards Program: Sky Pearl Club
  • Alliance: SkyTeam
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Delta

Delta Sky Priority Check In Upgraded Points LLC 2
Image Credit: Upgraded Points
  • Date or Destination Change Fee:
    • Domestic U.S. (including Puerto Rica and U.S. Virgin Islands) and Canada: Free (excluding Basic Economy fare), mileage difference applies
    • International flights from the U.S. and Canada: Free (excluding Basic Economy fare), mileage difference applies
    • For international flights originating outside of the U.S. and Canada, visit here.
    • Basic Economy award tickets cannot be changed. However, they can be canceled for a fee; see below.
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund of Miles Fee:
    • Free for travel within the U.S. (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), international flights originating from the U.S. and Canada, and flights between the Caribbean and the U.S. (excluding Basic Economy fare)
    • $150 per ticket for award tickets for travel originating outside of North America (excluding Basic Economy fare)
    • Basic Economy Award Travel: 9,900 miles for domestic travel (within the U.S. and Canada) and 19,900 miles for international travel
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • $75 same-day confirmed or standby charge for different flight time
    • Same-day changes waived for Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Medallion members
  • Awards Program: SkyMiles
  • Alliance: SkyTeam
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: U.S.

El Al

  • Change, Cancellation, or Redeposit Fees: Fee applies; check your fare rules while booking.
  • Exclusion and Waivers: Top Platinum members don’t have to pay cancellation or change fees for tickets purchased by March 31, 2024.
  • Awards Program: Matmid Club
  • Alliance: Codeshare agreements with American, Iberia, JetBlue, and more; partners with AeroMexico, Alaska, and Qantas
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Emirates

  • Date Change Fee:
    • Classic Flex Plus: Free
    • Classic Saver: $25
  • Destination Change Fee:
    • Flex Plus reward tickets: Free
    • All other reward tickets within the same destination zone: $25
    • Destination changes to a different zone may require a cancellation of the original award ticket (with miles credited back to the account minus any expired miles) and repurchase or reissue of a new ticket with a new validity period and destination.
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund of Miles Fee:
    • Refunds before travel:
      • Classic Flex Plus: Free
      • Classic Saver: $75
      • Refunds after travel: Not permitted
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • Fees waived for infants.
  • Awards Program: Skywards
  • Alliance: Codeshare agreements with some Oneworld and SkyTeam members, as well as other airlines
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Etihad

  • Date Change Fee: 
    • Changes can be made up to 7 days before departure: AED 100 ($25)
    • Flight departing within 7 days: Not permitted
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund of Miles Fee:
    • More than 21 days before departure: 25% of the fare
    • Between 8 and 21 days before departure: 50% of the fare
    • Within 1 and 7 days of departure: 75% of the fare
    • No show or cancel within 24 hours: Not entitled to any refund
    • Up to 24 hours prior to departure, a flat refund fee of 10% of the total miles is required for the reward booking, excluding any applicable taxes and carrier charges.
  • Awards Program: Etihad Guest
  • Alliance: Codeshare agreements with many Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance members and other airlines
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

EVA Air

  • Date or Destination Change Fee and Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund Fee: $50
    • No-show fee:
      • America, Europe, and Oceania routes: $150
      • International short-haul routes (excluding Hong Kong and Macau): $100
      • Hong Kong and Macau: $40
  • Exclusions/Waivers: Fees are waived for Silver, Gold, and Diamond members.
  • Awards Program: Infinity MileageLands
  • Alliance: Star Alliance
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Frontier

  • Change Fee:
    • Basic Fare, Standard:
      • $0 at 60 or more days before departure
      • $49 at 59 to 7 days before departure
      • $99 within 6 days before departure (including same day)
    • Economy, Premium, or Business Bundles: No change fee
  • Cancellation or Redeposit Fee:
    • Basic, Standard: $99 per passenger, per direction
    • Economy, Premium, or Business Bundles: No cancel fee
  • Exclusions and Waivers: Change and cancellation fees are waived for elite status members. (7 or more days before departure)
  • Awards Program: Frontier Miles
  • Alliance: No current codesharing agreements with popular commercial airlines
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: U.S.

Garuda Indonesia

  • Date Change Fee:
    • Changes can be made 4 or more hours from departure.
    • Changes are subject to a penalty of 20% of total mileage.
  • Destination or Name Change Change Fee: Not permitted
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund Fee: Only fully unused reward tickets can be redeposited.
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • A change cannot be made if your account does not have the additional 20% mileage per the change penalty.
  • Awards Program: GarudaMiles
  • Alliance: SkyTeam
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Hainan Airlines

  • Change Fee: Rebooking fee of ¥100 for domestic flights and ¥200 for regional and international flights
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund Fee:
    • Fortune Classic Awards: Miles are nonrefundable, but rebooking taxes and fees can be refunded if processed within the valid period.
    • Fortune Flex Awards: Depends on fare type and ticket price
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • Changes can only be made within the same cabin class for Fortune Classic Awards.
    • 10% discount on rebooking fees for Select Card members
    • Silver, Gold, and Platinum members are exempt from fees, but only on Fortune Classic Awards.
    • On valid Fortune Classic Award flights, members may change the flight date up to 2 hours before the departure with flights marketed and operated by Hong Kong Airlines.
  • Awards Program: Fortune Wings Club
  • Alliance: No major alliance; individually partnered with 11 airlines, including Etihad, Alaska, and Virgin Australia
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Hawaiian Airlines

  • Date or Destination Change Fee: No additional fee
  • Cancellation, Refund, or Redeposit Fee: No additional fee (not allowed for partially used tickets)
  • Awards Program: Hawaiian Miles
  • Alliance: No alliance, but airline partners include China Airlines, Korean Air, Japan Airlines, JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, and Virgin Australia
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International and domestic

Iberia

  • Date or Destination Change Fee:
    • Blue Class, Premium Economy, Business Class: €25 ($27) up to 24 hours before the flight departure
    • Full Economy: Free
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund of Miles Fee: €25 ($27) up to 24 hours before the flight departure
  • Exclusions amd Waivers: For Flexible Tickets, Iberia allows 1 change 15 days or less before the flight departure, with some restrictions.
  • Awards Program: Iberia Plus
  • Alliance: Oneworld
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Japan Airlines

  • Date Change Fee: Not permitted (flight must be canceled and a new ticket issued)
  • Destination Change Fee: Not permitted
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund of Miles Fee: ¥3,100 ($20) for international award tickets, ¥1,000 ($7) for domestic award tickets
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • Changes or cancellations may be made online up to 20 minutes before a domestic flight and until 3 hours before departure time for international flights.
    • Changes made by phone are subject to a $50 ticketing fee
  • Awards Program: Mileage Bank, FLY ON
  • Alliance: Oneworld
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

JetBlue

  • Change Fee:
    • Blue Basic: Not allowed (booked or exchanged on or after March 18, 2024)
    • Blue, Blue Plus, Blue Extra, and Mint: No fee (fare difference applies)
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund Fee:
    • Blue Basic
      • Routes in North America, the Caribbean, and Central America: $100
      • All other routes: $200
    • Blue, Blue Plus, Blue Extra, Mint: No fee
  • Same-Day Switches or Standby Fee:
    • Blue Basic: Not allowed (booked on or after March 18, 2024)
    • Blue, Blue Plus, Mint: $75
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • Same-day change fee is waived for Mosaic members (all fares including Blue Basic), and Blue Extra fares
    • Changes or cancellations made over the phone incur a $25 service fee.
  • Awards Program: TrueBlue
  • Alliance: Codeshare agreements with many Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance members and other airlines
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: Domestic U.S.

Korean Air

  • Date or Destination Change Fee:
    • Domestic: None
    • International: ₩30,000 ($20), CA$30 for departures from Canada, and IDR 350,000 for departures from Indonesia
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund of Miles Fee:
    • Domestic flights:
      • Before ticket expiration date: 500 miles
      • After ticket expiration date: 3,000 miles
    • International flights:
      • More than 91 days to departure: Free
      • Within 90 days of departure: 3,000 miles
      • After ticket expiration date: 10,000 miles
  • No-Show Penalty:
    • International
      • Economy: $100
      • Prestige, First: $300
    • Domestic: ₩15,000
  • Awards Program: SKYPASS
  • Alliance: SkyTeam
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Lufthansa

Lufthansa plane at gate BCN
Image Credit: Daniel Ross
  • Date Change Fee: €50 ($55)
  • Destination Change Fee: Not permitted
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund of Miles Fee:
    • Standard cancellation fee for unused tickets: €50 ($55)
    • Reduced Flight Awards: No refund permitted
  • Exclusions and Waivers: 
    • Tickets for Fly Smart award and mileage bargains cannot be changed once issued.
  • Awards Program: Miles & More
  • Alliance: Star Alliance
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Norwegian Air

Norwegian Air doesn’t publish guidance on changing award flights. The following is the airline’s policy for cash fares, which may or may not apply to award flights.

  • Date or Destination Change Fee:
    • LowFare and LowFare+: $75 plus fare difference
    • Flex: Free
    • Changes can be made up to 30 minutes before departure.
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund Fee: 
    • LowFare and LowFare+: Nonrefundable (after 24 hours of booking)
    • Flex: Refundable
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • $30 per person, each way service charge for any changes or cancellations made by phone or at the airport
  • Awards Program: Norwegian Reward
  • Alliance: Airlines for Europe (A4E), but no other major alliance
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: Domestic Europe

Qantas

  • Date or Destination Change Fee: 5,000 Qantas points
    • Changes that require a ticket to be reissued are not permitted within 24 hours of departure or once travel has commenced.
    • Changes are not permitted on any Classic Flight Rewards flight paper ticket booking once travel has commenced.
  • Cancellations: 6,000 Qantas points
  • Reinstated Fee: 5,000 Qantas points
  • Change or Cancellation Service Fees: 
    • Domestic Australia or New Zealand: 4,500 Qantas points
    • Trans Tasman: 4,500 Qantas points
    • International Flights: 7,700 Qantas points
  • Awards Program: Frequent Flyer
  • Alliance: Oneworld
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Singapore Airlines

  • Date Change Fee:
    • Singapore Airlines: $25 (Saver fares); $0 (Advantage fares)
    • Partner Airlines: $50
  • Destination Change Fee:
    • Singapore Airlines: $25 (regardless of fare)
    • Partner Airlines: $50
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund of Miles Fee:
    • KrisFlyer: $75 (Saver fares) or $50 (Advantage fares)
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • A no-show fee of $100 to $300 will be applied depending on your class. If you wish to refund and you are a no-show, you pay both fees.
    • A $25 service fee applies for making any amendments offline.
    • 1 change free of charge
  • Awards Program: KrisFlyer
  • Alliance: Star Alliance
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Southwest Airlines

  • Date Change Fee: Free
  • Destination Change Fee: Free
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund of Miles Fee: Free
  • Exclusions and Waivers: Changes may be subject to a difference in points, but there are no additional fees.
  • Awards Program: Rapid Rewards
  • Alliance: No current codesharing agreements with popular commercial airlines
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: Domestic U.S.

Spirit Airlines

  • Change or Cancellation Fees: Free
    • $25 service fee for changes or cancellations made over the phone
  • Exclusions/Waivers:
    • $25 is waived for Free Spirit Gold and Silver members
  • Awards Program: Free Spirit
  • Alliance: No current codesharing agreements with popular commercial airlines
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: Domestic U.S.

Thai Airways

  • Date or Destination Change Fee:
    • THAI Award: 
      • Domestic: ฿500 or $16
      • International:
        • Economy Class, Premium Economy: ฿2,500 or $85
        • Royal Silk Class, Royal First Class: ฿3,500 or $120
    • Star Alliance Air Award (All Classes of Service): ฿3,750 or $125
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund Fee:
    • Within Thailand: ฿1,800 or $60
    • Regional or International: ฿3,750, $125 or 10,000 miles
    • Intercontinental: ฿5,700, $190 or 15,000 miles
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • Stopover fee of ฿2,850 or $95
  • Awards Program: Royal Orchid Plus
  • Alliance: Star Alliance
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Turkish Airlines

  • Date or Destination Change Fee:
    • Domestic flights: ₺150 ($4)
    • International flights: $70
    • International change fees apply even if changes are only made to the domestic leg of a domestic-international connection.
  • Preflight Cancellation Refund Fee: 
    • Domestic flights: ₺150 ($4)
    • International flights: $70
  • No-Show Reissuing Fee:
    • Domestic flights: ₺200 ($6)
    • International flights: $150
  • Awards Program: Miles&Smiles
  • Alliance: Star Alliance
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

United Airlines

United 737 Livery RSW Upgraded Points LLC 2
Image Credit: Upgraded Points
  • Change Fees: No additional fee
  • Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund Fee: No additional fee
    • $125 redeposit fee for no-shows, regardless of elite status
  • Exclusions and Waivers:
    • Additional fee for booking award ticket by phone: $25 (General, Premier Silver, and Premier Gold)
  • Awards Program: MileagePlus
  • Alliance: Star Alliance
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: Domestic U.S.

Virgin Atlantic

  • Date or Destination Change Fee and Cancellation, Redeposit, or Refund Fee:
    • International flights originating in the U.K.: £30 ($40)
    • International flights originating in the U.S.: $50
    • International flights originating in any other region: Local currency equivalent of $50
  • Exclusions and Waivers: The terms to change your booking depend on your type of ticket.
  • Awards Program: Flying Club
  • Alliance: Codeshare agreements with many Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance members and other airlines
  • Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Final Thoughts

As you can see, most airlines have varying fees when it comes to changing or canceling reward flights. Keep in mind that when changing a flight, you always need to pay the fare difference in cash or miles if the new flight is more expensive. Some airlines have terms and fees relating to specific fare types, so it’s always best to check at the point of booking to avoid any surprises.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a fee to change or cancel an award ticket?

There usually is a fee to change or cancel an award ticket. The amount of the fee depends on the airline and the type of change being made.

Can you cancel a flight booked with points?

Most airlines allow passengers to cancel flights booked with points, but many impose a fee to do so. Policies vary from airline to airline, and we’ve listed some of the most popular airlines in this article.

Can I change my flight booked with airline miles?

Many airlines allow passengers to change flights booked with miles, usually for a fee. Many restrict these to date changes, but some airlines also offer route changes.

What happens if you cancel a Delta flight booked with miles?

Delta no longer charges change fees for canceling award tickets, but canceling a cash ticket costs $150 per ticket (though this fee is waived for tickets with travel originating from North America to anywhere in the world, excluding Basic Economy fares).

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About Erin Miller

An experienced points hacker, Erin is Alex’s partner-in-crime and contributes to Upgraded Points with in-depth guides and relationship management. Erin’s work has been cited in multiple major publications.

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